University essentials

What are the items that you’ve found useful for university life that you wouldn’t initially think of bringing (especially first year when living in shared bathroom halls) ?

Thanks!

Reply 1

EdgeHillStudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

What are the items that you’ve found useful for university life that you wouldn’t initially think of bringing (especially first year when living in shared bathroom halls) ?
Thanks!

Hi there! 😄

This is a great question! I have a few things I found useful:

•

A door stop: student accommodation have heavy fire doors so this can be helpful

•

Slippers/crocs: for shared spaces

•

A can opener/bottle opener

•

An extension lead: for plugs

•

A tiny lamp: much cosier than using the big light!

•

Clothes horse (a small one that folds out to be bigger is ideal!)

•

A toiletries/washbag: to easily take personal items to and from bathroom

I hope this helps!

Emily
Third Year Creative Writing Student

Reply 2

McGinger

Travel coffee mug - most campus cafes etc give discounts on coffee if you use your own cup.
Plastic boxes for storing stuff in the fridge and taking lunch/snacks to campus.
A bag to use for carting your laundry to the washing machines- a big bag-for-life etc.
Dressing gown, trackie-bottoms and warm slippers - for fire drills at 3am on a freezing cold January night.

Reply 3

Kingston Grace

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

What are the items that you’ve found useful for university life that you wouldn’t initially think of bringing (especially first year when living in shared bathroom halls) ?
Thanks!

Hi,

For sharing a bathroom I would suggest:

-Flip flops for the shower
-Something to carry your toiletries to and from
-toothbrush case

Other items
-Door hooks
-I had a shoe rack
-Baskets and things to organize the space
-Documents (like passport)
-drawing pins for notice board
-fancy dress items, if you are planning on going out on themed nights (look at common themes)
-digital camera (a great excuse to capture the memories)
-colour catchers (so you can wash multiple colours at once to save money)
-I ended up buying more socks as I didn't have enough for how often I was doing laundry

I hope this helps :smile:

-Grace (Kingston Rep)

Reply 4

Anonymous #2

Original post by McGinger

they don't do night time drills at uni do they 🥲 I've had enough of those boarding for high school 😭 I thought I had escaped

Reply 5

McGinger

Original post by Anonymous

they don't do night time drills at uni do they 🥲 I've had enough of those boarding for high school 😭 I thought I had escaped

Regularly - as they should.

Reply 6

YSJstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

What are the items that you’ve found useful for university life that you wouldn’t initially think of bringing (especially first year when living in shared bathroom halls) ?
Thanks!

Hi there!

Here are some of my top few!

•

Extension Leads! You don't know where the plugs in your room will be, and if they're awkwardly placed, charging devices can be an inconvenience!

•

Fancy Dress! Bring anything you have - whether that's fun hats, Halloween costumes, etc. There tends to be lots of themed nights out during Fresher's and any accessories can be useful!

•

Cleaning Supplies. I'd recommend bringing some wipes and a spray disinfectant so you can clean the fridge shelves, cupboards, etc. before putting your stuff in them!

•

Basic Stationery. If you plan on using a laptop, you might not think of bringing stationary, but my experience is that you'll still need it for worksheets in workshops/seminars, writing on calenders, and so on.

•

Toilet Roll! This may sound silly, but so many people forget to buy some toilet roll BEFORE moving in, then they end up awkwardly having to ask neighbour flats for some!

•

Board Games. Board games or card games are great for those first few nights of getting to know your flatmates :smile:

Hope this helps! Good luck in September🤗

Kiera
Student Ambassador, York St. John

Reply 7

freyaBU

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

What are the items that you’ve found useful for university life that you wouldn’t initially think of bringing (especially first year when living in shared bathroom halls) ?
Thanks!

Hi,

Here's a few essential things I found I needed:

•

Shower caddy

•

Spare towels

•

Air freshener

•

Humidifier (to chuck under the beds or spaces that can get damp)

•

Extension lead

•

Laundry basket with handles

•

Travel mug and lunch box

•

First aid kit

•

Stain remover

•

Crocs/Sliders/Slippers

•

Noise cancelling ear plugs

•

Spare bedding

•

Mini blender (for soups or smoothies)

•

Hangers (I forgot these in first year)

•

Games to play with flatmates

•

Shoe rack

I hope this helps 😀

Reply 8

McGinger

Humidifier (to chuck under the beds or spaces that can get damp)

Not allowed in most Uni housing.
Try opening the window instead.

Reply 9

LJMUStudentReps

Official Rep

This is my list:

Bathroom

•

Bath mat

•

Hand towel

•

Toilet paper

•

Soap

•

Toilet brush (if not already provided)

•

Personal toiletries – best to keep them in your room when not in use

Room

•

Clothes airer (saves money & prevents overloading uni dryers)

•

Clothes rail (useful if you’re bringing lots of clothes, shoes, or heavy coats)

•

Two sets of bedding and towels (so you always have a fresh one while the other is in the wash)

•

Table lamp

•

Desk fan

•

Desk ironing board & iron (for job interviews & formal occasions)

•

Under-desk bin

•

Dressing gown & slippers

•

Reusable shopping bags

•

IKEA bags or laundry basket

•

First aid kit & paracetamol

•

Extension lead

•

Small laptop or tablet/iPad for uni work

•

Pictures & pins (if your room has a pinboard)

•

Important documents (passport, NI number etc.)

4 years in, and I definitely overpacked every time! 😆

Megan, LJMU Postgraduate Student Rep

Reply 10

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

What are the items that you’ve found useful for university life that you wouldn’t initially think of bringing (especially first year when living in shared bathroom halls) ?
Thanks!

Hi!

Here are some of my University essentials that I wouldn't have been able to live without when I was in my first year:

Bedroom:

•

Storage boxes for under your bed. Check if you have room underneath your bed (you may be able to email the halls) as I thought this was really helpful for me as most rooms have limited storage space.

•

Extension leads as often plug sockets are not where you need them to be.

•

Things to remind you of home like pictures.

•

Drawing pins as you will usually have a pinboard in your room.

•

A blanket as it can get really cold in halls!

Bathroom:

•

A shower caddy that you can bring to and from the bathroom with all your things in

•

Flip flops/crocs for the shower

Kitchen:

•

A few tea towels as they will get dirty and you need some when the others are in the wash

•

Tupperware boxes so you can freeze any leftovers you might have

•

Utensils you think you will actually use - will you actually use a potato masher? If so, bring it but if not there's no point.

I hope some of this helps,

Lucy -SHU student ambassador 🙂

Reply 11

Chester Student

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

What are the items that you’ve found useful for university life that you wouldn’t initially think of bringing (especially first year when living in shared bathroom halls) ?
Thanks!

Hi there,

This is a great question! It's always good to be prepared. Here are some things I'd suggest:

•

A shower caddy - this makes those trips to the communal bathrooms that much easier! I had a cheap mesh one from Amazon, and it did the job.

•

A clothes airer - super helpful to save on laundry costs/not have to pay for an extra dry if things don't dry properly!

•

Alternative lighting - I have a desk lamp, but I wish I had a smaller one to put on the shelf next to my bed so I didn't have to use such harsh lighting.

•

A first aid kit - an essential that will likely be listed everywhere, but has truly saved me from trekking to the shops with a pounding headache!

•

Spare bedding, towels, and enough underwear and socks! - I was surprised at the amount of socks I've worn through/had ruined by hall floors, and having enough/spare of the essentials is important.