Essentials to Bring to University

Moving in by yourself to a new place can be super daunting experience and it can be challenging to think of ALL the things you need to take to your accommodation. So to make things easier I have compiled a list of things to take from my experience:

For the kitchen:

When you are living in uni accommodation and it is the first time that you are sharing a kitchen, there are some essential things to take with you:

• Pans that are suitable for induction hobs: in most of the accommodations at Warwick the hobs are induction. Unfortunately not all pans are universally suitable for induction hobs so make sure you check before you buy!
• Food pegs: this was a must have for me as dry ingredients like pasta or oats should be sealed after use, plus they are also useful for bags of food you may have in the fridge or freezer to reduce spilling.
• More than one bowl, plate and glass: you might not be as clumsy as I am and break two bowls in the space of a term, however making sure you have enough dishes is vital. Not only does it mean if one breaks you have a spare, but if you have a guest staying it’s convenient.
• Spices and herbs: from the start of the year its a great idea to have some essential spices to jazz up your meals. Sometimes meals can become quite abstract as food starts to run out but if you have some good flavours, it should turn out perfectly fine.
• Can opener: These are one of the most important things if you use tomato tins or any other canned goods, the amount of times I had to search the cupboards for one could have been saved if I had owned one.
• Extra containers: Meal prepping is a good idea when university is starting to become busy and you can’t keep cooking every meal. Instead, by making a large batch of food, and separating it into containers and placing them in the fridge, not only does it save time but it also saves fresh food that could have been going off.
• Extra tea towels and washing sponges: It is amazing how many times I’ve lost both tea towels and sponges so make sure to have extra so you won’t need to buy more.

Bedroom

Since it is the place that you will potentially study in, get ready in and sleep in there are quite a few things you can have that are handy to have lying round.

• Door Hooks: If you can pick up over the door hooks to put on ur cupboards this will be useful for hanging any coats or bags on that you use on a day to day basis.
• A lamp: Lights in dorms are quite dim, and so having a light on your bedside table or on your desk can brighten things up.
• Dressing gown: if you are sharing bathrooms, walking back and forth is easiest done in a dressing gown (or alternatively a towel), I don’t recommend trying to get changed in a shower room it gets very wet.
• Bluetac or pins: In each room there will be a pin board and considering this room will be yours for three terms I recommend sticking personal photos, posters and reminders of home on there.
• Slippers: It’s a lot more comfy than walking around wearing slippers in the kitchen and corridor than in shoes.
• Clothes for all seasons: Living in the Midlands the weather can be unpredictable and so bringing some versatile clothes for cold and hot weather.
• Waterproof mattress cover: Not only does the cover make your bed more comfy by adding some extra padding but if you spill anything it won’t seep through to the mattress.
• Hard drive/ USB stick: At uni it is not an excuse to lose work on your laptop so to make sure that you don’t lose any work, it is worth investing in a hard drive or USB stick to double save work on.
• Drying rack: If you don’t plan to spend any money on the dryers at university, invest in a foldable drying rack to fit in your room that is big enough to fit your clothes on.
• Cards: When you get to know flatmates, card games are a must.
• Extension leads: In some rooms, the plug sockets can be in quite an inconvenient place so an extension lead can solve this.
• Surface wipes: To wipe down the surfaces when they get dusty, which is quite often.
• A calendar: Either an online or sheet calendar will work but writing down events is the easiest way to stay on track.
• An iron (if you need one): Each flat comes with an ironing board but make sure to bring an iron if you want to iron any of your clothes whilst at uni.

Miscellaneous

Here are some other things that don’t fit into any of these categories that I think are useful.

• Tesco clubcard: Since Tesco is the closest supermarket to Warwick, it is likely you will choose it as a place to do weekly shopping. However, it isn’t the cheapest place to shop so getting a clubcard means that you can get great deals and earn vouchers.
• Passport: If you are looking to get a part time job during university, having a form of ID like a passport will help with that process.
• Earplugs: Living in a bust campus, on Wednesday and Friday evenings it can get very noisy and this can disrupt your sleep so earplugs will become your best friend.
• Headphones: From going to the gym to walking to the post room sometimes you need a little bit of music. Or if it’s late at night and you want to dance to some music without waking any flatmates up.

Comment any other things that you think are essential down below 🙂 And have fun packing and exploring campus for the first time in September.