So you’ve got there in the end. After the endless revision, the hours spent in stifling examination halls and the agonising wait for the results you’ve finally made it to uni.
It’s an exciting time, with a new town or city to discover, new friends to make – oh and the odd bit of work to fill in the hours between socialising.
But ever since you’ve had your place confirmed, you’ll have been given advice from all angles about essentials to take with you - and chances are they’ve all been good suggestions. But here are five you may not have told about and, believe us, they’re some of the most important.
A spare set of crockery and cutlery
If you’ve never experienced communal living before, you’ve got a few surprises awaiting you. For example; how come the milk that’s clearly labelled with your name has gotten down to the last few drops when you’ve hardly used any yourself? It can’t have evaporated in the fridge. And, when it comes to cutlery and crockery, why are the previously filled cupboards and drawers now completely bare? While your flatmates might be stashing all the plates, knives and forks away in their rooms, you can avoid having to eat your baked beans straight from the tin with a teaspoon by having your own set for emergencies.
A dressing gown
One of the unsung pleasures of living in Halls of Residence is the glorious uncertainty of just when the fire alarm’s going to go off. Unfortunately it’s usually not at 11 am when you’re in a lecture hall, settling down to 60 minutes about metaphysics and Schrodinger’s cat – far more likely to be 3am when you’re safely in the land of nod and someone’s decided to burn the toast for their late-night snack. So do yourself a favour and get a good dressing gown. It’ll make standing round in the car park waiting for the all clear just a little more bearable.
An extension cable
Chances are there won’t be nearly enough power points in your room, and you’ll find the ones that are in the most inconvenient places. So raid Dad’s tool box for a four-way adaptor before you go. It’s ok – he’s bound not to mind when he discovers that it’s gone.
USB sticks
Here’s a really practical one. Throughout the year you’ll probably be using a number of different computers – like several in the uni library and your laptop - and having USB sticks will make transferring files and documents a whole lot easier than faffing around with emails.
Fancy dress outfit
In case no-one’s told you yet a fair proportion of your social life’s going to be spent walking around in fancy dress. So be prepared – whether it’s as a superhero or a simple toga-wearer, it’s up to you.
So there you have it – the top five tips from those who’ve been there, done that and emerged with a very respectable 2:2. Last thing to worry about is how to get all your stuff in the back of the car – or, to save on the stress why not hire a van instead?