University Essentials (Things You Shouldn't Forget)

As it's coming closer to the time when everyone is starting back to university. I thought, as I recently just finished university, that I would share twenty one things that you should not forget when you go to university.

I'm going to base this list mostly on people who are moving away to university but I'm sure there are a few things that students living at home could take from this.

1. Laptop
I know laptops can be expensive but honestly bringing your own laptop is essential because you can do assignments, watch Netflix, YouTube and other stuff. It just means you don't have to rely on using the limited number of computers in the library all the time. The only times I used the library computers was if I needed to use Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator because I didn't have them installed on my own laptop or to print something off. It's just so much convenient having your own laptop to do your work on.

2. ID (Driving Licence/Provisional/Passport)
You may go to a few night clubs during freshers week or throughout the year so make sure you have ID because most entrance to clubs requires you to have your ID so they know you're of legal age. Also, you may need to identify yourself at university or other places so just make sure you have a legitimate ID and that it is in date. The last thing you want is an out of date ID.

3. Cookbook
This may seem a bit random but honestly bring a cookbook so you can at least attempt to make a decent meal. I learned how to make Spaghetti Bolognese through my little student cookbook. Trust me you don't want to be living off microwave meals and pot noodles for an entire year.

4. Tupperware
Whether it's the plastic boxes from Chinese takeaways or cheap ones from Poundland. Bring some tupperware. It's so handy when you make a meal to have enough to put in some tupperware and freeze it so you have another meal for another day. It makes life so much more affordable. Just make sure the tupperware is freezable and you'll be good to go.

5. Extension Lead
The likely thing about your student room will be that you may have a limited number of plug sockets or the sockets are in awkward places around your room. Bring an extension lead (preferably one with a long cord) because honestly it will help a lot if you need to charge your phone by your bed or charge your laptop while drying your hair with a hairdryer. Trust me when I say. Bring an extension lead. Bring two if you can. That's what I did for first year in halls. One for by my bed and one for by my desk. It helped me so much.

6. Headphones
Headphones are literally a life saver for every university student. Whether it's to listen to music while walking to your lectures or studying in the library. They're also great for watching Netflix or YouTube videos without disturbing your flatmates. Another thing is they can drown out unwanted noise from your student halls or house. Headphones are just the best really.

7. Damage Free Hooks/Over the Door Hooks
One thing I noticed when I moved into my room in halls in first year was there was nowhere to hang up my bags or coats. There was just know hooks so I bought an over the door hook to hang up stuff but I also used damage free hooks to hang up my room key or my dressing gown. These are great because they don't cause any damage to the walls and they are just super handy.

8. Laundry Basket
Whether it's a pop up one or an Ikea bag. You're going to need a place to put your dirty laundry. Another thing is if you're living in halls and the launderette is all the way across campus you're going to need to be able to carry your dirty laundry so definitely choose a laundry basket which has handles as you may need to carry your laundry across the campus.

9. Bedroom Decorations
Sometimes going to university for the first time is scary. It's the first time living away from home and it can be daunting staying in your new bedroom in the first few weeks. However, if you make your bedroom as comfortable as possible and basically make it feel like home it can be great. It's your own space to you can decorate it however you want. Just make sure it doesn't go against the accommodation rules because you will have at least one inspection of your accommodation. Decorate your room with photos, posters, fairy lights, cute little decorations. Honestly something I hated for some reason in my university bedroom was a bare wall so I would put posters up or pictures using blue tack or command hooks. In second year, I was lucky that I had two hooks on the walls already so I could hang stuff up on them and it was great.

10. Mirror
Honestly, you don't know if your bedroom has a decent mirror in it until you get there. My suggestion is bringing your own mirror just in case. Where it's a little one or a big one. Just bring a mirror. It's just handy to have to check yourself out before you leave for a lecture just to make sure your hair doesn't look a complete mess. It's also handy to have if you're getting ready for a night out and want to do your makeup by your desk. A mirror is one of those things you may not think of until you get to your uni bedroom and realise there's no mirror or the mirror is above the sink and it doesn't have the best lighting.

11. Backpack
Honestly having a backpack for university is great because you can fit everything you need for lecture and have your hands free. Another thing use for your backpack is for your grocery shop. For me, my local supermarket was like a twenty minute walk away and I couldn't drive so every shopping trip I had to walk there then walk back with my groceries. To make life easier I took my backpack and a reusable shopping bag. It makes it so much easier because you can put your shopping in your backpack and put it on your back plus you can use one hand to carry your shopping bag then you have a free hand. It just makes it easier to carry your shopping because it's all on your back. I always made a list every time I went shopping so that I could limit myself on what I bought because I knew it had to fit in my backpack and shopping bag. Trust me when I say doing this helped me out a lot because most of the time I had my hands free on my walk home as all my shopping was on my back. It's a good trick to know if you can't drive and your supermarket is a twenty minute walk away.

12. A5 Notebook
I found having an A5 notebook was perfect for lectures because it was small enough to carry around plus I felt like I could actually take notes and not waste paper. I always found A4 to be too overwhelming for taking notes because I would feel like I'd have to take loads of notes. The reality is the lecture PowerPoints are normally saved and you can view them after the lectures so you don't need to take too many notes. That's why I found it easier just to use an A5 notebook to take notes with in lectures. Plus, I felt like I wasn't wasting paper as most of the time I could fill on A5 page full of lecture notes.

13. Storage Boxes
Sometimes you may find when you move into your new uni room that there isn't a lot of storage space or anywhere to put some of your stuff. Bring some plastic storage boxes. Preferably the ones you can slide under your bed. It's also great to have a dedicated storage box for dry food you don't want to get stolen such as noodles or rice or even pasta. Just keep some dry food that you really don't want to be eaten by anyone else in your room in a storage box. I did this in first year and it was great because I didn't have any food (that I was aware of) stolen. The only thing someone did steal from me was my light mayonnaise. Twice I bought a big squeezy bottle of light mayonnaise which I put in the communal fridge and twice it mysteriously disappeared. In the end I bought a little squeezy bottle of light mayonnaise and kept in my room on the sink. I know it's probably not the best idea but anything was better than having someone take it again. Anyway, storage boxes are a useful thing to have in your room.

14. Travel Mug/Water Bottle
Honestly having a travel mug is great especially for those 9am lectures because sometimes you may not have time to drink your morning coffee so take it with you. In my lectures you were allowed to bring hot/cold drinks. Also, they are great if you're having a study day in the library and you need some coffee. Another handy thing is your own plastic water bottle because you can fill it up with water or squash or juice and take it with you. Sometimes I'd get thirsty during my lectures so having a water bottle was great for that because I always had a drink in my bag.

15. Memory Stick
At university you are going to be doing a lot of assignments so you may have a lot saved to your laptop. However, you can run the risk of losing all your work the night before which is literally the biggest fear of every student. However, if you save your work to a memory stick at least you know your work is backed up. I always did my work through my memory stick as I could transfer my work from my laptop to the university computers if I needed to print something. It's just handy to back up your work. Even emailing your work to yourself is a great way to back up your work. Honestly, you don't want to be that person that loses their work the night before because they didn't back it up.

16. Mini First Aid Kit
While at university, chances are you might get ill. Especially with the dreaded freshers flu. The problem is you're not at home anymore so your mum can't help you. It's always best though to be prepared and make a mini first aid kit. You can put pain killers, plasters, cold and flu remedies, cough medicine, throat sweets, antiseptic cream, any medication that you need and anything else you can think of. Honestly, you're bound to get ill while at university so it's always best to be prepared. You don't want to fall ill and not have anything for it or have to go to the shop to get what you need for it. Just be prepared.

17. Condoms/contraception
Kind of an obvious one but you may have sex while at university so it's always best to be prepared. Just buy a pack of condoms or if you're a female maybe go to your doctors if you haven't already to get on some contraception. I think the last thing you want while at university is an unexpected pregnancy or an STD. Just saying.

18. Suitcase
Again, this kind of an obvious one because you'll probably use a suitcase to pack your clothes away for when you move to uni. However, I mean having a decent suitcase that you can take with you on the train for when you go home. I had a little four-wheel suitcase which was small but big enough for me to pack to go home during the holidays. Just having a suitcase which is easy for you to take onto the trains or to walk around a train station to get on another train. It just helps a lot having a suitcase.

19. Wipes
Whether it's face wipes, baby wipes or anti-bacterial wipes. Get some wipes. Face wipes are great because you can easily take your makeup off after a long day. If just feel the need to cleanse your face but don't want to do your entire skincare routine then use a face wipe. With anti-bacterial wipes they are super handy for keeping your room clean You can clear up dust or any spillages on your desk with them and they're just handy to have in your room just in case. You may need to do some cleaning while you're at university and antibacterial wipes are a great starting point.

20. Entertainment
There are going to be some days when you're bored while at university. Your flatmates may be busy with lectures and you have nothing to do. My advice is bringing some entertainment with you. Whether it's books or movies. I don't mean bring your entire collection but bring a few favourites that you love. I had the Friends box set which was a life saver sometimes when I was bored. I also brought my TV and PlayStation three so I could play video games as well as watch DVDs or any of the iPlayers or Netflix. It was just super handy to have in my room on days where I was bored.

21. Railcard
The final thing I recommend is a railcard. You can a 16-25 railcard and honestly it will save you a lot of money on trains. If you're going home and like me your train journey was four hours long, ticket prices tend to be expensive. However, with my railcard I was able to save a third off on my train journeys. Also book your train tickets online in advance because they are so much cheaper than on the actually day. You will save so much money and when you're a student saving money is the best thing ever. Trust me. My train journey home would normally cost £50 if I paid on the day and that is with a railcard but booking in advance sometimes it would come to £21 sometimes. Definitely, get a railcard and book online in advance for train tickets. It's a whole lot cheaper.

That's all I have to save for my university essentials which you shouldn't forget. Let me know if you have any essentials for university in the comments below. Good luck to anyone going to university. A part of me wishes I was going back to university again. Oh well. Make the most of your time at university because it doesn't last long.

I'll be back soon again with another post.

See you then.

Megan x

*This is not a sponsored post*

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