What to bring to University

Arriving at University is an exciting experience – having freedom, making friends and cooking meals you actually like! However, the excitement of moving to University can be overshadowed by the daunting task of packing. At Downing Students, we have created a Uni checklist to make your packing and moving-in experience stress-free.

This University pack list deals with all of the practical considerations when arriving at your student accommodation. We want to make sure that you know exactly what to bring to University to make your move as smooth as possible and what may turn out to be a waste of money.

Important Documents to Take To University 

Having all of your important documents in one place will save time and stress if you ever need them. It may be worth buying a small box or safe to keep all your important things in one place.

• Passport
• ID (Driver’s License if you have one)
• Passport photos: To use for your student ID
• University acceptance letter
• Student Loan correspondence: This will make it easy to check when payments are coming in
• Accommodation contract and details
• Bank account details
• Insurance documents: Student contents insurance can be bought to protect your belongings while at University.  At Downing Students we provide cover with Ensleigh insurance.

University Kitchen Checklist 

It may be helpful to check your University accommodation’s list of what is included in your kitchen, usually this would include appliances such as a toaster, kettle and microwave.

• Cutlery (forks, knives, spoons, teaspoons): Bring more than one set as cutlery always seems to go missing!
• Crockery (small plate, large plate, bowl, mug): Make sure these are microwave friendly
• Glassware (glasses, wine glasses, shot glasses, cups): Make sure you have a variety of cups/glasses to suit every occasion and provide for guests
• Tupperware: Bringing a multipack of tupperware may come in handy when meal-prepping or saving leftovers
• Pans (frying pan, saucepan)
• Other utensils (tongs, spatula, whisk, peeler, wooden spoons, sharp kitchen knife, bottle opener, tin opener, scissors)
• Baking trays: It may be handy to buy a rectangular and circle tray for pizza
• Chopping board
• Cheese grater
• Potato masher
• Measuring jug
• Sieve
• Washing up liquid
• Sponges: Washing up brushes may make washing up more bearable!
• Bin bags
• Tin foil
• Cling film
• Parchment paper
• Tea towels
• Oven gloves
• Food: We’ll leave the specifics to you

University Bedroom Checklist 

It is important to make your room your own at University with decorations, pictures, plants etc. but we’ll leave the fun bits to you. This list covers the practical essentials you may need for your room.

• Bed linen (duvet, duvet cover, sheet, pillows, pillowcases, blankets/cushions): It may be worth taking two sets of bedding so that you don’t have to avoid your bed while one set is in the wash
• Mattress protector: This is essential to protect from stains and make sure you don’t lose any of your deposit
• Coat hangers (shirt hangers and trouser hangers)
• Extra storage for clothes (clothes storage baskets, shoe rack)
• Command hooks: These can be temporarily stuck on a wall/door and are great for hanging coats
• Laundry basket
• Clothes horse: This can help save money when drying clothes
• Lamp: To make your room feel cosier
• Small mirror: Your accommodation will normally provide a larger mirror but it may be handy to have one on your desk.
• Makeup storage
• Desk organiser: Having a messy work space can impact productivity and concentration
• Extension lead: This will be a life saver to keep under your desk so that you don’t have to keep unplugging electricals

University Bathroom Checklist 

• Towels (bath towels and hand towels): It is worth taking two of each so that you are not without while they are in the wash
• Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel)
• Toilet roll: If you have a shared bathroom, a toilet roll buying system will probably be discussed with your housemates. In the meantime it is worth taking a pack.
• Sanitary products
• Razors and shaving cream
• Make-up and supplies (tweezers, make up remover, brushes)
• Hair supplies (hair brush, hair dryer, straighteners etc)
• Small first aid kit (plasters, bandages, paracetamol, medication etc.)
• Contact supplies (contact lens solution, case, back-ups)
• Contraceptives
• Bath mat
• Plastic box/shower tidy: This keeps all your shower essentials together and comes in great handy if you are sharing a bathroom and need to transport items from your room to the shower

You can order kitchen and bedding packs online to be delivered direct to your accommodation. Visit UniKitOut.com where you’ll be able to order from a range of essentials packs to suite your needs. The range of packs include bedding, linen, towels, cooking equipment, crockery, cleaning and stationery. You will need to allow time for delivery so place your order as soon as possible!

Remember to use discount code ‘DOWNING10′ at checkout to receive 10% off your order.

Essential Stationary for University 

• Study planner/diary: This will come in handy when you have multiple deadlines approaching and need to time manage
• Writing pad
• A4 paper
• Post it notes: It can be useful to stick reminders around your study area where you will see them
• Stationary (pens, pencils, highlighters)
• Pencil case
• Calculator: This may only be necessary if your course is maths/science based
• Course textbooks: Check with your course whether you need to purchase these beforehand. Often, textbooks are available for free online through your University so it may be worth waiting to buy them.

What to Leave behind 

• Your car: Accommodations often don’t have parking and it’ll be easy enough to get around on foot, bike or electric scooter
• Printer: Universities offer printing services for a small price or sometimes free. The chances are you won’t need to print much anyway
• Your whole wardrobe: You won’t have room to store all of your clothes at your accommodation. It may be beneficial to bring your winter clothes and then swap these for summer clothes halfway through the year
• Pets: Pets are not allowed in most student accommodations

Transporting Your Belongings  

• Separate your belongings into manageable and transportable sections. It may be helpful to transport items in bin bags as there will not be room to store suitcases in your student accommodation and you probably won’t have enough to transport all your items anyway
• Fill storage boxes/baskets with smaller items such as toiletries to make transportation more efficient
• It can be daunting unpacking your items by yourself, but don’t worry, we have you covered! At all our development’s, we have our friendly halls team on hand when students arrive to help them in!
• If you cannot transport your items or do not have any helpers, it may be helpful to contact a student luggage delivery service to transport belongings. Prices appear to start from £18 and increase with the amount of luggage.

At Downing Students we want to make your moving-in experience as enjoyable as possible, so we hope that this list of what to bring to university will ease your mind a little.

We know this list for University packing may seem like a lot but you’ll thank us later when you have all your essentials for Uni sorted and your flatmates are having to go out and hunt for a duvet that they forgot to pack!

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions or contact us if you need more information on student properties.