The Ultimate University Check List!

For many of us university is our first taste of independent, grown-up life. Suddenly you're solely responsible for buying your own food (and working out how to cook it without giving yourself food poisoning), paying your own bills, ensuring your passport doesn't end up discarded on the bathroom floor of a dodgy night club that smells like mouldy cheese etc.

Seriously, adulting is hard you guys!

To ensure the transition from your parents' spare room to a home of your own (if one can honestly call a 4 square foot box with a wet-room a home of one's own) as easy and successful as possible, it's best to be prepared. For anything!

You'll be surprised how often even the most obscure objects come in handy while you're at university!

And, if nothing else, being the girl who had everything made it really easy to make friends in the first couple of weeks. Whenever my less prepared housemates needed a spatula or some safety pins, I could come to rescue. After all, nobody wants to traipse to Tesco halfway through pre-drinks because no one in the flat had the forethought to bring a corkscrew.

So, to make sure you have absolutely EVERYTHING you could possibly need for your big move to university, I have the ultimate check-list for you.

Documents:

• Acceptance letter from the university
• Student loan documents
• Any housing documents/home insurance documents you may have
• Bank account information
• Medical information/prescription medication information
• Passport 
• Driving licence 
• National Insurance card
• Car documents (if you're taking your car)
• Passport photos 
• Reading list 

Kitchen:

• Plates
• Cereal bowls
• Mugs
• Tumblers 
• Wine glasses (because being a student does not excuse drinking wine out of a beaker)
• Shot glasses
• Knives
• Forks
• Spoons
• Kitchen knives (note: a £5 set of knives will not cut things. Look to spend at least £15)
• Kitchen scissors 
• Jug (for mixing questionable cocktails in)
• Mixing bowls
• Colander 
• Sieve 
• Chopping boards (one for cooked foods/veggies and one for raw meat)
• Frying pan
• Saucepans (preferably two so you can boil more than one thing at once)
• Roasting tin
• Baking tray
• Cake tin (the easiest way to make friends at uni is to show up with a cake)
• Cupcake tray
• Cookie cutters
• Cupcake cases
• Wire rack
• Cheese grater
• Weighing scales
• Measuring cups
• Measuring jug
• All purpose clips (to stop your pasta from spilling all over the floor)
• Wooden spoon
• Whisk
• Rolling pin
• Pastry brush
• Vegetable peeler
• Masher
• Corkscrew
• Bottle opener 
• Tin opener
• Spatula
• Ladle 
• Draining spoon
• Tongs
• Tray
• Tupperware (make sure it's microwaveable)
• Biscuit tin (if you, like me, are a Cookie Monster)
• Oven gloves
• Apron
• Tea towels (for the sake of your sanity, keep them hidden in your cupboard)
• Foil
• Clingfilm 
• Kitchen paper
• Re-sealable food bags
• Baking parchment
• Coasters
• *George Foreman grilling machine (not essential, of course, but incredibly handy)
• Cookbook (*Nosh for Students kept me from starving for 3 years)

Bathroom: 

(I found it best to take all my toiletries with me instead of buying them when I got there. What if you don't have time to get to the shop and you can't shower or clean your teeth?)

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Mouthwash
• Floss
• Toothbrush holder
• Soap
• Soap dish
• Shampoo
• Conditioner 
• Shower gel
• Face wash
• Moisturiser 
• Exfoliator
• Razor
• Shaving foam
• Deodorant 
• Perfume 
• Body spray
• Hairspray
• Heat protection spray for hair
• Gel/serum/hair oils
• Face wipes
• Wet wipes
• Cotton buds
• Cotton pads 
• Nail polish remover
• Nail clippers
• Nail file
• Tampons/sanitary pads (unless, of course, you are a man)
• Brush
• Comb
• Dry shampoo
• Talcum powder
• Tweezers
• Flannel/wash cloth
• Hand towels
• Body towels 
• Shower cap
• Toilet brush (if your halls don't provide one)
• Small bin
• Shower caddy (if you don't have your own bathroom)
• Mirror
• Air freshener (essential if you're sharing a bathroom)
• Toilet paper (you'll need this from the get-go so take some with you)

First Aid:

(Because Freshers Flu is a real thing and you'll end up with more bizarre injuries in the next 3 years than you will for the rest of your life)

• Prescription tablets
• Pepto Bismol 
• Berocca (your Freshers Week saviour)
• Paracetamol or other painkillers
• Bonjela 
• Antihistamines 
• Aloe vera gel (for the many burns you will definitely get)
• Antiseptic wipes
• Antibacterial hand wash 
• Plasters
• Blister plasters
• Bandages
• Small scissors 
• Tweezers (yes, keep a separate set in the first aid kit just in case)
• Tissues
• Cold and flu tablets
• Strepsils
• Decongestant nasal spray
• Vicks 
• TCP (because it cures ALL ailments)
• Bug spray
• Bug spray cream
• Suncream
• Aftersun 
• Contact lenses/glasses
• Torch (in case you're injured during a power cut. Anything is possible!)

Cleaning Essentials:

• Washing powder 
• Fabric softener 
• Colour Catchers (trust me, these are essential)
• Clothes hangers
• Duster
• Dustpan and brush
• Kitchen cleaner spay
• Antibacterial wipes
• Bleach
• Cloths
• Toilet cleaning wipes
• Window cleaning wipes
• Stain remover
• Dishcloth/sponges
• Washing up gloves 
• Washing up liquid (you'll need this straight away so take it with you)
• Laundry bag (you don't want to lose a pair of pants on the way to the laundry room)

Bedroom-type Items:

• Sheets
• Quilt cover
• Pillow cases
• Pillows (take two sets of bedclothes for when one is in the wash)
• Mattress protector (because who knows what went on in that bed last year)
• Blanket/s (student houses are COLD. The more blankets you have the better)
• Waste paper basket
• Washing basket 
• Hot water bottle (again, it's cold)
• Photos 

Electrical Stuff:

• Plug extension sockets (because there are never enough sockets)
• Earthernet cable (the wifi will almost certainly be non-existent)
• Laptop and charger
• USB stick
• Blank CDs (if you're old-school like me)
• Printer
• Spare ink
• Alarm clock
• Phone and charger
• Ipod and charger
• Camera and charger
• Earphones
• Speakers
• Batteries
• Hair dryer 
• Straighteners
• Curlers 
• Iron
• TV 

Academic Things and Stationery

(Because between all the parties and playing the Sex and the City drinking game in your PJs, you'll eventually get around to doing some work)

• Books for course
• Dictionary
• Thesaurus 
• Diary 
• Notebook
• Printing paper
• Lined paper
• Files
• Page dividers
• Polly pockets
• Blue tack
• Scissors
• Cellotape 
• Glue
• Tipex 
• Elastic bands
• Paper clips
• Hole puncher
• Hole reinforcers
• Stapler
• Staplers
• Staple remover 
• Post-it notes
• Thumbtacks 
• Pens
• Pencils
• Rubbers
• Pencil sharpener
• Pencil case
• Felt pens/colouring pencils (you'll be amazed how well-used these were)
• Ruler
• Highlighters
• Sharpie
• Finelighters 
• Calculator (even if you're not doing a Maths degree, you'll need to work out take-away costs)

And Everything Else:

• Suitcase 
• Clothes
• Jewellery
• Shoes 
• Basic tool kit (screwdriver, pliers etc)
• Matches/lighter 
• Fairylights 
• Watch
• Safety pins
• Sewing kit
• Purse/wallet
• Money
• Debit/credit card
• Loose change 
• Money box 
• Jewellery box
• Bobby pins
• Hair ties
• Door wedge (you'll never get any work done, but it's much more fun when your housemates pop their head in the door every 5 minutes)
• Earplugs 
• String
• Umbrella
• Rain coat
• Sunglasses
• Superglue 
• Carrier bags
• Board games
• Storage boxes and plastic drawers to keep all you stuff in

And there you have it! Thorough? Yes! Excessive? Possibly! Not all these things are going to be necessary for everyone. For example, if you hate baking then you probably won't want to take a cake tin, cookie cutters and a rolling pin. If you're a guy with a shaved head then you're unlikely to need straighteners. But this is a good, general guide that covers all the bases.

We all know what it's like to to suddenly realise we've forgotten the most obvious thing (I for one drove all the way to Exeter, picked up my keys and unpacked all my boxes before I realised I'd forgotten my clothes) so it's nice to have a check-list to refer to. 

Good luck on your big move everyone and, if there's anything I've forgotten, make sure to leave a comment and let me know!

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