Photo credits: MabelAmber via Pixabay and Pixel-Shot, lyudinka, Di Studio and Moch Solikin via Adobe Stock So, you’re off to uni. Congratulations! You’re starting a new and exciting chapter in your life. Yes, that chapter will be filled with stress about assignments and exams, anxiety over grades and uncertainty about finances, but it will also be filled with love and joy and laughter, and surely some new friends.  One thing’s for certain; after those three years, you won’t be the same person. You’ll have grown in more ways than one.  But before all that, you have to actually get to university, and that involves moving in!  Okay, so what do you need to take to university with you? Well, there’s the obvious and the slightly less obvious.  Clothes   Getting started with the insanely obvious, you need clothing. Now, what clothing you take doesn’t matter! Most unis won’t have a dress code or any kind of uniform, and those that do will tell you.  Now, you don’t have to take your entire wardrobe across the country with you – just take what you’ll need for three months or so.  What you do need to keep in mind, though, is your location and the type of weather you’ll be encountering. Is it going to rain a lot? Take a kagoul or raincoat. Will the first few weeks of autumn be nice and warm? Take some T-shirts and fleeces for when it cools down. Make sure you have a good winter coat for those months as well!  I’ve experienced some very wet and windy winters in Bath, so a good raincoat is top of my list — make sure you get one with a hood that stays up! If you don’t have a nice, thick fleece, you can buy a Bath Spa one from the SU online shop. They are so warm and cosy; it’s like being hugged by a teddy bear! You’ll also want something to cover you when those inevitable 1:30 am fire alarms go off. This could be anything, but something you can pull on quickly to rush out, such as a dressing gown, is ideal. And, if you sleep in nothing, be aware that not everyone is comfortable with that and be respectful of your housemates. Pulling on a dressing gown to go and have your morning coffee is never a bad idea.  Now you know what type of clothes you’ll be taking, you need to know which clothes are yours. If you’re moving into university halls, you’ll be doing your laundry in one of the laundry rooms, which means sharing washing machines and tumble dryers with the other students in your accommodation area. We’ve all had that one sock that’s run away or been picked up by someone else because who doesn’t want a singular polar bear sock? But, if you want to avoid that happening to you as much as possible, label your clothing.  Whether that’s writing your name in Sharpie on every label or stitching some pink thread into the corner of all your clothing, something that means you can recognise your dark underwear in a sea of other dark underwear can save you from having to go out and buy more.  Speaking of buying more, you can buy clothes when you’re at university. If you see something that you like, you can get it! Just keep an eye on your spending – don’t sacrifice this week’s dinner for a new shirt. Try hitting up charity shops and sales instead of spending a fortune in New Look.  One last tip—you can swap clothes when you go home, whether you're returning for holidays, birthdays, visiting because you had a spare couple of days, or whenever!  Do you have T-shirts you’re not wearing anymore because it’s gotten too cold? Take them home and swap them out for long-sleeved tops and jumpers! Similarly, when it starts getting warm again, take the winter clothes back and swap them for T-shirts and warm-weather clothing.    Clothing Checklist   Everyday clothing  Fleeces/ hoodies  Underwear and socks  Winter coat  Raincoat  Some business clothing (for interviews or presentations)  Sleepwear  Dressing gown   Comfortable outdoor shoes  Slippers/ indoor shoes  Sportswear and equipment (if you play sports or go to the gym) Kitchenware   Ah, the kitchen. Truly the nightmare of students. You’ve probably seen videos on Instagram where people complain about their uni kitchen and their housemates, but not all kitchens look like that – as far as I’m aware, students are fairly clean.    But before you have to remember to take the bins out and do your washing up, what do you need to bring with you?  Well, the kitchen is both fairly easy and quite hard to judge. It really all depends on what cooking you’ll be doing, and how often you’ll be doing it. Are you going to be making casseroles and pies each week? Probably not, so you can keep the casserole and pie dishes at home.  You will need two sizes of pots (personally, I have a small and a large-ish pot) and a good frying pan (preferably non-stick, but any will do). Frying pans come in all sizes, so again, think about what you’ll be cooking in it — not everyone lives off pasta and mince like I do!  You’ll also need some baking trays — I'd say two myself, a smaller one and a bigger one. Just make sure your tray fits in the oven! I made that mistake myself in First Year, and it was my only tray. I have since learnt from that experience.  You will need a good set of utensils. Again, this is dependent on what you plan to cook, but a serving spoon, slotted spoon, potato masher, fish slice (also called a spatula or turner), whisk, peeler, tongs, a wooden spoon and scissors are a good start. Pair these with a chopping board or two, and a few knives (not a whole set, maybe two or three different types) and any other utensils and equipment you might need, such as a can opener or a cheese grater.  You don’t want to take a full set of plates and bowls. Two dinner plates, side plates, and bowls will suffice. However, you can take a full set of cutlery, as these tend to be in fours, and you’ll certainly be using a lot of cutlery!  You’ll also want to bring some Tupperware or other food storage containers, such as beeswax wraps, for leftovers and lunches. Sandwich and freezer bags (which you can wash and reuse), cling film, and tin foil fit this as well — you’ll need tin foil for cooking, and you never know when the packaging will split, and you need some cling film to cover the chicken. After all that cooking, you’ll need stuff to wash your dishes up with – yes, you have to do the dishes. Most uni halls and student housing won’t have a dishwasher, so you’ll have to do them by hand. That means you need to bring sponges (I’d recommend the sponge scourers– they usually come in a pack of 6 or so), J-Cloths, wire scourers, washing-up liquid and dish brushes.  At least two tea towels and oven gloves are a must, and I would recommend an apron especially if you’re a messy cook.  Speaking of mess, you’ll need cleaning items as well. In halls, you won’t need a huge array of cleaning items, but you will still need some surface spray and a cloth. You may also want surface wipes.  Check in your moving-in guide if certain cleaning items are not allowed.       Kitchen Checklist   Plates, side plates and bowls (2 of each)  Cutlery  Fish slice  Serving spoon  Slotted spoon  Potato masher  Whisk  Peeler   Tongs  Wooden spoon   Scissors  Cheese grater  Can opener  Measuring jug  Bottle opener  Knives (2 different types)  Chopping board/s  Pots and pans (including frying pan)  Tupperware  Tea towels (at least 2)   Oven gloves and apron  Sponges, scourers, J-Cloths, dish brushes  Washing up liquid  Tin foil, cling film and sandwich bags  Kitchen spray  Bedroom items   Much like kitchenware, what you take for your bedroom can be quite hard to judge. After all, isn’t most stuff for your bedroom?  So, let’s just get the obvious out of the way; you will need bedding. Unless you’re the kind of person who doesn’t mind lying on an unmade bed, you will want at least two sets. You will also want your pillows and duvet with you — just check what size bed you have in your accommodation first!  Just a note on that — for a small double bed, you will need to get bedding to fit a double bed.  You will also need to bring a laundry basket or bag — a bag might be easier to carry to the laundry rooms, but it is a personal choice—and hangers for your wardrobe. How many hangers you need will depend on how many clothes you take.  It might also be worth taking a mini whiteboard and whiteboard pens — very good for noting when assignments are due, or writing down what you have on that day!  Finally, any small personal items you want to take with you, such as photos of family and friends, or your jewellery. For us creative writing students, books are high on that list as well.     Bedroom Checklist   Bedding (at least 2 sets)  Pillows, duvet and mattress protector  Hangers  Laundry basket or bag  Small personal items, such as photos and jewellery  Mini whiteboard and pens    Photo Credit: Pixel-Shot via Adobe Stock Bathroom items   Unfortunately, your bathroom won’t be big in Halls, or you might share certain elements. It all depends on which accommodation you’re in.  You’ll want to bring your personal hygiene items: soap, shower items, deodorant, and dental items. If you need hair care items, such as a hairbrush, hair dryer, or hair straighteners, take them too. You should also bring sanitary items and/or contraceptives if you need them.  I recommend at least two towels per type: two bath towels, two hand towels, two flannels, and two hair towels. A bathmat is also a good idea.  Remember to bring any personal medication, painkillers, plasters, and a nail care kit. If you wear makeup, remember to bring remover.   Like with the kitchen, you will need to clean your bathroom, so be sure to pack bathroom cleaner, toilet cleaner and some furniture polish.    Bathroom Checklist   Shower items (shampoo, conditioner, shower gel)  Toothbrush and toothpaste  Deodorant  Soap  Hairbrush/comb, hairbands, hair gel  Hair dryer/ straighteners/ curlers, etc.  Shower towels (at least 2) and towels for hair (at least 2)  Hand towels (at least 2) and flannels (at least 2)  Bathmat  Personal medication  Sanitary products and/or contraceptives  Nail care kit  Plasters  Pain killers (such as paracetamol)  Make-up and make-up remover  Shaving kit  Bathroom spray, toilet cleaner, furniture polish  Stationery items   If you’re a stationery aficionado like me, you’ll want to take all your stationery. Unfortunately, though, you probably won’t have room to store all of it, and it’s unlikely you’ll use most of it since most universities have gone online.  That being said, you do want to take some. If your course features exams, handwriting notes will help them stick in your head better, and your laptop might suddenly decide to update or crash during an important lecture. I personally also like to handwrite my shopping lists.  You’ll want some form of notebook, whether wire-bound, a reporter’s pad, or a refill pad. I use a refill pad to add any important notes to my folder.  Speaking of folders, you should take at least one. I have an expanding folder as I seem to have a tendency to collect paper and I found it easier to have just one big folder. You’ll want some stuff to put in a pencil case, and some extra things to keep in your room, such as a hole puncher and a stapler. When you’re knee-deep in research, page markers and Post-it notes are your best friend. They will keep your place when you’ve found that perfect quote for your assignment.  Another must-have is an academic calendar and some little sticker dots in different colours. If you’re joining us at Bath Spa in either Gardens or Lakeside, you should get an academic calendar when you move in; if you’re moving into private accommodation or non-university-owned halls, you should be able to pick up a free one at one of the Fresher’s Fairs. If not, definitely buy one, you can get them from Amazon for cheap (and for sure, get a Student Prime account if you plan on using Amazon a lot).  If you do a course that requires you to have certain equipment, such as a mathematical set for maths-based courses, or a calculator for science courses, then don’t forget those! You can't use Blu-Tack on the walls in either Halls or private accommodation, so get some White-tack and try not to peel the paint off the wall when you remove it!   Finally, if you have been given a reading list and you like to write in or highlight your books (some people find it helps them), then it might be worth having a look around now and bringing them to university instead of buying them when you’re there (your parents might take pity on you and agree to buy them along with that new frying pan).    Stationery Checklist   Pencil case with pens, pencils, ruler, rubber and highlighter  Spare pens, pencils and rubber for your room  Highlighters (a few different colours)  Fine liners (a few different colours)  Hole punch and stapler  White-tack and Sellotape  Notebooks/ paper refill pads/ notepads  Post-it notes  Page markers or sticky arrows  Academic calendar (if you can’t get one at uni)  Coloured sticky dots  Student planner (if you want one)  Course-specific equipment (eg. calculator)  Any specific textbooks you need Electronics    As mentioned previously, most universities have gone digital, especially regarding course documents and assignments.   Having a laptop or computer is a good start - you can take it to lectures and seminars. People have also brought tablets and iPads to class with Bluetooth keyboards if that is more comfortable for you to carry to campus. One thing you’re unlikely to forget is your phone – you'll want to be able to talk to your friends and family, after all.  Another thing you’re unlikely to forget is your headphones or earphones – these are so useful for blocking out the background noise in the library or on the bus. I’m one of those people who can’t go anywhere without music, even if I do get caught in my tunes sometimes!  Onto some less obvious things – bring a USB stick with a good amount of storage space. Back up all your important documents throughout the year onto this so that even if your laptop or computer fails you, you still have the latest version of your essay you can work on using the university computers. Even if your university uses a cloud storage service such as Google Suite or Microsoft 365, it’s always good to back things up.  You may also want an ethernet cable to help with uploading large files. We’ve all had problems with Wi-Fi, so having some extra help is always useful. Similarly, an extension lead is useful, especially if you’re going to have a lot of plugs.   If you’re like me and like a bigger screen for reading, then bring along a computer monitor for your laptop, along with the connecting cables it needs.  Finally, if you have any other electronic items you particularly want or need, such as your games consoles or speakers, remember to make room for them.  Just make sure what’s allowed in your room!    Electronics Checklist   Laptop & charger  Phone & charger  Headphones/earphones (& charger)  Tablet, iPad, iPod, etc. & charger  USB stick (with good storage)  Ethernet cable  Extension lead  Separate monitor (if needed)  Any other electronics you need/ want (such as games consoles, speakers)