A Dozen Things to Remember to Take to Uni With You…
Before I moved into halls, I was constantly worried I’d forgotten something to take with me. So there’s all the obvious stuff like pots & pans, plates & bowls, cutlery, bedding & toiletries… But I’ve compiled a list of things you might be a bit less likely to take with you. In no particular order, here they are…
1. Plenty of tea towels: Ok, so this might seem quite obvious. But when I say plenty, I mean plenty! The natural thing to do is probably to take one or two with you, which is what I did. But it wasn’t long till I realised two just wasn’t enough! Student kitchens get disgusting enough at the best of times and the last thing you want is a dirty tea towel to dry your stuff with, so make sure you take lots with you & replace them regularly!
2. A decent tin opener: This is quite important – don’t just grab any old tin opener and hope for the best – make sure you have the right in opener for you! If you take an old one out of the back of one of your parents’ drawers, it might just fall apart the first time you use it. One of my house mates has an electric one, which everyone was scared of to start with but has become pretty popular as a relatively effort free option! Personally, I still prefer the manual way; but as a member of that strange left-handed breed of human, I can sometimes struggle and end up turning them the wrong way and breaking them! But my parents bought me one that has little grips so you know which way to turn it – most handy (pun non intended!) – so, if you’re a lefty, I’d definitely recommend one of those.
3. Rubber gloves: Seems a bit of an old housewife thing to own, but you never know when you’re going to have a particularly unpleasant bit of mess to clean up! For instance, in my first year, one of my friends got horrendously drunk and was sick on my carpet. Fortunately I wasn’t there at the time, but I’m told another of my housemates picked it up with his bare hands! I’m sure that’s really not something you want to be doing, so make sure you’re prepared!
Extra tip: You could stock up on bicarbonate of soda, which my dear mother told me is good for cleaning carpets. It was most useful after the fiasco I’ve just described! Also, you can buy powders that you sprinkle over your carpet before vacuuming to remove any unwanted odours.
4. Plastic cups: Definitely useful if you’re having a party. You’re unlikely to have enough glasses and even unlikelier to keep them all intact when people are drinking!
5. Shot glasses: Again, these should come in useful at a party. But not only are they good for actually doing shots – it’s a good idea when you’re drinking spirits and mixers to actually keep track of how much you’re drinking – and a shot glass will definitely help you to do this.
6. Loads of pairs of tights: Sorry, this one’s probably a bit sexist! But girls, you can never have too many pairs of tights. I’ve found that a pair of tights tends to only last one night; two if you’re lucky! So make sure you’re stocked up and don’t get stuck without a pair when you need them.
7. Playing cards: These have many uses! I don’t know if we’re just an unusual bunch but I found that during my time in halls the majority of our evenings in were filled with playing cards! And when we were going out, the cards came in handy to play drinking games with. A couple of times we even ended up having card fights which involved throwing cards at each other for about half an hour – most childish but massively good fun!
8. A camera: If you don’t already have one, invest in one. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be forever wanting to take pictures to capture all the good times you’ll be having!
9. Games: I definitely think it’s a good idea to take some kind of game with you. Bop-it competitions could be a great way of having fun and bonding with your new friends; a modified version of Jenga can make a great drinking game; and your Christmas celebrations will not be complete without a game of Articulate, Monopoly, Scrabble or such like!
10. Any really random pieces of clothing you have: Fancy dress is hugely popular amongst students, and I was always useless at it! If you have a crazy item of clothing like cow print trousers, a jumpsuit, or a shirt that’s about five sizes too big for you, do not leave it at home. It’s pretty likely you’ll come across the perfect opportunity to make use of it and regret not having it with you!
11. Pins and blu-tack: Definitely something you’ll need if you want to stick stuff to your wall or pin board and make your room feel more homely. Also don’t forget your photos, posters & what not so you actually have something to put up!
12. Mattress cover/protector: You never know how old your beds going to be, how many people have slept in it or what kind of state it’ll be in. If it’s in a bad way, you might turn out to be really grateful
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