Most student accommodation options usually has the standard furniture like a bed, desk, chair and cupboard for your clothing however everything else is up to you to bring.
What you should bring:
- Bring a desk lamp for late night studying.
- Pin board for notes and pictures.
- Pictures of your family to remind you of home and make your space feel a bit more comfortable during your stay.
- Two sets of bedding so that you can alternate when you do washing (Make sure you know what size bed you are going to be getting so that you can cater for the appropriate bedding size).
- Rug for the winter months.
- Do not bring all your clothing from home. Most of the time your cupboard space is limited and then you left with items that cannot be put away.
- A laundry bag to put all your dirty laundry in.
- Ironing board with an iron (ironing board is optional as you can always iron on your bed).
- Fridge (not a necessity however it is good to have a bar fridge in your room to store a few items you don' want to share).
- A small dinner set that consists of the basics (cutlery, dinner plates, bowls) these are for days where you want to eat in your room or you've bought takeaways and you need to warm things up.
- A Kettle for late night tea/coffee making.
- Small storage containers for organisation and to put any aditional items in (Example your study material).
- Bring Tupperware (You will also need Tupperware for storage of your food).
Meal Plans:
Some student accommodation offer catering included. This takes the pressure off you from having to cook everyday. However, you might not always be able to eat throughout the day. We recommend that you take at least two of the meals you are offered and fit it in around your timetable. Example: If you need to be in class at 12pm only, then consider taking breakfast and dinner the evening. If your classes start very early you might need to skip breakfast and walk back to your student accommodation to opt for lunch and dinner.
Always make sure you have snacks in your room to grab or nibble on in the event that you do get hungry.
Living independently and room mates:
Most first years have a room mate or room mates. Have an open mind and no expectations when meeting your room mate for the first time. It is rare that you'll hit it off the first time with your room mate and then things will just be bliss the rest of the year, but be open and understand that everyone is different. You might need to get use to their snoring or tolerate their bed not being made up or the late night partying that might happen, this is all part of the experience.
Always just have mutual respect and lay down rules from the beginning.
If you have a room mate that you can't stand, it is OK. You don't spend much of your time in your room anyway and when yo are there it might just be only to sleep.
Having people you can turn to at your student accommodation is also very important because they are your family away from home (besides your friends at uni). If you have an emergency or just need someone to talk to it is always good to have friends at your accommodation.
Living away from home can be a very scary and overwhelming experience at first. It is important to remember to keep things around you that will remind you of home. And if you are someone to call home everyday then that is also okay. Always ensure that you make the living experience pleasurable for yourself.
You'll also need to remember that you will now have a lot of freedom, which comes with a lot of responsibilities. Things like budgeting, keeping your room clean, being disciplined and doing assignments. You are now accountable for and responsible for.
Side note: Make sure you thoroughly read through your student accommodation handbook to ensure you understand all the rules and regulations and also to make sure you understand what is on offer and what you need to cater for.
