What and What Not to Take to Uni

Uni essentials by freeelf featuring led candles

As lots of secondary school graduates aross the country start preparing to head off to uni next month, I've decided to put together a little 'uni essentials' post. Now, I'm sure you've checked through big lists of what to take, so I'm avoiding the obvious here.


Umbrella - A sturdy umbrella is essential. Chances are, you'll be walking to and fro uni in the rain fairly often. In the UK, I can't begin to explain how important this accessory is if you're living away from home. Don't do what I did in first year and bring a non-retractable one, either - the inconvenience of them will only encourage you to leave it in your flat and regret it later! This one is Topshop, £16.

Slippers - I've never really used slippers before, but as tidy as you may be, chances are you'll end up with very messy communal areas (trust me) and you do not want to be padding around barefoot! These are John Lewis, £16.

Large bag - For my previous two years of uni, I took loads of small bags and ended up having to carry my books by hand, which was super annoying. Take at least one bag big enough to fit in A4 notepads and books. The backpack is £23 from New Look, and the shopper is £29.99 from Zara.

Laptop - Invaluable. While it's true that there will be a well-equipped library, it's always nicer to work from your bed when you can. Plus, you don't really want to be blogging and social media-ing from the library computers!

LED candle - Most halls ban candles as they are a fire hazard (along with items such as mini fridges, if you were thinking of taking one) so if you like the cosiness and home comforts of a nice candle, try an LED one. You can pay as much as you like for one; this is £14 from Connox and is made of real wax, which is nice, but you can buy plastic ones from poundland.

Polaroid camera - It's nice to dress up your room, as they can often look rather prison-like or just downright ugly (who else got the hideous psychedelic-vomit curtains?!). I like to take polaroid photos throughout the year and hang them on the wall with string and wooden pegs. The Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 is £50 from Amazon.

Blankets - These make your room so much cosier and are necessary (in my opinion) in the winter.

Converse - You will need to make sure you have comfortable flats if you aren't taking a car, as you'll be doing a hell of a lot of walking. If you take anything on this list, take comfortable shoes.

Laptop case - It's always nice to protect your laptop AND make it look pretty. This one's £9.99 on Amazon.

Cute bedding - Take cute and cosy bedding. You'll be spending a lot of time in it, and it'll stop your room looking so bland and uniform. Plus, this is uni and let's face it, you're probably going to have bed guests. Don't just take the one you've got at home - you'll need that for when you're visiting, especially as the holiday break tends to be much longer than you got at school. This set is £108 from Cafepress (a little pricey, you could find cheaper). Personally, I preferred a more simple set, and used colourful cushions and pictures on the wall.

Fun notebooks - I got some adorable ones at Ikea the other day with scientic pictures on the front, contrasted by neon pink binding. Be wary of super decorative or expensive ones though, you don't want them to be so nice that you can't bear to scribble in them (a word of advice given to my class by my Creative Writing tutor).

What not to take:

Printer - This is a personal choice, but I found it completely unnecessary. It either broke or ran out of ink constantly, and so was just a waste of my limited space. It took up far too much space for no real reason - I had much more space in second year when I took a USB stick instead and just put my work on there and printed it from the library (where you'll probably get given printer credit anyway - we were given £50 and with only a year left, I still have around £30 of it). A printer may be justified, however, if it's very small and you're quite far away from the library.

Extensive music playing equipment - I took my vinyl player, plus four crates of carefully chosen records to uni last year. Completely unnecessary and a waste of space. I love my records, but I'm leaving them at home this year. A small set of speakers, or even just your laptop is all that is necessary.

Excessive stationary - A few notepads and a pack of pens are really all you need for most courses. I took packs and packs of every bit of stationary going, plus a big stand to hold it all. You don't need it, and even if you later find out you do, you can pick some up when you need it. I cannot make it clear enough how limited you'll find your space will be.

Excessive footwear - As much as it kills me, you need to cut down on the shoes (plus the rest of your clothes). You'll have a tiny wardrobe that you can maybe fit four pairs in, if you're lucky. I recommend bringing a plastic drawer tower, if you know it'll slot under your desk (your parents can always take it back with them if not) to store extra clothes and shoes in.

Suitcases - There's no room for them. Bring your stuff in boxes, or at least make sure your parents take the cases home with them when they leave. Use either a gym bag or a holdall for home visits.

Laundry hamper - Most people use an IKEA bag, which can be easily folded away to save space.

Car - Parking spaces are expensive, and so is petrol, maintenance, insurance etc. Unless your halls are in the middle of nowhere and far, far away from uni, you won't use it either. Better (and cheaper) to walk or take a bus.

Passport - I saw this on quite a few lists, and really, why would you need a passport? Even if you go on holiday during reading week or something, surely you can pop home and get it before then? I really advise against taking it - too risky! If you need it for ID, I'd suggest using a driving license instead. If you don't have one, consider applying for a provisional; you don't actually need to be learning to apply for one, and though they cost £50, it's worth it.

So that's it. I hope this was helpful!