Preparing for University - The Buying!

So ever since I received my results in August, I had quite a short time frame to get together essentials that I will need to take with me to university. I had to read all of the university accommodation's terms and conditions, such as the rules to living there. The online induction informed me of everything, from the security on site to what to do in the event of a fire. There were safety elements and regulations that have to be obliged, such as no cooking appliances or drinking alcohol in the rooms!

I haven't actually discussed a lot about how I selected accommodation because this will definitely differ from person to person. For me, I wasn't really interested in having my own en-suite bedroom because I would rather be more sociable in my flat and I couldn't really justify spending another £1200 on the luxury of having my own toilet - but I know people would argue the money is worth it! So I am staying in a self-catered residence with a communal toilet, meaning I will be sharing a shower and toilet with another five students in my flat. I will keep you updated on what this is like!

One word of advice I got from one of my amazing mentors at Villiers Park: go for self-catered! Self-catered essentially is where you have to cook and prepare yourself food throughout the day. Catered residences will have a kitchen that will prepare and serve you food at certain times... a lot of parents love this idea because they then know their son/daughter is eating properly while at university. It costs an extra (almost) £200 a week, so it's quite an expensive way of feeding yourself while at uni. But why Villiers Park recommended self-catered for me, is that I don't know what time I could be finished in my day. I could be on a ward until 5pm, or even 8pm. Where the nature of the career we are interested in is so unpredictable, I may want to stay on in the evening to witness the treatment of a patient I may have been dealing with, who in the past hour may have taken a turn for the worst. But this means I miss out on my dinner for the evening, so I've wasted more money because I've had to cater for myself on the way home. So if you can, I recommend go self-catered - it's cheaper too!

Reading the online induction for my accommodation, I learnt what will be provided for me:

• A desk
• Curtains and mirrors
• Toaster and kettle (with kitchen set-up: so dining table and chairs, fridge, freezer, microwaves)
• Bed frame and mattress (*no bedding though, or sheets)
• Wardrobe for storing clothes and bookshelves

From the list, I then began searching online for different lists of essential university items that you should bring with you. I had written a full list, which I then went to buy with my mum in different shops.

I have bought:

1. Two large storage containers - one for food and one for drink (maybe alcohol, but probably just mixers!) They are 80L and stackable, so I can save on space.
2. Two large shorter containers - I will use one for storing books and work, and one for storing all of my kitchenware. They are short (equivalent to the height of a Tea, Sugar and Coffee pot) so I can push them under my bed when I get there.
3. Photo frame (so that I can keep photos of my friends and family in my room)
4. 4-way extention cable in case there is a plug shortage!
5. Bedding - this is a duvet cover, pillow cases, a cushion and I bought two fitted sheets.
6. Pillows and duvet
7. Kitchen utensils: cheese grater, tin opener, bottle opener, wooden spoons, spatulas, strainer, large chef knives, vegetable peeler and a set of four chopping boards (depending on raw meat/veg etc).
8. Eating: I bought three plates and three bowls, as well as a full cutlery set.
9. Cooking: I bought a set of three cooking deep pans and a set of three frying pans of different sizes. I also bought a vegetable steamer that could be placed in the microwave. I bought a sandwich toaster as well because at the moment I have an obsession with cheese and red onion toasties. Mmmm. Furthermore, I have a smaller Wok that will cook for one person (that I can stick vegetables into for a stirfry). I also have a small rice steamer.
10. I recommend buying a small baking tray (mine is smaller an A5 sheet of paper!) so that you can cram your cooking into the side of the oven shelf if someone else is cooking.
11. Kitchen foil and cling film.
12. Basic stationary: pencils, pens, books, folders, highlighters, Sticky Notes, tack for the walls etc.
13. Cleaning: I bought a dustpan and brush, loads of disinfectant wipes, cloths, kitchen roll, washing up liquid, cleaning brushes, teatowels, bin bags, scourers, sponges.
14. I bought a washing up bowl so that when I had finished using a cup or a bowl, I could place it in the bowl on my floor which will give me the motivation to go and wash it up.
15. Three tumbler glasses, one pint glass, two smaller glasses and three mugs. My pint glass is actually made of plastic so it won't smash if I dropped it. I also bought some plastic tumblers for beer pong just in case.
16. Pack of toilet roll.
17. Alarm clock.
18. Tea, Coffee and Sugar pots so I can keep it in my room.
19. Fan (in case it gets too hot at night or in the day when I'm working)
20. Batteries and bulbs, with a desk lamp.
21. Suitcase.
22. Towels - a large set: with two large towels and two smaller towels.
23. Food: I've bought and prepared loads of dry stuff that I can keep in my container. I've bought boil in the bag foods, "Just add water" pasta sachets, instant hot chocolates, biscuits, tortilla wraps, pasta, jars of sauces, tins (like tuna, sweetcorn, beans, tomatoes) and also different sauces (egg mayonnaise, tomato sauce etc).

This is everything I have packed for university.

A zoomed-in photo of my kitchen box - look how small the baking tray is!

One bit of advice I read online: go for obscure items so you know what is yours. For example, you can see my cutlery has yellow handles which makes them more distinct so I can tell what's mine! I've heard pretty floral things disappear fairly quickly! And, who's gonna steal those ugly knives and forks?

Being protective, I have the slight inclination to keep as much of my stuff in my room as possible. This is why I have bought so much storage. I don't want to leave my stuff in the sink in case it got lost, stolen or broken, so I will keep it in a washing bowl until I clean it. When cleaned, I'll place it back in the storage container in my room. And it's why I'll keep my coffee, tea and sugar in my room, just in case it goes!

At the moment, this is all that I have! I'll keep you updated about how my recommended list changes - whether it be "Actually, you don't need to buy this!" or "I can't believe I forgot this!".

I move Sunday 17th September... watch this space! I'll also take a photo of my room for you!