Essential checklist for students packing for university

Now the envelopes have been opened, the grades digested and placements accepted, it’s time to think about putting your belongings in a box and packing for university, so here’s our quick student packing check list to help you prepare the essential items for university:

Prepare a "lifesaver" box

One box should be labelled a ‘lifesaver box’ and filled with items you need straight away such as tea and coffee-making facilities, cutlery, toiletries and a corkscrew (optional). You may think the most important things to take are the items that show how fascinating you are such as framed film posters, acoustic guitars and backpacking mementos – but you’d be wrong.

Keep your important documents handy

Pack another box with admin because the first week is going to be rather dull and entail a fair bit of queuing before you get your half-smiling, half-blinking image printed onto an ID card. Make sure you have your passport, academic certificates, bank details, NHS medical card, job references, accommodation documents and anything else relevant to your move/degree.

Don't over-pack

Don’t weigh your boxes down with study books. In fact, don’t weigh your boxes down with anything you can purchase at the other end. Upon arrival, give yourself plenty of time to bed in and do a little shopping, both for your new home and for your studies. And despite the fact you’re packing during the summer, remember to put plenty of warm and woolly items of clothing in your clothes boxes.

Keep powered up

If you’re taking laptops and other digital equipment, you might need extension leads, adaptors and memory sticks.

Watch the pennies

Someone will have told you somewhere that being a student is an expensive business, so don’t get off on the wrong foot by overspending on things such as kitchenware, bedsheets and other household essentials.  Hunt around and find a bargain.

Write on

One of the most enjoyable aspects of moving to uni is buying all that lovely shiny new stationery.  Maybe that’s just me. Make sure you’re stocked up on items such as jotter pads, pens, pencils, rulers, scissors, Sellotape, Post-It notes, stamps, printer paper and envelopes.

Safety first

It doesn't hurt (all puns intended) to take some first aid with you such as plasters and paracetamol. 

A clean break

Another box should be devoted to toiletries such as a wash bag, toilet toll, toothbrush, soap, hair products and shaving products.  Oh and you might want to think about taking a trip to Ikea or a more extensive supermarket to purchase things like a bath mat, laundry basket, hand towels and a bathroom bin.

There are plenty of other items to consider but this is a good checklist to help you make a good start.

And should you need a hand transporting your items from your current home to your new academic address, remember to check out the student relocation services from international relocation experts, Seven Seas Worldwide.