5 Things You DON’T Need To Pack For University

Ah, packing for university.

Almost everyone who has survive their first year of university will tell you that the one mistake they made was massively over-packing. A combination of your over-protective parents panic-buying a whole bunch of utensils and, yourself as an excited Fresher, wanting to purchase all of the accessories in IKEA; will mean you’ll likely end up with a load of stuff you’ll never use.

Matthew James Removals, specialists in student storage and removals, share their top tips on what you should ditch from your packing list.

1. All the utensils.

When it comes to kitchenware, it’s best to stick to the basics – and bu that, we literally mean some cutlery, plates, bowls, a mug, sauce/frying pans and an oven dish. That’s pretty much it. It might seem risky, but it’s almost a given that at least two other people in your halls of residence will bring a kettle, a toastie maker, potato peeler and the rest.

After all, what flat really needs four cheese graters? By minimising the amount of available kitchenware, people will naturally have to clean up after themselves, helping prevent a massive build-up of dirty dishes and also allowing for more space.

2. Stationary.

While there is a great temptation and excitement in dragging your parents to WHSmith to buy a load of stationary in the name of ‘learning’, the truth of the matter is, you aren’t going to need it. During Fresher’s Week, you’ll be inundated with free pens, post-its, notepads, rulers and USB sticks which will surely last you until at least the end of term. Save yourself the extra packing.

3. TV.

Although you might dread the thought of missing your daily Eastenders episode, uni really is all about breaking out of your comfort zone and trying new things. In first year, you’ll want to make as many friends as you can and with a TV in your room, you might feel tempted to stay in and be more anti-social. Besides, you can stream everything online now, so save yourself the hefty TV license bill.

4. Car.

It might be an important asset in your life back home, but in first year, most university halls don’t allow free parking for students. It’s more than likely that where you’ve chosen to live during your first year will be within easy walking distance to your uni campus and if not, public transport is reasonably priced for students in most university towns.

5. Your entire uni reading list.

Many courses will send you a ‘recommended reading list’ prior to your arrival at uni and purchasing these right off the bat can seem like the sensible, organised thing to do. However, it’s best to wait until you’ve started your course and assessed the situation before you decide which books you absolutely need to purchase.

You’ll quickly discover that you can find many of these in the library for free or you could even borrow/share them with your course mates. Moreover, many universities hold second-hand book fairs in which students in the years above can sell their textbooks to new students at a discounted price – win-win!

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