It is that time of the year when university students are getting ready to pack all their belongings and head off to university. The majority of first years usually end up in student halls, some will be owned by private or owned by the university. To save all your worries, carry on reading to find out everything you will need to do to prep for moving into your new home!
Finding your flatmates
Finding your flatmates can be made easy by simply looking on Facebook group pages. There will be people on there posting a message with their flat number and you can just comment on it and then create a group chat. If no one has posted a message, you do it!
I promise you chatting to your flat mates on a group chat before you arrive can make your initial university experience much more pleasant. However, some people may not want to know their flat mates before they arrive. This is fine, but in my opinion it is much better to find out. If I could give you one vital piece of advice about finding your flat mates, it’s don’t judge. Even though you may look like you won’t get on, chances are you will get on absolutely fine.
So give it a go and find your flat mates. It gives you the opportunity to discuss the essential things about living together, such as who is bringing a kettle and toaster. It’s no use if you have 6 toasters and 6 kettles as it simple will not all fit!
Make a packing list
Overpacking is a serious temptation when it comes to packing things for university. Therefore, a packing list is essential. You actually don’t need a wide variety of items for university. However, you are moving to live somewhere, so you need to make sure you have enough. What I suggest is to take a couple cases full of clothes and then when you go home, you can take things back that you haven’t worn or need. Ideally, you need to pack enough clothes to last you two weeks and then you can wash them and wear again. Along with a few home comforts and your toiletries.
Making a packing list can help you do this, and it can seriously help you to not over pack. Most universities might even offer a packing list through the students union that might help you and if they don’t do that, there will probably be someone you can talk to, to ask about these sort of things. When you are packing, bare in mind that you will most likely buy more clothes whilst you are at university, and there is limited space and storage in university rooms which is another reason to get organised with a packing list.
Read up on your kitchen appliances
You need to check with the building mangers about what is already provided in your flat. This maybe the university, or it could be managed by a company who owns the building. It’s a very easy process that can be done by email or by looking online, but it can save you an awful lot of hassle and money. It is quite common for these university flats to have the basic kitchen necessities such as toaster, kettle and microwave. Some may even have a mop and hoover in. However, if they don’t just head down to Wilko, Argos and Currys have a student deal for under £100 with the kitchen appliances in. This might be useful if none of your flatmates are bringing kitchen appliances themselves.
Start packing early
Starting to pack early can really help you when it comes to moving to university because it gives you time to assess what you need and what you don’t. Packing early also avoids the mad rush at the end of trying to wash all you clothes and then getting them dried and ironed. In addition to this, if you don’t pack early the chances that you will forget something are very high. The earlier you start the earlier it is done. This can save you a lot of time to do other things that you may need to do for university. There may be things that you think of whilst packing so you can throw this in. Remebr, everything that you take with you also needs to make it back home when your tenancy ends.
Get all your documents ready
I know from experience that having your documents ready will make your first day of enrollment at university a lot smoother. Not only will your accommodation possibly want copies of your passport or other documentation, but you will also need certain documents for enrolling at university.
The best method to take when dealing with documents is if you have any that you are unsure whether you will need or not, take it with you, then at least you have it even if you do need that document. Second to that, is to have them printed out. Although everything is on your phone now, it makes it easier if it’s printed out. You never know if your phone will run out of charge or suddenly break. It just isn’t worth the stress on your first day.
Deposit
A lot of students end up facing some kind of trouble when it comes to deposits and student homes. So my advice to you is to take pictures of your room and kitchen before you move all your things in. This way when it comes to end of the year you have photographic evidence that your flat looks the same now as it did when you moved in.
Sometimes the management will provide you with a form that allows you to write down anything in your room that is damaged or worn so they know that if it was not you that caused said damage. So, bare all of this in mind before you move in because as I say, they will have no problem taking your deposit off you if there is any damage.
Final Thoughts
Getting ready for university halls, whether you’re in your first or final year, can be a daunting process. If you need any help or guidance with what to expect you will be able to contact your university halls to double check any questions such as how your post and your parcels works. In addition to this, your university will offer student accommodation support.
