Packing for University.

You may have lived in the same house for over 18 years, so like me, you're going to have had gathered rather a lot of unnecessary clutter over the years. This makes deciding what to take away to university all the more tricky... Do you really need that t-shirt aged 12-13years? (Not going to lie, I found a few of these, and they did make it to York shamefully enough.)

When I was deciding what we needed to buy before I moved away, I scoured website after website for lists of things people recommended taking away. I found a massive list on The Student Room (I bookmarked it) here, and it's seriously been cut down since I last checked. At one point it was suggesting toastie makers, food processors and even 'traffic cone' make the list. Yeah, it was a bit extreme, but it's a rather helpful list so I'd definitely take note of that (except maybe coffee maker and rice cooker)! At the end of the day re. kitchen equipment, you know how good your culinary skills are and it'll be easy to judge how much equipment to bring dependent on that. Some people will cook full meals every night of the week, and others will live off take-aways, pot noodles and beans on toast!

Anyway, here are my top tips about things to bring to university:

1.  Photos/homely touches: when you arrive in your room, you will be faced with a blank canvas - an empty room in a strange city, miles away from home... I find it's the little things that remind me of home, and I believe they're so important when you first move away.
2. Pack the essentials so they're easily accessible: you're going to have a room filled with boxes of stuff and unpacking will not feel like your top priority when you have goodbyes to say, and the anticipation of meeting all your new flatmates. Make sure you've got the most important things somewhere you'll be able to find them.
3. Lamp: I know my university didn't provide one, but if you can't be bothered to get out of bed every night to switch your light off then a lamp it pretty essential.
4. Laundry Basket: yeah, no one likes dirty laundry all over the floor.
5. Hangers: another essential that may escape your brain.
6. Spare teaspoons: out of all the cutlery and crockery you will lose at university, I found teaspoons were always the ones that ran away the most.
7. A Facebook account: so this isn't exactly something physical, but if you don't have a Facebook account, I would thoroughly recommend setting one up. So many society events, socials and everything will be on Facebook - it makes it so much easier to stay in touch with everything that's happening, people to ask questions to and it will make life a lot easier.

(My room after Easter!)

I think that's about all I have to say for now - I'll let you know if I think of anything else! xxx