Back To Uni: The Essential Guide To What You Need To Take To University Or College
It’s off to university time where the young leave the nest for the first time and then flap about trying how to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew. Spoiler: you need a wire coat-hanger or my handy downloadable guide that reminds you to take a corkscrew and bottle opener with you!
It’s getting to that time of year when people are getting ready to go back to school, college or make the big leap into the world of university and perhaps leaving home for the first time. There will be so many thoughts racing through your head…
What You’re Probably Thinking
“Am I going to cope on my own?”
“Have I chosen the right degree?”
“Is this university the right place for me?”
“Will my clothes make me look like a hick?”
“What if my room mate is a psycho?”
“What if I don’t to well at the [sport team] tryouts will they feel less of me?”
“What the heck am I doing? I can’t even cook pasta!”
“Why didn’t I ask how to do the ironing properly?!”
A lot of the worries that you may have are linked to not knowing what is the right (or wrong) thing that you should you be doing, what you should be taking or even how you should be acting.
Hopefully this post will ease the pain and confusion somewhat
You’re not alone in feeling fear
I remember when I was getting myself ready to go off to university. My parents were slightly controlling about household tasks when I was growing up in that each person in the house had their allotted chores and didn’t really deviate from those. Consequently, I was able to dust really well, wash dishes like a boss, cut the lawn like a groundskeeper at Wimbledon and fix a car engine but was unable to boil water without burning it.
When I was due to leave for university this caused no end of panic and anxiety as I didn’t know what I was expected to do, what I was expected to take or how I was expected actually “Adult” myself in the real world. Heck, the longest I’d spent away from home on my own was a 7 day school trip and here I was as an adult with voting rights being let loose in the world without a clue how to cook an egg!
Whilst this all may seem like a daunting and horrible prospect – so much so that you may even be thinking that you’ve made the worst choice in your life – Please believe me that you cannot be more wrong. Seriously. Don’t be worried. You are about to enter the absolute best time in your life.
I’m not going to deny that it’s hard work, I’m not going to ignore the fact that there will be times when you will feel out of your depth, lonely or just want to give up – to do so would insult your intelligence. What I can do though is try to make things a bit easier for you in starting your new journey..
Embrace The Future
No matter what life throws at you, you’ll always be able to bounce back. As the saying goes “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I’d like to add to that for all of you University types and add that should be “vodka lemonade”!
Embrace The Fear
I wrote just the other day about how we shouldn’t fear failure but instead use it and embrace it and the same thing holds for when you first go to University. Sure, you may feel overwhelmed, may not want to interact, join clubs or socialise but please realise that you will be missing out on the most important aspect of University life – personal growth through dealings with others.
What To Expect
Everyone is in the same boat as you!
All the people that you’ll be meeting up with on Freshers week (or for the next six months at least) all have the same fears, anxieties and worries as you – it’s just some will be more comfortable hiding them or dealing with them than others.
The most important thing to remember is to be yourself and have fun.
How Can I Prepare Myself?
I’ve come up with a handy checklist of the majority of things you’ll need to take with you when you first go off to university. This is based on the list that I wrote myself ahem a few years ago.
I’m sure there will be bits and pieces on it that I’ve missed out – if there’s anything obvious the please let me know in the comments – but I’m sure you’ll agree the general basis for a stress free university life is included on this free checklist.
Of course, you’ll still have to buy perishable items such as milk and fresh meat or vegetables, but the guide should give you an good idea of what other items you may need to take with you to make your university stay more pleasant.
Note: Dependant on your lodgings you may get some of the items on the list included. In that case, yeay!
In Other Words… Good Luck
This will be the most fun, exciting, frightening and daunting time of your life all at once. Don’t be afraid of it, don’t back away from challenges, and don’t rise to people’s criticism – embrace the scary, the new, the improvised and the weird. In other words just enjoy!
What Is The “UniPlanner”?
Simply put, the *UniPlanner is a list of items that you will need to take to university or college. It includes all the usual items such as clothes, bedding towels etc. but will also act a a reminder for some food, electrical and other items.
How Can I Download The “UniPlanner”?
You can click on the image above to open the PDF file in a new window or click here. Alternatively, click on this link or image and select “Save Link As” to save the PDF directly to your hard drive.
Look Out For My App Reviews And Student Cooking / Hacks
I’ll be rounding up some great apps, products and recipes you can use to get you through your first term (at least) so keep an eye out over the next month for my kitchen hacks that every student should know – If you’ve not subscribed already please do so you can get all the posts. These also apply if you’re an adult and would like to “streamline” your kitchen activities!
Over To You
I hope you enjoy my “Going to university checklist”. I’ve had a couple of people look at it who made suggestions of items I’d missed so if you notice anything that should be added, please Contact Me
Do you have any questions about going to university? Feel free to ask them in the comments below or Send Me A Private Message and I’ll try to help you the best I can.
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