Flying the Nest in Style – Must Haves for University with Very.co.uk
It’s that time of year again when exam results are being released, fingers, toes and whatever else possible is being crossed, and dreams for those going to university for the first time are coming true.
University is a HUGE step. Titanic. Each year, thousands of ill-prepared teenagers fill their families’ cars with bags and boxes of contents which they will never need [but pack just in case] and head off all over the country – and sometimes the world – in search of academic brilliance, and the dream of becoming a step closer to their ideal career.
I was the first person in our family to venture off to university when I left to study Law in Wales. I loved it so much that I stayed there for an extra year to complete the Legal Practice Course before returning home – and then back to university in Southampton for another qualification a few years later. I like to think that university made me the person who I am today, but even if it didn’t, it did teach me quite a bit – like how saucepans can also double as dishes when you’re desperate [sorry mom].
Over the past five years, we have sent one family member per year off to university. We’ve covered teaching, graphic design, music, software engineering, computer game programming – and this year, it’s the turn of my second-eldest nephew to take his place studying performing arts. The excitement *never* fades.
New places, faces, experiences and decisions are all being encountered – alone – for the first time, when you accept a place at university. Emotions run high, from the university student leaving the nest and wondering whether they will fit in, make friends, understand the subject they’ve chosen [flashback to me beginning law school without understanding why Parliament was so important] and manage to feed themselves, to the sibling left-behind, wondering whether it will one day be their turn, and in the meantime if they can move into the bigger bedroom now vacated by their university undergraduate, to the parents holding back the tears as they watch their baby say goodbye and then drive slowly away, seeing them disappear in the wing-mirror of their Nissan as they hope that they’ll change their mind and come home again, just for one more year [I’m looking at you, dad]. It’s a life-changing moment, for everyone involved.
So, as we bid Loki farewell as he flies the nest, we decided to arm him with the best car-packing essentials advice that we could. With over 25 years of university experience between us, we thought we could make sure he – and you, if you’re reading this and getting ready to make the move to higher education – starts off on the right footing. Whatever you *do* pack, don’t forget these…
- Get an Alarm Clock
Get a loud one. One that annoys you so much that you want to throw bricks at it. Put it far enough from your bedside that you *have* to get out of bed to turn it off. Trust us, you need this in your fresher year if you’re going to have a chance of passing because your mum, dad, or whomever takes care of you is not going to be calling you every morning to remind you to get up and get going. Remember, passing is so much easier if you turn up to lectures and workshops, and far less humiliating if you turn up on time. It wasn’t until my post-graduate years that I was able to enjoy waking up to Mariah Carey at 6am to go for a run around town before a shower and lectures. That’s three years of brick throwing that I did.
2. Mattress Protectors
Mattress protectors are your friends. Believe us. In my fresher year, I didn’t think of this. Until I got there. I ended up putting black bin bags on the mattress of my bed under my sheet until I made it into Cardiff the next day to get myself one. How many people have slept in that bed? Eww. Get two. And some Febreeze.
3. Toaster + Kettle
Want to make friends fast in shared accommodation? Get a toaster that doesn’t incinerate everything it looks at, and a fast-boiling kettle. Your kettle and toaster set is perfect for quick morning starts when you didn’t heed our alarm-clock advice, for filling coffee cups bigger than your head when you’ve got that assignment due [or you’re feeling sorry for the alcohol-related decisions you made the night before], and for saving money on breakfasts-to-go and lunches out when you’ve spent most of it on beer at the Student Union. Buying a toaster in our university house was a game-changer. Toast works for the munchies, too. Loki is leaving with a gorgeous new grey set from Very.co.uk, and I’ll admit I’m jealous.
4. Warm Dressing Gown
If you’re in halls of residence, there are going to be middle-of-the-night fire alarms [again, sorry mom]. Invest in a warm, thick, dressing gown and easy to slip on shoes that you can pop on in seconds and shuffle outside safely. Chances are that when the fire alarm does go, you’ll be wearing something you wish you weren’t, and hunting through your laundry pile with sirens blaring isn’t the best course of action. Save your dignity and your life, and make sure these are on the back of your door, and next to it.
Quick Starting Laptop
I’m going to say it. Students going off to University these days, you don’t know how easy you have it. In *myyyy* day, lectures were rows of law students furiously scribbling away on A4 pads every word that their lecturer breathed, and mad scuffles to reach a hand-out that was being handed-out far too slow. Then we’d all be back in the law library trying to decipher just what we’d written at warp speed, and figure out which case references we’d gotten wrong. Nowadays, life is much easier – everything is online, and everything is typed on laptops. All you need is one that’s easy to tote around [unlike the huge BBC computer we shared that was larger than my own desk] and fires up fast without the spinning wheel of doom, and your lectures are so much more enjoyable than mine ever were. You can share notes freely and spend your free time dancing and drinking, instead of decoding.
If you’re reading this before you’ve arrived on campus, there’s still time to pack your essentials – and if you’ve already hit the road without these crucial items, don’t worry – very.co.uk is there to help smooth the rocky path through freshers’ week and beyond. Hang in there. You’re going to be just fine.
