Packing Guide 101
So you’ve done the whole process of applying for, getting into and confirming your acceptance of your university and course of choice. It might feel like you’ve just reached the end of a journey, but really your journey’s only begun. University is truly one of the most memorable things you’ll ever experience if you put yourself out there and be brave enough to try new things (while staying safe). As someone who’s just finished their first year, I think it’s also a place where you’ll make lifelong friends, if only because at this point in your life, you’ve pretty much established your values, likes and personalities, so when you make a friend, they’re someone you’ll know you truly want in your life.
So, as you take this next step in a new phase of your life, here are the things you can expect to need here in Warwick!
Essentials
· Important documents
o Passport
o Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS)
o University admissions acceptance letter
o Course acceptance letter (if different from the above)
o Accommodation contract/proof of accommodation
o Finance documents
o Vaccination history
o Bank cards and bank letters
o Driver’s license (if you have one)
o Important school certificates (proof of grades/English language proficiency)
o Identity card
· Clothing
o Note that if you have not enough space for a lot of warm clothes, you could always pack enough to last about 2 weeks and buy more in the UK, especially since UK clothes would be better suited to the climate here
· Toiletries
o Toothbrush
o Toothpaste
o Soaps and shampoos (and conditioners)
o Moisturiser (trust me I’d never used it before coming here but the UK climate and humidity necessitates it)
· Electrical appliances
o Phone + charger
o Laptop + charger
o Headphones/earphones
· Stationary
o Pen, pencil, eraser
o Paper/notebook (but preferably only a few sheets or a thin notebook as you can always just buy notebooks when you get here to save space)
o Scissors
o Tape
· Medicine and first aid materials
· Contact lenses and their solution (if used)
· Calculator (for STEM students)
· Wind-resistant umbrella (trust me, South-East Asian umbrellas will try their best but lost within 5 minutes of being in the UK wind and rain; the wind’s so strong the rain’s diagonal)
· Thermos (it’s easy to get a cold here and tap water is only safe to drink if it’s cold, so this is essential for your warm teas and drinks, especially if you’re on your period)
· Cash (though some shops on campus don’t accept cash, like Rootes grocery store, it’ll take time to open a UK bank account, so you’ll need cash to get through till then)
Handy
Small cutlery set (especially with chopsticks as pretty much all non-Asian restaurants won’t provide them and not all grocery stores here sell them)
One microwavable bowl and glass (preferably light but with a decent capacity, otherwise they can always be easily and cheaply bought at Tesco or similarly)
Knife (especially if you’re under 18 as you need to be 18 or above to purchase knives in the UK)
Food containers (the foldable ones from IKEA are especially recommended to save space)
Earplugs (university students are living independently for the first time; you don’t want to know what they’re up to)
Vacuum storage bags (for storing thick clothes when moving during the summer between 1st and 2ndyear)
Nail cutter
Calculator (for non-STEM students)
Rice cooker (though if your diet consists of non-rice carbohydrates, this isn’t really necessary and you can always boil rice in a pot though it’s tedious to do daily)
Domestic foods and spices (trust me sambal doesn’t taste the same here)
Traditional clothes (in case of special events)
Sports equipment (a badminton racket is often brought by South-East Asian students)
Shopping bags (at least one or two because more often than not you have to pay for shopping bags here)
Glutac for pasting photos/posters on the wall (be careful not to damage your accommodation)
Musical instrument
As you might have noticed, there are a lot of things I didn’t put here, like pots, duvets and clothes hangers weren’t mentioned because I think it’s ideally bought over here to save space, unless there’s something specific that can’t be bought in the UK. Furthermore, duvets that will keep you warm in the UK winter aren’t really sold in South-East Asia because they’re quite thick and unnecessary for the tropical heat. So for all of you who are anxious about what to bring and are worried that they’re under or overprepared, I have a guide on what not to bring.
What not to bring
Pots and pans (especially because you won’t know whether your accommodation uses an induction or fire stove until later on, and the two types require different types of pots and pans)
Duvet
Pillow
Plates (a bowl and glass are useful, but plates are unnecessary and a close substitute to the bowl)
Most kitchen electrical appliances (check what’s provided by your accommodation before buying! For example, kettles are provided by accommodation or can be bought here)
Summer clothes (trust me unless you’re staying for summer in your first year, you won’t touch them till june at the earliest, unless you wear them for home leisure)
Plants (they can be bought here and UK immigration requires a plant health certificate for it to enter the country)
Vacuum, broom or similar cleaning supplies (the former two are usually provided by campus accommodation and the latter are better off being bought over here)
Textbooks and previous revision notes (trust me, it’s very unlikely you’ll need them unless you have very specific circumstances and they’re bulky)
As a fun extra, here I include a list of things I’ve seen or heard other people (mostly local students though, which makes sense) bring to university. I think it would be pretty difficult to bring these things as an international student, nevertheless the thought of bringing such things all the way from home is pretty funny.
Purely for comfort
Game console
Monitor
Kebab maker
Desk fan (for summer)
Photos of friends and family
Washing machine
Bolster
Waffle maker
18 packs of frozen bakmi
Cello
Thank you for reading this list and I hope you’ll enjoy and look forward to your imminent journey to uni! I also recommend that to cover all bases, you check out other packing lists, particularly those provided by your national society at Warwick, because they may be more specific to what you need to bring from your country. All the best, cheers.
