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Congratulations, you’ve got your place at uni sorted – you’re going to have the best few years of your life! Now you just need to decide what to bring with you.

If, like most freshers, you’ve never spent more than a few weeks away from home,  packing all your stuff up and leaving home for uni can be daunting. What do you take? What do you leave behind? What do you actually need? Luckily for you, we’ve put together a guide to packing for uni to help make sure you don’t completely lose your head while packing up your stuff.

Important Documents
The following documents will be extremely important for your move to university, so it can be helpful to bring a few copies in case your originals go missing:

●    Passport, driving license, or some form of ID
●    All official university correspondence, including your acceptance letter (CAS)
●    All student finance correspondence
●    Accommodation documents
●    Your bank card or bank details
●    Passport photos
●    National Insurance card or number

Make copies of them and keep them safe in a secure file.

Electrical Items
When it comes to electrical items, be careful to bring only what you know you’ll need. Yeah, having your own printer in your room may be handy, but most university libraries will provide printing services for students.

You may want to bring entertainment with you, such as your games consoles and your laptop – because how else will you procrastinate than binge-watching the latest Netflix series? Just make sure your reasoning for bringing these devices is well justified because you don’t want to become one of those campus hermits who spend way too much alone in your room!

Note that if your electrical items are worth more than you can afford to lose, consider taking out insurance before moving to university – some accommodation providers include contents insurance. You can also check which security services provided by your accommodation – it’ll give you peace of mind knowing your valuables are safe.

Clothing Items
It’s a no-brainer: you need to bring clothes, and you probably already know which items of clothing you definitely want to take with you and which to keep in your wardrobe at home. However, it’s easy to overpack, so make sure you bring the basic essentials for all occasions and leave the rest at home for weekends and holidays – or you’ll be doing a lot of unnecessary heavy-lifting!

If you’re planning to visit home regularly, you’ll always be able to pick up a few more bits while you’re there.

Kitchen Items
If you’re living in halls of residence, you will most likely have a fully stocked kitchen, which means you don’t need to worry about packing a toaster. Otherwise, you’ll need to think about bring your own pots and pans, mugs, plates, cutlery, the works – all of which you can pick up from your local supermarket once you’ve moved in to save on your pennies! Just don’t try to cut corners by buying grated cheese instead of a grater, because that’s the fastest way to completely blow your loan money!

Check whether your accommodation provider can put you in touch with future flat- or floor-mates. You might be able to share certain items and avoid ending up with half of an IKEA showroom crammed into the kitchen cupboards.

Toiletries
Heavy bottles of shampoo and conditioner can take up a lot of space in your luggage – not to mention it adds weight!

When packing for uni, a good rule of thumb is to ask yourself “Can I buy this when I get there?” If the answer is yes, then leave the item behind. However, if you’re sharing a bathroom with other students in your halls of residence, make sure you pack your own towels and buy your own toiletries… and shower shoes, you can thank us later!

Finally, we would also recommend doing a quick food shop before you go or when you first arrive to save stressing about what to have for dinner on your first night, when you’re all wrapped in freshers’ excitement! Going to university is a huge move, so we hope that you’ve found this list helpful!

Article By: Fusion Students.

A Bit About Our Contributor: Founded on the belief that student living should be about people and experiences, not just rooms and buildings, at Fusion Students we’ve developed a portfolio of vibrant places in some of the top student cities across the UK.