Daughter Going Into Halls - What to Bring/Buy?

Piggles12345

Hi there,

Mini fridges were not allowed in my halls and the cleaners were pretty grim so people with fridges in their rooms got reprimanded quite quickly!

For the first few days at university (until she has had time to find the nearest supermarket and recruit a team of explorers to go with her) here is my list of essentials and luxuries;

Kitchen Essentials;

-Dry food (pasta, pot noodles, microwave noodles, tins of soup, cereals)
-Fridge food (a couple of items no matter how random to make sure she gets her space in the fridge. Milk is usually the best option to go with above cereals)
-Freezer food (as above. Frozen chips are usually best as they go with anything)
-Something to drink (squash, tea, coffee etc.)
-Saucepan (mainly for cooking pasta, which is a staple for the first few days at uni)
-Colander (for draining staple pasta or noodles etc)
-Wok (anything and everything can be cooked in a wok)
-Baking tray (anything and everything can be cooked in the oven)
-Sharp knife (NO-ONE brings a decent chopping knife to uni)
-Cheese grater (as above. And all that pasta will need something to go on top)
-Chopping board (uni worksurfaces are a biohazard)
-Obviously plates, knives, forks, spoons, dishes, glasses and mugs

Bedroom essentials

-Toilet roll (usually they are supplied but its best not to get caught short)
-Soap, toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo (usually this magically appears in the bathroom of the family home but she will need to get into the habit of buying it for herself and keeping an eye on her stock!)
-Towels (these maybe supplied by the uni but, again, its best not to get caught short)
-Some small curver boxes from a bargain shop if she's worried about storage space
-A lamp and/or bulbs (bulbs always go in the uni supplied lamps and no-one ever has any bulbs)
-Some momentoes (not too many so she doesn't get homesick but enough to make her room feel homely)
-A duvet (uni may supply this but I didn't have a duvet for the first few weeks at uni and it was awful)

I'd say get something that she can share with people in her kitchen or flat (e.g. a big bag of crisps or popcorn). Its a good way to integrate with people and breaks the ice a little.

Hope this helps.

P.S. MAKE SURE SHE GETS A SPACE AT THE TOP OF THE FRIDGE AND FREEZER! This may mean getting there quite early in the morning but its better than being stuck with the lower shelves. You want to make sure that if anyone's milk leaks it won't be dripping all over your stuff!! :T

Catspajamas

My essentials for uni -
Stackable storage boxes. I never had enough storage (and I don't have a ton of clothes or anything!)
A massive tea mug
A big fleecy throw for when its cold and covering the manky chair
Thermos for taking tea to lectures
BIG dressing gown (there will be random people on the way to bathroom)
Extension cables cos there are rarely more than 2 or 3 sockets a room
Blue tack for all the posters
Bottle of some sort of spirit to help break the ice
Playing cards
Camera
Lots of nice food, mini chocolate bars
Paracetamol, cold remedies etc...she will get freshers flu

I don't think she will be sticking to the going out twice a month but on the plus side her fondness for 39p noodles should stand her in good stead.

horseykitty

Both my sons are off to Leeds next weekend - they are in the same halls but in different flats. I have been assured by my sister that her three sons did not make use of an iron the whole time they were in Uni and that the youngest used to come home at the end of term with bin bags full of washing - my two are now insisting that they want an iron and board each. I have purchased one cheap iron and a table top board I found in a charity shop and told them to share. I have also tried to tell them that they will wear the robes and pj bottoms I have got for them, as the girls they are sharing their flat with might not like to see them around and about in their boxers. They replied that they'd have not problem with the girls walking around in their pants! Dream on boys - I think they have a very steep learning curve awaiting them

taka

I found a drying "clothes horse"/airer of some description essential too! We only had 2 tumble dryers between ~100+ people and they cost a fortune and were always busy. Even an over the radiator style one (presuming there is a radiator in the room!) might help a bit as it may fit over cupboards/doors too. We started off drying stuff from the curtain rail on hangers but after one of my neighbours broke hers doing this we mostly bought an airer each - Argos was doing a roaring trade in them - the cheaper ones were all sold out! :rolleyes: :rotfl:

Rosie10_2

As a halls veteran, who is starting a course at her third uni in just over a week, I can offer the following advice:

Sainburys offer a 'meal ticket', it's a card that you can top up with funds and your daughter can use to buy in store. If you/she is unsure what is necessary then you could top up the card and when she arrives and works out what she needs she can pop instore and voila! No wasted time and effort.

I like the mini fridge suggestion, as things will go missing no matter who you stay with, but check that this is allowed under the halls rules and regs as it may be classed as a fire hazzard or something similar.

The best thing is to buy cheap and think disposable eg taking picnic style plastic plates etc, although I'm a green freak it's no use to you if things go missing and could cost a bit if you end up replacing things. Re the steamer etc as a qualified chef I'm all for it but only take things like that if there is space to store them in her room when not in use.

To sum up I would 'try before you buy' well buy much anyway! Take absolute essentials then get a meal ticket or make money available another way and fill in the gaps when she knows what she needs. There will be so much advice available during freshers week/fortnight and deals/discounts to be had so don't jump the gun and she could be sitting pretty for a reasonable price.

I hope this helps, let me know if you need any further advice and best of luck to your daughter!

Talonaer

Hey,

Im a current UCL student, was in halls 3 years ago. Could I ask the halls names? Then I can give you some more details.

The only self catering halls that come to mind are Max Rayne, Frances Gardner, and Langdon close. None of which provide kitchen stuff except fridge/freezers, ovens, and lockable cabinets. Often there are microwaves and kettles from past inhabitants still there, so dont purchase these till you've been.

Do take:
Cutlery
Pans
Plates and Bowls
Mug
Glasses
Choping board
Spatula
wooden spoon
Chefs Knife
Can opener
etc

As for rooms, all are fairly small, you wont need much. A laundry bag is essential (I just used to use one of those big blue ikea all purpose bags) for going down to the laundry rooms. which can be pricey but at one load every 1-2 weeks for £1-2 its actualy not that bad.

Throw me some more information at which UCL halls she'll be in etc etc and ill happily throw some more information for you. Studying medicine perchance? If so yes she will definately expected to be out every night, this does not mean getting drunk/drinking at all if you dont want to, but for freshers week getting out and mingling is essential. As for other courses, same again! Freshers week is not a week for watching TV in the evenings! After that it'll all calm down.

edit:

Mini fridge : Not allowed in any UCL halls to my knowledge unless required for medical reasons i.e. cold storage of medicines.
Steamer: mmmm just get a stack of steamer pans, then at least you basically have a 2 collinders and a pan. A seperate self heating steamer will jsut take up limited space.
Having said that the best thing Ive ever had as a student, and wish id had in halls, which you can get for about £15-20 in tesco...is...a slow cooker! Honestly for budget cooking that can be just left on on low all day with no concern to come home to a tasty meal. A little daunting to start but seriously worth it ive found.

Fivefootsix

Everybody seems to have covered what I was going to say so the only thing I can really suggest is take a mini padlock for the kitchen cupboards. When I moved into halls, everyone had one of these and for the first week or so locked their cupboards until everyone got used to each other. If she gets a good impression off people then she won't need this but it's good to have just in case.

kingfisherblue

I have just bought a few essentials for someone I know who is going to uni - a mini sewing kit, teatowels, toiletries, tissues, stationery (including Blutak and post it notes), pedal bin liners, dried food such as pasta, washing up liquid, tampax, J cloths, teaspoons, foil, scissors, and tea, coffee, sugar, hot chocolate and biscuits. there are also a few things that people have already mentioned.

She isn't allowed a kettle or mini fridge in her room.

I think I'll add an extension lead and a clothes airer to the things I have already bought - great ideas!

jellybaby14

You might find it's better to wait until she moves into halls and sees whats actually included and what her flatmates bring with them! In my first year we had 4 toasters and 2 kettles.

Plastic cups can be better than glass as that's the kind of thing that ends up getting used (and broken) by everyone. Cutlery also goes walkies alot so buy a couple of cheap sets...I had cutlery with bright coloured handles so I always knew which was mine too.

bitsandpieces

Lokolo wrote: »

Yes they try and not make it clear but you do not need a TV licence if you do not wtach TV live. i.e. you can watch 4od and BBC iPlayer (for catchup shows, just not live).

Just to be clear - you do need a license if you record shows (e.g. using a TV tuner on the laptop along with PVR software) to watch later. IPlayer etc. for catchup should be fine, though.

When you're buying plug adapters, worth getting one surge-protected one for laptop, TV etc. Only costs a couple of quid more, and can save on possible hassle.