Hi friends! Today is the second installment in the Summer guest post series, brought to us from Emily over at Wonders of a Fairytale. She’ll be talking with us today about how to go about packing for university.
I definitely do not claim to be an expert on living at college, because I am not even there yet. However, I know enough to say that going to university (or college, if you’re American) is a pretty scary thing. Just thinking about moving away from my little hometown brings butterflies to my stomach. I honestly cannot imagine living away from home for a month, let alone a whole year. That is not to say I am not excited. Living away from home is supposed to give a sense of freedom – I will finally be an adult, living like an adult, doing exactly what I want to do.
Although there are plenty of things to buy before university – textbooks, extra clothes, a stethoscope (soon-to-be Medic here) – I think the main thing I need to organise is myself, mentally. Almost everything is going to change in September. I will need to cook for myself, wash my own clothes, organise my own healthcare, and I’ll even be expected to act with the professionalism of a doctor right away. People say that you grow up when you go to university, but being a medic means you have to do that extremely fast. I am not sure whether I am ready yet, but then I guess no one is. No one can prepare themselves for becoming an adult overnight.
My main tip in preparing for university is to prepare for the extra tasks you will need to do. For example, if you have never cooked a meal in your life, start helping out at dinner time and buy yourself a good student cookery book (that is, unless you are lucky enough to be going self-catered). Make sure you can operate a washing machine, and an iron, because mum won’t be there to do those things for you.
So when you have come to terms with the fact that you will be living away from home for a year, you will need to start thinking about what to pack. Make sure you check what is provided at your university/ college because some will provide cookery equipment or a mattress, whilst others won’t. I am not going to come up with a huge list of things for you to take, but there is a brilliant one here. Instead, I have picked out the most important things to make you feel at home when you go to college.
- Take lots of pictures/ posters with you – you won’t be able to hang them properly on the wall but blue tac works well
- Pick out a nice mug – having a nice mug for your morning coffee will not only be a nice homely reminder, but it’ll forever remind you of college after you leave
- Buy some storage boxes – if you are anything like me, that tiny wardrobe at university will not be big enough to hold all of your clothes, so under-bed storage will definitely make things easier
- Take comfy clothes – from what I have heard, people don’t tend to wear their best clothes for lectures, so take things you can quickly throw on when you wake up ten minutes before your 9am lecture
Good luck to everyone starting college!
Emily
xxx
