If you are preparing to resume campus for the first time, you must prepare beforehand or at least know.

It is that time – packing up your life and getting ready to move into a tiny space in your hall of residence. You are plagued with thoughts – What do I need to bring with me? What sounds like a great idea to pack now but will just end up unused and taking space?

Don’t worry, I gat you covered I will outline the most important things students need in the Hostel or even off-campus.

Let’s start:

Remember, Some of the hostel management at some point will allow you to Repaint the walls of the Room if it is no longer looking good, but you need to know that you are not going to stay in the same Hostel Room till you graduate from the Universities, after your first year, you will need to reapply for hostel again, and this time around you won’t get same Hostel you got last time, you will get another one, so it better not to invest much on painting your hostel space room, because it won’t be a permanent place for you till you graduate.

These are some items you need to start getting together for your resumption.

For Your Bed you need:

1. Pillowcases

2. Two pillow

3. Bedsheets (At least 2 or 3 is Okey).

4. Blanket for cold

5. Mosquito net.

For Your Room Orderliness you need:

1. Broom

2. Hangers (A dozen or more).

3. Jewelry box.

4. Laundry Basket.

5. Shoe rack.

6. Trashcan.

7. Air Freshener.

For Your Laundry you need:

1. Bleach

2. Detergent

3. Drying Rack

4. Iron

5. Lint Brush

6. Sewing Kit (Thread & Needle)

7. Buckets

8. Pegs for your clothes

For Restroom (Toilet & bathroom) you need:

1. Bathing soap

2. Body Lotion

3. Roll-on

4. Etc

For reading you need:

1. Touch Light

2. Table and Chair

For Food you need:

1. Water (You can boil it if you are fetching from a borehole)

2. Snacks ( Biscuits, cookies etc) Optional

3. Coffee (to keep you awake in the night if you want to read)

4. Milo, Ovaltine, Bournvita & Milk

5. Noodles

6. Garri

7. Rice

8. Spaghetti

9. Spices (for cooking)

10. Stove/Gas Cooker (Unn Hostel student uses only stove)

11. Kitchen Utensils (For Just one person) 2/3 pot, 5 spoon, 5 Plates Is enough.

Also, depending on the standard of your school and what is obtainable there, below are the list of things you should come to campus with as a fresher;

1. Documents

• -Passport photos
• -Passport or driving licence
• -NHS number
• -National Insurance number
• -TV Licence
• -CV and references
• -Discount travel cards
• -Bank account details
• -Address book and email contacts list
• -Local map
• -What’s on guide
• -Old textbooks and notes
• -List of phone numbers
• -Support notification form
• -Diary or calendar
• -Doctor and dentist details
• -Other university documents
• -Exam certificates
• -Room insurance

2. Kitchen
   A lot of the kitchen stuff will depend if you’re going self catering or not.

• -Cutlery
• -Corkscrew
• -Bottle opener
• -Mugs
• -Glasses
• -Wine glasses
• -Shot glasses
• -Kettle
• -Knives, forks and spoons
• -Plates
• -Bowls (for cereal, soup, ice cream, etc)
• -One-person casserole dish
• Small frying or omelette pan
• 1 small, 1 large saucepan with lids
• -Egg cup
• -Tin opener
• -Scissors
• -Chopping knife
• -Chopping board – An extra chopping board if you are cutting meat: this way you avoid food poisoning!!!
• -Vegetable peeler
• -Cheese grater – (ho for one that has the grater as a lid so all the cheese goes into a box/compartment neatly and you can leave it in there to store as well )
• -Bread-knife
• -Wooden spoon
• -Spatula – good for a washing up implement.
• -Potato Masher (only if you are a fan of mash tho!)
• -Easy to follow recipe book
• -Store cupboard ingredients – coffee, tea, milk, sugar, eggs, margarine, cooking oil, salt and pepper – and let’s not forget pasta
• -Coffee whitener – for when you run out of milk
• -Sandwich bags – good for lots of stuff you open and need to contain. e.g. sugar / teabags and things
• -Plastic bowl or box with lid
• -Microwaveable bowl
• -Cling film
• -Tin foil
• -Sieve
• -Tea towels
• -Oven gloves
• -Washing-up stuff – Washing-up liquid / -Dishcloth / Scrubbing brush
• -Tray – For carrying food to your room and to stop you making a mess if you’re not eating at a table
• -Chopsticks

3. STUDYING

• -Desk lamp (Halogen)
• -BOOK CHAIR – saves a lot of neck strain if you are making notes out of a big book]
• -NOTICE BOARD – for timetables, numbers, etc. Some halls may already provide one.
• Message board with erasable marker eg. a mini white board or one of those magnetic sand ones that you can wipe
• -DIARY/PLANNERS – to keep track of assignments.
• -Dictionary and thesaurus
• -A pad of lined paper – for making notes/doing drafts etc
• -Ream of printing paper
• -A4 folders
• -Pens, pencils, paper, files, highlighters
• -Scissors
• -Sticky tape
• -Stapler, hole punch
• -Sticky labels
• -Post-it notes
• -Paper clips
• -White Tac – so it doesn’t mark the walls
• -Stamps and envelopes

4. Outdoor

• -Sports gear
• -Bike
• -Raincoat
• -Umbrella
• -Head warmer/cap

5. Healthcare

• -Multivitamins
• -Painkillers
• -Condoms/pill
• -Basic first aid kit – plasters, antiseptic wipes, bandages
• -Paracetamol
• -Some cold/flu remedy in case you are struck down by freshers’ flu
• -Pro-Plus
• -Anti-allergy pills – eg. Piriton
• -A cold/hot pack

6. Bathroom

• -Bath mat
• -Bath and hand towels (+ possibly a flanel)
• -Basket for shower supplies
• -Wash bag
• -Toilet roll
• -Box of tissues
• -Toothbrush and toothpaste
• -Soap – liquid soap is probably better. If you’re sharing bathrooms then it’s easier to transport and wont slip onto the floor etc.
• -Shower gel
• -Shampoo/Conditioner
• -Nail clippers
• -Deodorant
• -Cologne
• -Hair gel
• -Hair spray
• -Hairbrush
• -Comb
• -Razor
• -Shaving cream/gel
• -Lip balm

7. Housekeeping

• -Air Freshener
• -Laundry bag – So your dirty clothes don’t end up on the floor. And for dragging to the laundry or dumping on your parents to wash for you!
• -Clothes horse – Save money on dryers by drying your clothes in your room
• -Coat hangers – you may not get any in wardrobes
• -Dustpan and brush – for cleaning up the odd mess, though most hostels should provide this
• -Duster
• -Kitchen towel
• -Cleaning products
• -Washing powder/liquid/tablets – if the washing powder dispenser isn’t working
• -Door wedge – an open door in freshers week is much more friendly

8. Electrical

• -Alarm clock (maybe 2 in two different locations in your room to make sure lectures are at least attempted, even if you carry on sleeping there!)
• -Calculator – for sorting out finances
• -Computer and/or laptop – saves on queues at deadline time
• -Computer mouse for laptop – easier to use than a trackpad
• -CDR’s (CDRW’s cheaper in long run) – for backing up work
• -USB “pen drive” – carrying projects etc between uni, internet cafe, friends comp, etc. quickly, easily and RELIABLY!
• -Printer – printing could take up to six hours on uni computers
• -Network cable – to access the internet from the socket in your room
• -Mini fridge – for beer and other items you don’t want in the communal fridge
• -Bedside lamp
• -Mobile and charger
• -Answering machine
• -CD player/Hi-fi system – though better (certainly space wise) just to bring speakers and use your computer
• -TV – but license fee will be costly. There will doubtless be a communal TV you can watch. Also worth considering a TV-DVD/-VCR combi or separate VCR/DVD players
• -Camera – to take pictures of room and friends (to send home/put on website … everything else people do with photos)
• -Headphones – so you don’t disturb others when you play music loud. You can get ‘infra-red’ ones that aren’t too expensive and allow you to walk around while still listening to the music.
• -Batteries – rechargeable (save money)
• -Multi plug adaptor/extension lead – to give you more than the normal 2/4 sockets

9. Clothing

• -Dressing gown
• -Slippers
• -T-shirts
• -Jumpers
• -Trousers
• -Underwear
• -Socks
• -Shoes/trainers
• -Flip flops – for wearing in showers / communal wash areas
• -Swimwear
• -Ball gowns/evening wear – for the Freshers’ Ball.
• -Shirt and tie for any smart-casual events

10. Leisure

• -Board games – a couple, will make a good fun free evening (not sure about your phrasing! – its not mine)
• -Pack of card
• -Ball – rugby ball/football for friendly matches/made up games
• -Frisbee – again for the occasional game (rugby style)

11. Style

• -Posters – though theses are often available during freshers week – (you might need things to cover bad decoration)
• -Photos of family and friends
• -Wall hanging – more homely than posters
• -Rugs – to hide the mangy carpet
• -Fairylights/disco ball/police light/lava lamp
• -Cushions/beanbags – for friends to sit down in your room
• -A throw – to make your bed into a sofa for friends to sit on
• -Pot plants
• Teddy bear/stuffed toys
• -Blankets – for when it gets cold and you want to snuggle up

12. Bedding

• -Sheets
• -Duvet and duvet covers
• -Pillows & pillow cases – did you know the average used pillow is 75% dead flesh?
• -Mattress cover – goes between the mattress and the bottom sheet
• -Hot water bottle
• -Inflatable mattress and pump – for your mates when they visit
• -Sleeping bag – for when friends come to stay/when you go to stay

13. Miscellaneous

• -Drinks – to make new friends with
• -Sweets or biscuits – to distribute to flatmates
• -Extra storage – cardboard or plastic boxes for things which wont fit anywhere else
• -Large suitcase – to put things in when going home for the weekend
• -A spare lightbulb
• -Torch – for power cuts and looking under desks/chairs/beds
• -Pen knife
• -Loose change – for washing / vending machines
• -Earplugs – to cut out noise you don’t want to hear
• -Bookends – probably unnecessary; just use something else (eg pot of pasta, sugar etc)
• -Poster hangers – if you’re not allowed Blu-/White?-Tac on the walls
• -Safety pins
• -Small sewing kit – just in case you need to do a quick fix on a rip or tear (like the ones you get in hotels)
• -Small toolkit
• -Matches
• -Fan
• -Clock

14. Female specific items

• -Hair Ties/clips
• -Make up (eye shadow, mascara, lip stick/-gloss, eyeliner, foundation, etc)
• -Jewelries
• -Moisturizer
• -Baby Oil
• -Nail Varnish
• -Hair removing cream
• -Hair dryer/straighteners
• -Tampons/sanitary towels

14. Male specific items

• -Shaving brush

I will be updating this Post from time to time, so always come back to check here for more and more information. Thanks for reading

If you have any questions feel free to ask me in the comment session.

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