Heading to Uni

The start of September pretty much signals the end of summer in my house. So I’ve spent the last few days starting to get ready for university.

There are loads of lists all over the place about ‘what to take to university’. This blog post isn’t one of those lists. Instead, I am using it as a warning. When you go to university, and not necessarily just for first year but also for following years, be careful about what you take with you.
Earlier this week I had a conversation with my housemates and we decided that, to try and save as much money as possible, we are going to try and keep the heating turned down this winter. Instead, we are going to favour the liberal use of jumpers and hot chocolate (which, although it’s still summer, I’m actually very excited about). After a mental stock check of what I had in my wardrobe, I went shopping the day after this conversation and bought one or two (okay, five) new jumpers. When I went to put them away when I got home, I rediscovered a whole load of jumpers and hoodies that I had forgotten I owned. So although it’s safe to say I have plenty enough to keep me going this winter, the new ones I bought were totally unnecessary.

Like I found last week, it is very easy to get overly excited about moving away, and end up buying too much stuff to take with you.
What you do need to bring really depends on where you’re going and how you’ll be living (e.g. catered/self-catered etc) but the same advice applies wherever you’re going: try not to get carried away. It’s very easy to try and pack for every possible eventuality (especially if, like I found, parents try to help… ‘But what if Leicester floods/becomes a desert?’) but I think it’s very important to be realistic as well.
I know that’s perhaps not the most useful tip, after all it is very vague. Just be realistic about what you pack. Oh, and try not to worry too much about forgetting things; in my experience, anything you haven’t thought of can usually be bought pretty easily. And most of the time, you’ll probably find you can live without it.
Loveyoubye