When it comes to packing, it’s common to try and compress the entire contents of your bedroom in that poor suitcase of yours.
I mean, it’s understandable considering you’re moving ‘home’ but, alas, the struggle is futile.
So, to make things less stressful for you (and your parents), here are a few items you can skip when packing for university.
1. Your textbooks
Take those notes out of your luggage!
Although it’s admirable to bring along your A-Level/Highers/IB textbooks, it’s highly unlikely you’ll be cracking them out when September rolls around, because lecture & seminar content in university is tailored quite differently from high school.
Keep in mind, you can get much cheaper textbooks from the campus bookshop, you can borrow from the library, AND you’ll get free access to eBooks too.
I recommend seeing what the first few weeks of lectures are like before deciding which textbooks are most useful.
2. Excessive stationery (you know who you are)
Pens, highlighter packs, notepads, folders, stickers, plastic wallets – yes, it’s all very exciting, I know. However, they take up a lot of space in your luggage, and I can almost 100% guarantee that wherever you’re going to study will have a Ryman’s.
Start off simple by just bringing a single notepad and a couple of pens – then purchase whatever else you need as and when you need it.
Like, you may be attached to your TI-Nspire calculator, but do you really need that for your English degree…?
3. Printers
Ink cartridges and paper can be expensive, a cost you can avoid by using the university’s printing services. You may get printing credits and can pop by the libraries to print.
Even if you still want a printer, packing one is bulky, so I would recommend researching where you could get a relatively cheap, efficient printer to be delivered to your room.
TIP: HP do an Instant Ink service, where you pay a small fee per month according to the number of pages you print, not the amount of ink you use.
4. Kitchenware
“But I need my Unicorn bottle opener!” I hear you cry. Of course, of course.
However, in shared flats or halls, many appliances are already provided and, if not, you can always chip in with your new neighbours for essential gadgets, which apart from being much cheaper to do, means more space in your suitcase.
5. Blankets, multiple big coats, bedding…
Once again, just plain bulky.
Order them online to be sent to your future dorm, so when you arrive, it’ll be ready for you.
Plus, shops have great sales during Freshers’ Week so hold off and get yourself a good winter coat then.
Finally, I’d be selective about the clothes you bring by researching the general weather in your uni city beforehand.
As you’re starting uni in September, you can probably leave most of your summer clothes at home and just pick those up once the sunnier season reappears the following year.