Your Essential University Accommodation Checklist! 

• Author: Amy Russell, Primary Education with QTS BA, The School of Education, Sport & Health Sciences

Before moving to university I was constantly checking on social media for inspiration for both my room decoration and the so-called necessities of university. I found that most of these advice panels, although helpful, would list hundreds of items that (although I took to uni) I never laid eyes on them from the moment I moved in until the moment I moved out.  

This blog will aim to assist you in figuring out whether you need to take 40 mugs, 62 tea towels, every single pair of shoes you have ever owned, and all your clothes to uni! 

What does the Uni give you? 

At the university of Brighton the following is provided for you:

In all the kitchens there are:                                                

• One Toaster
• One Kettle  
• One Microwave  
• At least 2 bins

In all the bedrooms you will receive:

• Bed (yay!)
• Desk
• Chair
• Wardrobe   
• Storage Drawers 

Setting up your space: Must-have room essentials 

When I was moving into my halls of residence it had become very clear, very quickly that I had overpacked. As someone who had never had to move out before I had no idea what I really needed for my bedroom, leading to rather a lot of excessive items that took up a lot of space! 

So many people online had made huge checklists of things they needed, so naturally I decided I needed them too. This is very much not the case. They would recommend taking real plants as it makes your room look “homely”, but I have a tendency of killing plants by even looking at them, so for people like me, I’d recommend fake plants for halls as it is a lot less work and responsibility (and guilt!). 

You won’t have as much storage as you may have had at home, so I would recommend finding some storage boxes to put under your bed, these can inevitably be filled with random bits and bobs that are far too precious to throw away.  

Here are some of the bedroom essentials I think everyone should take to uni!

Desk items:                                                                                   

• Pen pot
• (Fake) plants
• Extension cable
• Lamp 
• Storage (to keep purse/keys/lanyard in)

Wardrobe: 

• Hangers 
• Season appropriate clothing
• Shoe storage/shoe rack
• Fancy dress
• Dehumidifier                        

Bedroom Items: 

• Duvet
• Cushions
• Blankets
• Mattress topper
• PJs
• Teddies
• Laundry basket (with handles)
• Pegs/airer
• Lights e.g fairy lights/lava lamp
• Mirror
• Pictures for pin board
• First aid kit
• Batteries
• Screw driver

Kitchen essentials: What every Fresher needs 

The thought of a shared kitchen can be scary, mountains of washing up and never-ending cleaning sessions can really throw people off. Although it can indeed be daunting, keeping on top of your mess is the best thing to do.  

If you are like me and are a bit of a neat freak, suppressing the temptation to tidy everyone’s things away can be hard, but you do not want to become the resident cleaner!  

Instead, I recommend putting items that have been sat out for a while on the kitchen table and resort to merely ignoring it- not your mess, not your problem! 
The thought of a shared kitchen can be scary, mountains of washing up and never-ending cleaning sessions can really throw people off. Although it can indeed be daunting, keeping on top of your mess is the best thing to do.  

If you are like me and are a bit of a neat freak, suppressing the temptation to tidy everyone’s things away can be hard, however it needs to be done. You do not want to become the resident cleaner.  

I instead recommend putting items that have been sat out for a while on the kitchen table and resort to merely ignoring it- not your mess, not your problem! 

What to put in the kitchen? 

• 4 plates
• 4 cups (I took plastic so they wouldn’t break if I dropped them) 
• 2 mugs  
• 4 sets of cutlery                                                                                    
• Sharp Knives                                                            
• Scissors                                                                      
• Tin opener                                                               
• Chopping board                                                  
• 1 baking tray  
• Grater 
• Bottle opener  
• Measuring jug 
• Tupperware  
• Cling film/ tin foil 
• Oven mitts/ tea towel
• Utensil set
• Colander
• Tongs
• Frying pan
• Saucepans

Cleaning products 

• Dishmatic/cleaning utensils  
• Washing up liquid 
• Kitchen roll  
• Disinfectant spray  
• Bin bags  

Your kitchen will be cleaned on a weekly basis, but this doesn’t mean the upkeep should be overlooked!

What to put in your bathroom

In some halls of residence, ensuites are available, whilst at other it may be a shared bathroom. Having a shared bathroom does not mean you leave it to one person to do all the cleaning, the bathroom is also your responsibility.  

Keeping your bathroom tidy is not difficult if you delegate half an hour every Sunday to cleaning.  

Here are some bits I found vital to keeping my bathroom looking like a bomb hadn’t gone off!

Personal Care:

• Toothbrush/Toothpaste/ soap
• Hairbrush
• Shampoo/conditioner/body wash
• Loofa                                                                      
• Razors
• Nail clippers
• Deodorant
• Perfumes
• Skincare  
• Plasters 

Cleaning Products:

• Floor Cleaner  
• Viakal
• Familiar cleaning products

Essentials

• Bathmat
• Non-slip shower mat
• Toilet roll
• Air freshener

Please don’t do these!

There are a few unwritten (and written) don’ts when living in halls. To keep the peace with both your flatmates and the on-site team, please refrain from doing any of the things listed below:  

Do not

• Leave your washing up to rot in the sink unless you wish to make friends known as maggots. 
• Leave your kitchen surfaces dirty 
• Leave the bins to rot if they are overflowing- it’s a quick trip to the bin stores  
• Use candles In your room- it is a safety hazard  
• Use a sock on your smoke detector to hide the fact you are using candles- it is not a good design choice and you can get fined  
• Play loud music after the hours of 10pm, some students are on placement and need to be up at 4:30 
• Smoke any form of substance in your room- there are designated smoking areas
• Use blue tack or stick-on LED strips on your wall- they will peel the paint 

Good luck in halls!

I hope this blog helped sooth some nerves and offered some forms of advice, even if just one person found it helpful! 

It will be normal for people to have highs and lows, and there is nothing wrong with that. If there does come a point that you feel yourself or someone else needs help there is nothing wrong with reaching out to get a support system in place.  

Living in Halls is an amazing experience, and I hope you have the best time there and at the University of Brighton!