What to take/remember for Uni?

Unidays app gives student discounts at lots of places and unlike NUS dicscount it's free. You have to have a uni e mail address to get it though.
Students I know don't watch actual TV and they don't need a license for iPlayer, Netflix etc.
DS gets Spotify half price with Unidays and we all share his log in.

Yes, my DS also loved his dishmatic thingy, he bought one with a brush end and phoned to say how great it was

DS also took a load of music on his iPod with decent speakers and became very popular at parties.

Don't forget Paracetamol and cold/flu remedy for the inevitable Freshers Flu.

And on a serous note make sure he gets he is Menigitis ACWY vaccination currently offered to all 18-24 yr olds at the GP before he goes. They will also check his MMR is up to date.

I spoke to a student yesterday and she said a dishmatic is a must, so they can wash their dishes without removing everyone else's dirty dishes from the sink.

5kg bag pasta and 5kg bag rice. At least you know if they run out of money they have something to eat!

Don't forget to look into what you need to do about a TV license if he's having his own TV in his room.

eatyourveg I did care packages for both of mine on a similar basis! They contained, among other things, chocolate, shot glasses, condoms, an emergency £20 note, printed photos of family and pets (teenagers never seem to print actual pictures).

Mobile phone insurance.
Laptop and other valuables insurance.
Open student bank a/c with best freeby, to deposit loan in.
Monzo card for day to day spending,- so they can budget , and block it themselves when they lose it.
If not drivers, get provisional licence, so they're not tempted to take passport out for club/pub id.

Are you sensing the theme here?

DS3 broke up from school today where he had been working as a TA for his gap year - thankfully he has earned enough money to hopefully see him through

The staff gave him a huge box labelled uni survival kit which contains pot noodles, shower gels, gummy bears, beer, more gummy bears, packet pasta, more beer, toothpaste, more gummy bears, toilet rolls, more beer, more gummy bears and 3 packs of ibuprofen!

Since when were gummy bears a student thing?

DoneInn Unfortunately DS's university isn't so student friendly-sometimes it seems like the place is just an ego-trip for the professors and the students are incidental...

Local copy shops charge 10 eurocents a page and he worked it out that even at full cost he would spend 8. There are four of them in his house so one printer was worth it for the convenience.

@JudyBlumeForever this made me laugh! I had a similar experience, I went to eat cereal after one of my first (very messy) nights out and realised I didn't own a bowl 🤣

My son keeps his room at uni very clean and tidy.
Just wish he was the same when at home for the holidays.

Lady that certainly doesn't happen in the halls my son has spent two years living in, but yes, for the money that they charge you'd expect to find a mint on the pillow every night.

Ds hall had regular inspections including their rooms. Only the hallway and kitchen was cleaned (assuming it was left in a fit condition) , rooms were up to them.

DS has never used a printer. It's all saved on cloud and printed off on uni printers.
In theory there was cleaning of bathrooms and kitchen in his halls (this year), however it was very superficial and the rooms themselves were never cleaned. DS did run the hoover round when he vacated though

Is it in a deserted island? Because quite a lot mentioned here he'll figure it out and buy there. Don't baby him.

Don't make it final. Within a month he'll know what he needs and adjust.

I'm obviously living in Jurassic times, but back in the 80s I got my bedding laundered once a week in halls. Doesn't this happen any more? For the money it costs I'm fully expecting ds to have Bates from Downton Abbey hovering around at all times.

Swivel chair from home? I only have a small car...

The mattress topper idea is a good one. Also might act as a shield against previous occupant's bed bugs...

I would have loved to send him off with a full set of university stationery but things have changed since my day-now they just take their computers, record the lecture and share notes wirelessly.

He did get a new desk lamp and took his swivel chair from home (he's in a house with friends, not halls).

Every year on these threads there are extensive lists of things students need, but often they include things that will either be included at the accommodation, or they may never use. Aside from things like bedding if it isnt included, the only things my DD really appreciated were a really soft mattress cover (Dunelm teddy bear one), a laundry basket and loads of cushions for lounging around on. Oh and mobile phone insurance proved very useful too

www.amazon.co.uk/HP-Inkjet-Printer-Instant-Months/dp/B014W49JRE?tag=mumsnetforum-21

One thing that won't be on the old threads is the printer DS got for University. It has an inbuilt ink ordering service via Wifi which for a monthly fee (€3 in his case but it can be more) sends you the cartridges and gives you a fixed number of pages (50 plus 50 rolled over).
Beats the panic of late night essay writing and discovering you've run out of ink!
It supposedly saves an average of €16 a year. It's a HP Envy and I'll find you a link.

Otherwise students would be sleeping in the same sheets/duvet for 10 weeks...
Oh they do, trust me they do.
Oddly enough though when they come home they seem to change their bedding every week.

Lady they didn't supply it at my son's halls although you could purchase a bedding pack - single duvet and cover, pillow and case and bottom sheet for a very reasonable price. We bought him a double duvet for extra comfort and all bedding that was needed, including a spare cover set for when he washed the other.

A doorstop is very handy! Lots of old threads in higher education on what to take. Recommend the vacuum bags you can shrink duvets etc into! Makes more space in the car!

Don't they provide bedding? They did in my day. Otherwise students would be sleeping in the same sheets/duvet for 10 weeks...

Loads of old threads on this in Higher Education which are still useful.