Present / survival kit for nephew starting university

[Aridane]

My lovely nephew starts university next month and I would love to get him a box of fun and practical stuff for uni - but have no idea what to get him!!

So far I have thought of a Nando’s gift card, pistachio nuts (which he loves!) and paracetamol.

He is a lovely boy - not sporty, a bit geeky and with a passion for learning. He will be going to Bristol straight from school.

Any ideas gratefully received- I’m very much at sea here.

My dad gave me a bottle of gin and a box of chocolates and said 'there we go you will make friends' which I did! 😂

On a serious note though- student cookbook, stationary, amazon voucher, white tac (posters), lemsip, flu capsules, printer ink.

Nearer to departure date a nice homemade cake or biscuits, reusable coffee travel cup, fleece blanket and supermarket gift voucher.

Maybe a voucher for a book shop as the text books are very expensive!

Check first though - DS’s course came with £1500 of free e-books which covered the whole course.

Definitely lemsip and other cold remedies for freshers’ flu.

Supermarket gift card is a good dea but check which one is nearest. No point having a Sainsbury’s card if the nearest one is miles away.

Not condoms: they get these for free using a C card.

Book token: textbooks are often online or availablr from the university library (although for some people a book token is never unwelcome)

Cookery book: not if he's in catered halls (usually only equipped with kettle and microwave).

My suggestions:
Chocolate / sweets.
Pack of cards.
Mug cake mix.
Multivitamins.
Lemsip.
Earphones.
Microwave popcorn.
Mug.
Plasters.
Dishmatic sponge.
Over-door hook.
Ikea bag (for carrying laundry or other stuff)
Teatowel

My DS starts this year too and I'm doing something similar. A few suggestions are -
Student cook book
Voucher for Costa
Berroca
Multi pack of socks
A mini first aid kit
Bottle opener
Playing cards
Eye mask
Ear plugs

Bottle opener - seems simple but they will go missing so more than one is good

Why is everyone suggesting student cook books? The world has moved on since we were at uni. Students just google recipes and cook with their phone beside them.

Command strips for hanging stuff in halls and/or rented rooms
Post it notes if he's doing an essay subject- I used loads to mark places in library books!
Trolley token

Some great ideas on here!

DD loves her student cookbooks. They are often more tailored to cooking with limited kitchen equipment (she's at a collegiate university and doesn't have access to a fully equipped kitchen) and also don't assume that you have a massive store cupboard of (expensive) ingredients. She and her friends cook together at least 3 times a week - they save lots of money and time that way plus it means they don't have to deal with leftovers, which is useful when their fridge space is less than half a shelf each in a cramped kitchen.

Corkscrew/bottle opener, case of wine.

Or a Swiss Army knife

Fair point AnnDerry, they sound ideal for her.

My student children prefer online recipes unless it’s a book of cakes which they will happily drool over for hours. Not so easy to make in student kitchens though.

When my niece and nephew went to uni I assumed that their parents would provide all the practical stuff and I just sent a box for treats for them. They were both thrilled

Imodioum and Rennies
Ibuprofen
Breakfast bars
Nice small rug for next to the bed
Mattress topper

Seems sister has been kitting him out with EVERYTHING- so I’ll focus on some of the treat / voucher suggestions. Thanks for all the ideas!!

If she has already bought him the essentials & useful stuff, there's still some fun stuff you could include.
Small bottle of Tabasco / hot sauce; you can even get mini ones that go on a keyring)
Chili pepper fairy lights; LED battery-powered ones so he doesn't fall foul of the fire regulations.
Facepaints for the inevitable fancy dress parties.
Glow sticks.

The gift of money never offends, and a tin opener is handy.

I think condoms given by an aunt would be enough to quash any planned sexual activity, so depends whether that is your aim!

Money

Send a £20 supermarket gift card a few weeks before the end of term when the money's run out and he's down to his last can of beans.

A memory stick
Just Eat voucher
An online food delivery when he arrives
If the uni does vouchers/ giftcards for the food outlets on campus they're a good idea too

Lovely idea tho but I agree, conforms from an Aunt is weird!!!

I put a £10 note in a small frame with 'in case of emergency break glass' printed below it. It went down well. (And condoms!)

One of those supermarket cards you can top up and he can spend.

Whatever you buy, make them into a hamper in a washing up bowl. When the communal washing up bowl in his kitchen is full of other people's washing-up or worse, he move it out of the way and still use his for his food prep or washing up.

Loving all these ideas, including the emergency money in a photo frame. Very annoyingly though Just Eat don’t do vouchers - they are really missing a trick!! And packing everything in an emergency washing up bowl...

Lemsip, paracetamol and soothers. Freshers flu is horrid!
Pack of cards and facepaints are apparently essential too.
I sent my DN with those and baby wipes last year, he said they were the most helpful thing he had 😁
On a more serious note, helping him sort out his meningitis cover if he hasn't already.