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Original poster

Off to university hints and tips

14 replies

Flylikeabirdinthesky · 25/08/2023 17:22

My DTs are both off to university (separate ones) next month.

DH and I are both graduates but the game has changed a lot in 30+ years.

Grateful for your best uni packing / moving in hints & tips based on taking your own DC - all ideas welcome.

(Blatantly posting in chat rather than HE just for the traffic).

OP posts:

SirVixofVixHall · 25/08/2023 17:34

Have a trial run of packing the car, or at least don’t do it all on the morning you need to leave. We have an estate car but still hardly fitted it all in, even with dd in catered accommodation so no microwave or pans . She does have an ironing board though…
We found big clear plastic storage boxes v helpful. Pack them densely with all the smaller things, underwear and socks can be rolled between mugs and the kettle etc. They are easier to unload and fit under the bed when she gets there for easy storage of jumpers and bedding, or shoes.

ErrolTheDragon · 25/08/2023 17:37

This thread may have a lot of what you want (there's usually a few each year)

ErrolTheDragon · 25/08/2023 17:37

Duh

What stuff do we need? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/4875133-what-stuff-do-we-need

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Higher education

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 25/08/2023 18:13

Make sure their meningitis vaccines are up to date.

ErrolTheDragon · 25/08/2023 18:19

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 25/08/2023 18:13

Make sure their meningitis vaccines are up to date.

Mine got an MMR booster too. I don't know if it's still an issue, but when she went (2017) there were quite a lot of cases of mumps in older teens, partly vaccine waning and partly because they were the age group where some parents had been influenced by that bloody Andrew Wakefield. One of her good friends now has neurological damage because of it.

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 25/08/2023 18:58

Yep. He did a lot of damage.

AtleastitsnotMonday · 25/08/2023 19:11

I would advise holding off buying too much kitchen gear early on. The kitchens often aren't huge and certainly not loads of storage. We went with the absolute minimum to start, most people were happy to lend a cheese grater until you worked out what you really needed. Certainly don't buy tons of crockery, having less means you have to wash up as you go!
Stock their store cupboard with the food for absolute zero effort meals for grabbing when they are knackered and tempted to get a take away. Pasta, pesto, beans, noodles, tuna, chilli flakes etc.
Make sure they have paracetamol etc for freshers flu.

ErrolTheDragon · 25/08/2023 19:29

Certainly don't buy tons of crockery, having less means you have to wash up as you go!

2x crockery and cutlery, plus extra mugs and glasses.

Original poster

Flylikeabirdinthesky · 25/08/2023 20:19

Great ideas, thank you 🙂
I need to send them both for meningitis vaccine, definitely.

OP posts:

endofthelinefinally · 25/08/2023 20:27

Make sure they know some basic first aid. What to do and who to call if a friend has their drink spiked, has an allergic reaction to something, where the nearest walk in /A&E department is and how to get there.
If renting a house privately, check there is a smoke alarm and a CO alarm.
Simple things that could save a life.

LIZS · 25/08/2023 20:28

Don't buy more household stuff ahead than you need to. There will be somewhere locally to buy any essentials or amazon etc . Toothmug, bathmat (if ensuite) , flipflops for any shared bathrooms and kitchen. Give them giftcards for local supermarket.

Badbadbunny · 25/08/2023 20:33

Don't take too much! We filled our estate car and a roof box when we took DS, as we'd made lists and bought literally everything he could possibly need. The day after he moved in, all his flat went shopping into town together to buy stuff for the kitchen etc and they all mucked in, agreed who was buying what, etc, fairly, to avoid duplications/triplications. DS ended up storing most of the stuff he'd taken in his wardrobe or in the storage under his bed, and ended up bringing loads of stuff back at the end of the year unopened. I think the "going shopping" together on that first full day really helped the flat gel together.

Whatwouldnanado · 25/08/2023 20:40

Check out the curtains/blinds. The ones provided at both dds first year accommodation were very thin. We bought good but cheap black ours from Dunelm then swapped them back at the end of the year.
Get a spare key cut. First aid kit, basic tool box with sewing stuff, screw driver, spare charger, batteries, blue tack, stamps, sticky command hooks ie the bits and bibs they can usually just grab at home!

FlyingPandas · 25/08/2023 20:47

Lots of good tips here (I have DS starting 2nd year next month).

One helpful bit of advice I picked up was to buy bedding sets in advance of them going, use them at home for a few weeks in advance of setting off to uni, and then make up the bed as soon as DC get into their room. A hall of residence room can look really bare and cell-like when you first open the door, but making up the bed makes it feel comfy and welcoming straight away, and if you have bedding that they're already used to using then even better.

On that note, it's worth buying double duvet and bedding sets, even if DC have a single bed at home. Many halls of residence have 3/4 sized beds now, and even if a DC's first year halls have single beds the chances are that future houseshares will have 3/4 or doubles.

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