what to take to student accommodation?

[alifemoreorlessordinary]

Hi, DS is due to start at uni this Sept, will be away from home, hopefully in Uni accommodation.
We didn''t get a chance to look around the rooms when we went to the Uni open day and the information provided says he needs to take "bedding, pots, pans, cutlery". I'm starting to prepare early with him, to spread the cost, but is there a list of stuff he should take? Knives, forks, etc ,what about a grater, wooden spoon??
What have others found useful? Was thinking he could take my old saucepans and i'll buy myself a new set! Any ideas? Thanks

just found the list on this site ...anything else that would be useful?

I would say it’s worth getting kitchen ‘essentials’ like a mug, a few bits of cutlery and a few plates and bowls; maybe a cheap saucepan, frying pan and baking tray from somewhere like Ikea for a few quid. For anything else it’s worth waiting until he has moved in, we ended up with loads of cheese graters etc where everyone had brought 1! Definitely wouldn’t recommend spending too much on them though, mine lasted me through uni but I had no desire to take them with me afterwards so we left them for the new tenants. In terms of bedroom stuff, the usual duvet, pillows, sheets etc- ideally 2 full sets so don’t have to be doing washing all of the time. Again, can always buy stuff when there so maybe focus on the home comforts stuff he wants to take that would be impossible to buy😊

I was amazed at how small DS's room was in Halls last year. It was supposedly a double en suite, quite pricey, with communal kitchen/diner/sitting room.

There was very little storage space, so don't give them too many pots, pans and crockery. I think a couple of pots, a frying pan, and a baking tray is handy. Plates, bowls, cooking utensils and cutlery, tea towels, washing up stuff, laundry stuff and an airer, are all essential. Bob bags. A starter pod box. Lol rols, kitchen roll. Toiletries and first aid kit.

Also the bed was a small double so we had to exchange the bedding we'd bought!

The 'en suite ' was a pod, a teeny tiny pod, so very little space to even hang towels.

Bin bags and starter food box, sorry

Once your accommodation is confirmed they normally give you a list of what to bring (and what not to) but I would strongly recommend visiting the halls in advance as it will give you an idea of what space there is (most will let you visit outside of open days if you ask). My top tip is less is more - they don't need more than two plates cups bowls etc as space will be at a premium in the kitchen cupboards, my dd is in her first year and the first few visits/trips home were mostly bringing back stuff she didn't need or have room for!

lovely thank you. Trying to spread the cost but then not buy too much...I suppose there will be shops nearby he can buy stuff if needed!
AutumnCrow - we've got a cat called Bob who sleeps on DS's bed, I wondered how you knew we might need a "bob bag" to take the cat with him

An bless him, my DS misses our cats, too. I send him photos on my phone.

Btw the starter food box was mostly tins (Heinz tomato soup, spaghetti hoops, green beans, sweetcorn, potatoes, tomatoes, hot dog sausages), plus a loaf of bread, pack of long life baguettes, a tub of margarine, milk, cheese and eggs. Obviously this only works if he's getting driven up?

All Halls have food shops nearby but they tend to be the more expensive 'Express ' kinds. You can Google where the nearest Asda / Aldi supermarkets are.

He's in Year 2 now and in a rented house share and entirely self-sufficient, focusing on lab work and the student society he helps to run. Grown up a lot, so fast.

I would suggest:

Bedding plus two sets of covers
Towels plus a sports towels
Washing bag/basket
Lamp
Frying pan and 1-2 lidded pans
Spatula and wooden spoon
Chopping board and decent knife
Two place settings of crockery and cutlery
A plastic lidded kitchen box with dried herbs, oil, salt & pepper, tinned basics, pasta, rice
4-5 recipes they have practiced!

Plenty more but for starters

Could you start putting money in a Wilko gift card, A £1 or2 here and he get getwhat he needs, when he knows what that is, in September? If you buy it in his university town, the you won’t have to transport it there either.

lots more good ideas thank you! Hadn't thought about putting money on a gift card. Yes, we'll drive him there but imagine he would come home to visit (!) on the train.

An absolute essential for both DS and DD at uni was a decent mattress topper!

The beds aren’t usually very comfortable and a topper makes all the difference. Most halls have small double beds these days so you just have to hunt around a bit online to find one.

Extension cable / 4 or 6 socket thingymijig

Door stops

Print some photos out so can personalise the room

Make an 'emergencies box' - first aid, screwdriver, scissors, needles and thread

Tin or airtight box to keep in room, for biscuits / other goodies

Once rooms are allocated, there is often a way the people in the flat can then link up on a Facebook group type thing - so can be a bit more specific then - someone might say they will bring a toastie maker they don't mind sharing and someone else might have something else.
Generally speaking, the kitchens aren't huge and they will normally only have a single cupboard for all their supplies and pots and pans / plates / mugs etc.
Will need a couple of plates and bowls (can often pick these up in charity shops).
Tubs for storage / freezing things are useful (though freezer space is limited, still makes sense to make a big bolognaise or curry or whatever then freeze spare portions.
Things like washing up sponges / liquid will be needed, but there will be 6 lots on the first day

Both mine found a clothes airer invaluable (not just drying washing, but just keeping towel aired etc) - but does depend on space - my dn's room wouldn't have had room.

I'd second putting money away or on a gift card for now. Wait until you have his accommodation confirmed before you buy anything so you have a better idea what he will need and how much space/storage there will be. At DS's uni, different halls have different size single bed sizes, none of them standard (they did tell you beforehand). DD randomly got a double bed in her flat - all the rooms where the same size but 2 had double beds, 2 had singles. They both got sent official lists(what they need) and unofficial lists (what they want) from the student union/mentors. Plus it's exciting doing the post results day trip to Ikea/Wilko/Primark to get everything

I would also suggest taking a tape measure! Whether they need a mattress topper, clothes airer, shoe rack, guitar rack (looking at you DS), having a tape measure is handy to work out what will fit.

Agree with pps that space may be an issue. Ds is in a flat with 7 others and they have one food cupboard each (small), one drawer, one larger cupboard for pans etc and one shelf each in the fridge.
Clothes arier is very useful as university dryers are very expensive (connect laundry are bandits).

lots more good ideas thank you! I'm excited for him so feel like I want to start getting things together (and spread the cost!), he already has a confirmed place at the Uni as he took a year out (to work and build up some money), so we don't have to wait for results this year. I didn't realise the beds might be different sizes!
Excitement, of course, balanced with how much we'll miss him, and how to explain to the cats he's gone for a while...

USB multi charger.
Lock & seal Tupperware boxes of different sizes.

how to explain to the cats he's gone for a while...

My car moved out when I went to university, but came back every time I was home.

I would agree about the mattress topper and also decent pillows. DS didn't get his until a few weeks into term and they've made a huge difference to his overall well-being. Sleep is so important for them.

Re extension sockets / cables - get your DS to check in the accommodation info as to whether these are allowed. Some universities ban them, presumably on the grounds that students overloading them is a fire risk they would rather not take.

Campus tours outside of organised open days / accommodation days often don't include going inside student accommodation, but the accommodation office should be able to answer queries on size of beds etc. (Or give reassurance to those suddenly panicking, post saucepan purchase, that the university might have gone mad and splashed out on induction hobs for every kitchen...).

Nail clippers Otherwise mattress topper and don't spend too much on anything - it will probably be binned when he graduates. A cheap but effective desk lamp is worth the money - DS's room only had an overhead and quite rubbish light fitting.

Sounds pathetic but I did get DS a cushion with picture of our dog ( well same breed but looked like our dog ) for his bed. I am sure Snappy snaps could get you a cushion with a photograph of the cats on it which could sit on the bed. ( This is how rubbish the Basilisk family are - cushions with dogs on them )

thank you, more good tips, will re read this a bit nearer the time. I had thought of nail clippers! Love the cushion idea..... ..why isn't there a cat/dog emoji??

Blue Ikea bags - excellent for laundry and good for under bed general storage.

Yes to the clothes airier - DS was insistent that he didn't need one. I bought one anyway and he took it back the first time he came home for the weekend.

The mattress topper was very welcome - he has a small double bed but all of his bedding is double as he will be able to use it again when he moves into his student house next year.

If they take a printer make sure they can wire it up - DS's halls don't support wireless printers.

Clothes hanging rack that fits over the top of a door as there is never anywhere to hang wet towels (of course I know they belong on the floor really).

I'll copy the list of what we took last year:

Bedroom:
Duvet & pillows (plus covers)
Sheets and mattress protector
Blankets
Clothes
Mirror
Stationary
Toiletries
Hairdryer
TV & ariel
Photos
Basic first aid

Kitchen:
Oven trays (watch out - 2 of the 3 we took were too big for the oven!)
Pans
Bowls
Plates
Knives, forks, spoons
Water bottle
Oven mitt
Glasses & mugs
Tupperware boxes

Bathroom:
Bath mat
Towel
Toiletries
Electric toothbrush
Flannels
Cleaning products

I think thats all, but honestly don't worry OP! Often people take too much rather than not enough and its a total pain loading and unloading!