Tuesday 12-08-2025 - 15:10

The moment has come for you to start your university journey, and that might mean it’s time to move home and pack…! 👜

Whether you’re joining us in Bristol for the first time, moving from halls to private accommodation, or settling into a new house, packing can be stressful.

To help you get started, we asked our Full Time Officers what they found most useful when they first arrived, and here’s what they came up with. This checklist is a guide, not a must-have-everything list. Everyone’s uni experience is different, so take what’s useful and leave what’s not.

Your New Room

When you first take a look at your new room, it may seem a little bare. But don’t worry, decorating your room is all part of the fun! ✨

You’ll be able to make it your own and feel more at home in no time. The first step is to make sure you have some of these items:

• Bedding - you’ll need a duvet and duvet covers. pillows and bedsheets! Our advice would be to bring two sets of bedding (sheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases) so that you can wash one and use one🛌
• Mattress Topper – for some extra comfort, this underestimated item can help add that finishing touch to your new bed!
• Decorations – whether it be posters, pictures, fairy lights, art, cushions, or lighting – bring whatever you like to decorate your new space! Home comforts will help personalise your room and make the space yours, helping you settle in. Have you checked out our events programme to see what craft-making sessions we have on offer? Here you could add some handmade items to your room!
• Hangers – you won't want a bundle of clothes to ruin the hard work you've put into decorating your new room! Remember to bring some hangers so you can tidy them away👕
• Doorstop – something that you may not expect to find on this list but is a great recommendation when it comes to meeting your new flatmates! Use a doorstop to leave your bedroom door open on the first day, that way you'll meet your neighbours.
• Multiplug extension lead - depending on how you set up your new room, you may need sockets in a new spot!
• First aid kit – it's better to be safe than sorry! 🩺
• Laundry basket – when you're living in halls you won't necessarily have a washing machine right next to your room, so a laundry basket will make the journey from the washing machines back to your room way easier.

Kitchen Bits

Think about investing in the following kitchen bits so that you can keep cooking stress-free, whilst not having to limit yourself in the kitchen:

• Crockery – two plates, two bowls, and a mug or two!
• Cutlery and Utensils – bring around two sets of knives, forks, and spoons. You’ll find some will go walkabout as the year goes on, and you may need backup. It is also useful to bring some utensils such as a sharp knife, a grater and spatulas, but your flatmates might also bring these, so purchase when you arrive! 🔪
• Tupperware – handy for storing leftovers from bulk cooking which will save you a lot of money! 🍝
• General Equipment – Frying pan, saucepan, and baking tray. You’ll find you’ll rarely need more kitchen equipment than these and your new flatmates may have the extra bits!
• Tea towel or two! - always handy and good for drying up!
• Glasses – a few glasses should be more than enough. It’s nice to have a wine glass , but they don’t tend to survive so make sure to bring a tumbler or pint glasses as well!
• Some washing up stuff – a sponge and washing up liquid 🧼

So, where can you buy these bedroom and kitchen essentials?

• Tesco Extra (Eastgate Road, Eastville, BS5 6XU)
• IKEA Bristol (Eastgate Road, Eastville, BS5 6 XX)
• Asda Living (Eastgate Retail Park, BS5 6XX)
• Poundland (The Horsefair, Broadmead, Bristol BS1 3JU)
• B&M Home Store (Channons Hill Retail Park, Bristol BS16 2EA)
• Sainsbury’s (Clifton Down Shopping Centre, Whiteladies Road, BS8 2NN)
• You can shop for all your essentials at Dunelm, and get discounts on your TOTUM card! (Bath Road, Tramway Retail Park, Bristol BS4 3DS)

In the last academic year, we held our Donate Your Plate campaign – which involved students donating plates and other kitchen essentials that they no longer needed. During Welcome, we’ll be holding Take A Plate event, so you can pop by and take something some of these kitchen items home, for ✨ free✨

Study Essentials

Of course, one of the most important sections of your uni checklist.

You can keep on track of your studies from the get-go, and make your new workload as easy as possible with some of the following essentials:

• Diary – don't let time slip away from you in your busy and exciting first term! Bringing and keeping a diary is a good way of keeping track of everything and understanding what’s going on and when. You can even just make notes to yourself of which events you’d like to go to when your lectures are and so much more.
• Stationary – pens, paper, pencils, and some highlighters. These will keep you going for your first few weeks. As the term goes on, you’ll be able to work out what study methods work for you, you might even want to ditch the hand-written method for all online if that suits you 📄
• Books and/or folders – these will be handy to keep your notes from each module safe.
• Backpack – the walk to campus is a good thing to consider when you're packing. A backpack will make your travels far easier, especially when you’re trying to juggle your books and laptop!
• Laptop – this will be your workstation and your portable TV. Remember to buy a TV license in order to watch your favourite shows! 📺

Clothes

You might find this the hardest part... what to wear at uni? Our tip is to remember that, when you're waking up for a 9 am lecture, you'll be wanting something comfy! So, as well as your favourite items to wear that you're planning to go out in, you might want to remember some of these:

• Trainers – practical for all occasions.
• A raincoat or umbrella – this is Britain, it will rain.
• Pyjamas and maybe some slippers - you’ll want to be comfy when you’re snuggled up on a night-in.
• Sportswear – your first term is a time for trying new things, bring your sports gear and try some of the great sports clubs available at Bristol SU!

So, where can you buy these clothing essentials?

• Remember to take a look at what TOTUM has on offer, you'll be surprised at where you can use this card.
• Cabot Circus – an excellent shopping destination in the centre of Bristol, with over 120 high-street and designer brands! (Glass House, Bristol BS1 3BX)
• Check out Park Street, Whiteladies Road, and Gloucester Road for a huge array of charity and vintage shops.

Welcome Tickets

OK, we're cheating a little – you don't need to pack these – you can get them online! But they're an essential part of making your first week at uni the best it can be!

View the full Welcome 2025 Programme to choose your events. You can also use our helpful How to Buy Tickets guide 🎫

Here is the official UoB Welcome Club Night Series 👇