Your Home From Home - Moving Into Halls

Getting your room set up is often your first priority when you first get to University. That and locating the Student Union Bar. You mother will be welling up as she makes sure you have all the essentials (mattress protector, spare bed sheets, plenty of fresh underwear and socks) while your dad will be giving you a pep talk and how to stay safe and not to spend all your money in one go, to work hard and don’t let anyone push you around. When you finally wave them off in the car park you’ll suddenly come to the realisation that, you’re alone. It’s a very strange and unfamiliar experience, and it’ll take a while getting used to, but this is your new home now. 

It took me about two and a half weeks for me to realise that I wasn’t on a school trip or family holiday. That I wasn’t going back home and that this was the place where I actually lived. My first domicile whilst at University was not a pleasant one. A halls of residence that was built in the late fifties and ran on an oil based heating system. The boiler of which lay about three metres above my head and would rattle all day and all night and cause all my worldly possessions (including my laptop) to stink of oil. It was however,  a totally awesome experience. 

Getting the right set up in you room is always key when moving into halls. You don’t know who you’re going to be living with and what they’re like so you need to be able to create a space in which you can invite them in and get to know them and also lock out and do some work (yes there is a lot of that to be done in the coming years). So what do you really need in your room to get you through the first year of University?

Laptop

This is the first thing you need to make sure that you have when you get to university as your life will pretty much revolve around it. Whether it’s adding your new mates on Facebook or staying up till all hours writing and researching for your first essay, you’re going to need a laptop. It doesn’t have to be the best laptop in the world, it’s probably going to take a bit of a battering over the years to come. All it needs to be is reliable and have all the software you need to get on with work and to stream Jeremy Kyle when you don’t have any lectures. For graphics and art students then it might be worth looking at purchasing Photoshop and Indesign as you’ll be using these a lot. Make sure it works before you get to uni, the last thing you need is for it go bust before you’ve even started.

Sound System

When the pressure is on and the essay is due in the next day and you’re out of motivation, you’re going to need some tunes to get you going. Likewise when the party comes back to your place, you’re going to need a decent system to keep the party alive till the small hours. Very good sound systems are very expensive, decent sound systems however are relatively inexpensive. They don’t need have all the bells and whistles on them, they just need to be loud when you need them to be and still be of a decent quality when you turn them down. 

Fridge

There’ll be a communal fridge, but when your house mates come bad from a wild night out and spot your half eaten Dominoes and case of Bud in there, you know exactly what’s going to happen. Keep your food and booze related items safe by having a fridge in your room. 

Personal Items

Make your room your own with some personal items; you’re going to be there for at least a year so you might as well make yourself at home. You’re going to need posters, books, (not all of which have to be educational) DVD’s, a reading light and all sorts of knick knacks to fill your desk with. My own personal favourite was my tetris light and my Xbox, which was key in getting me through those boring rainy days where there was nothing to do apart from avoid doing my essay.

Ice Breaker

This is always key when you’re moving in with a load of strangers, you’re going to have to get to know your new housemates one way or another. Why not grab a box of beer, take it into the common room introduce yourself and tell them to help themselves.