The Glasgow Uni Freshers starter pack

Oh, to be a jolly little Fresher again; we all wish we could go back in time, but this time with the wisdom granted by a lifetime of silly mistakes. I’ve survived a few years now and know exactly what possessions I owe my sanity to, and it’s not a Jellycat or childhood emotional support blanket. No, much more practical! Here’s a list of what you need to get your hands on to get you through your first year of uni, and what you can defos leave behind. 

Stationary 

Collect enough stationery to fill a bathtub! You will lose literally every pen you own by November, so always keep ten more than you actually need on your person. We’d recommend at least one spare notebook in your bag at all times as well. As much as doing all your work on a laptop or iPad seems sensible, you can’t beat the feeling of finally deciphering notes you don’t remember taking nine months later in exam season. 

Chargers chargers chargers!

Always keep a spare charger in your bag; on a long haul lecture day, it could save your life. We’d recommend keeping a protein bar in there too – keep your phone AND your mind powered up. You’ll need both to make it to your next class. 

A refillable coffee cup  

Budget for coffee! An oldie but a goodie; the key to avoiding freshers’ blues is to hangout with everyone you meet. Not everyone you meet is going to be your best man or maid of honour, but it’s worth trying to find them now, while everyone is still as enthusiastic to make friends as you are. Coffee shops will become your best friend in this endeavor so make sure you have the means to go out at the drop of a hat. You sometimes get a discount for bringing your own cup, and who doesn’t love a discount! Plus, its so chic to protect the environment and it’s so much better than single-use takeaway cups. 

A UniDays account

Hungry on campus? Budgeting for lunch in the week can be stressful, which is why it’s so important to remember all the student deals in the area; particular faves include: the Subway student lunch deal, Black Sheep Coffee’s £2 Mondays, and Bread Meats Bread 50% off for students every Monday.  

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A good brolly

For those new to Scottish slang, a ‘brolly’ is an umbrella. You’ll need one! Be weather-ready. As you’ll have already noticed, the autumn weather can completely change in the span of one lecture. A brolly is a must when packing your bag in the morning. As we go from jumper to jacket weather, these tiny compact warriors are the only thing standing in the way of a you looking like you crawled out a swamp at your next social. 

Any old water bottle 

For the love of god, stop buying plastic water bottles and chucking them away an hour later. If you’re new here, Scottish tap water is the cleanest and tastiest water you’ll ever come across so bring a refillable and make it your emotional support. Again, single use plastic is shit so do better, respectfully. 

You do not need an Owala or a Stanley as trendy as they may be. Save your pennies, you’ll need them for the club. But defos do get yourself a sturdy water bottle. Some mornings are going to be rough as a fresher, and realistically we know you won’t want to eat or drink anything, but by mid-day you’ll be desperate for a glug of water (even if you can’t keep it down). So even if it feels annoying to carry, trust us, it’s going to be worth it when that day rolls around. 

A clubcard for every shop

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Join the club… A must-have for everyone, student or not; get yourself a Tesco Clubcard, the Lidl Plus app, and join pretty much any shopping rewards programme you can. Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves, and trust you need to look after the pounds as best you can til your next SAAS payment comes in.

Kitchen utensils 

This isn’t the advice you’d be expecting but my god, you don’t need an entire kitchen worth of utensils and cooking machines. You are not joining culinary school. Don’t waste all your SAAS in IKEA during the first month. Respectfully, your flat doesn’t need six air fryers, so avoid overstocking on appliances in week one. All it takes is one generous flatmate and a mutual love and respect. At most, you need your own plate, bowl, knife, fork and spoon and pizza cutter. You can share a frying pan, you can share a pot, and you defos don’t need a boujie pizza tray for the oven, it just clutters up the space. Just put that frozen deepdish straight on the shelf, it’ll do just fine. 

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