It’s only a few months away until you have to pack up your life and move to an entirely new place. Huge congrats to you if you’ve been accepted to study at University of Exeter! Now, it’s time for you to get excited and prepare yourselves for your university life.
For some of you, it is very exciting to know that you will be living on your own without your family and have all the freedom you want. Yes, it is great to live independently, but I have to remind you that you will miss your family! So my advice is, do not take your time at home with your family for granted, especially if you live far away. This is simply a reminder that you should really appreciate and make the most out of the few months before moving away. Living independently also means that you have to start setting up your own finances. Thus, it might be helpful for you to set up a student budget. Your budget should include spending on food, textbooks, university supplies, and for your leisure time. In Exeter, I feel that everything is reasonably priced and it won’t be difficult to stick to your student budget as long as you can prioritize what you spend on.
One of the things that I really prepared myself to do before moving to university was to bring as many foods from my home country as possible. However, I found many international supermarkets in Exeter sell many of the products that I brought with me to the UK. So you might be tempted to pack cup noodles or snacks from home, but I suggest you bring foods that you are sure they won’t have because there is a high chance that you might find it in one of the international supermarkets! This also applies for kitchen supplies. Don’t worry about bringing a rice cooker or other utensils from home. There are many ways you can buy your kitchen supplies here such as in Wilko, John lewis, or even Amazon. Other than kitchen supplies, there is also no need to bring any bedding or home accessories. All the essentials will be available for you to buy here.
Lastly, stay organized! If you are an international student, make sure you manage all required documents that you need, such as your visa, CAS statement, etc. I suggest buying a folder for all the documents that you need, so you don’t forget anything.
More information on what you need before you arrive is on the University’s website.
So, get packing! Try your best to bring only the essentials to avoid over-packing because you really can buy a lot of it when you arrive. And when you do arrive, make sure to check all the Freshers’ events going on in campus, like campus tours and helpful seminars on practical information about living in the UK. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to bring yourself out there and have fun!