A scary part of coming to Oxford is the packing. Unless you know that you will always get a lift, try not to bring too much. There is limited storage available for the holidays, especially useful for international students, but be sure to get in early if you want to use this.
Top tip: write a packing list and add to it gradually as you think of things over a few days.
These are our top recommendations:
- Clothes and Toiletries. No really, do bring some.
- Laptop (essential) and charger and other electronic gadgets (camera, speakers etc.).Lots of people like to also bring a monitor, particularly if your laptop screen is very small, they can be really useful to have two screens, and it makes reading online books and taking notes easier!
- Photos, posters, etc. just to make your room a little homier. There are notice boards in every room but don’t forget notice-board pins and Blu-tack so that you can put the photos and posters up.
- Home Comforts. Whether it’s your favorite DVD, a teddy bear or your stamp collection, it’ll help you to settle in to your new life at Oxford.
- First Aid Kit, pain killers, hand gel, some face masks.
- Trainers and sports kit. John’s has two gyms which are free to use and loads of good sports teams/clubs, so whatever your level, you can get involved. Endorphins are good!
- Stationery. Sturdy folders, pens, pencils, rubbers, highlighters, lots of paper etc. Please note: coloured pens and pencils are useful, even if it’s just for making a Bop costume!
- Passport-sized photos of you. Having a few spare will be useful for membership cards, etc.
- Cooking stuff. Not everyone wants to eat every meal in Hall, so you might find a use for a pan, some plates, bowls and cutlery. Keep in mind that kitchens in college will usually be a lot smaller than those at home, so don’t bring every utensil you own. A box to store this in might be useful too.
- Formal clothing. Oxford truly does fancy like nowhere else, and you can bet there will be a few events across term where you will have to dress up!
Bring some nice clothes to wear to formals or guest dinners. You never know when you might need some! - Nia, Biochemistry
If you don’t do sports, you don’t need a bike - John’s is really central and most places within the city are easily within walking distance - Sofia, History
I haven’t needed anywhere nearly as many pairs of jeans as I have packed for any term so far. It’s only eight to ten weeks each term and doing laundry is fairly cheap, so there’s no need to overpack on clothes - Stefan, Maths