University Season Part 7: Checklist

Hi all, given that it is now already September, those of you heading for your university studies abroad should have already started packing by now, or have at least started thinking about what to pack. I thought this would be a good time for me to review some of the items that you should or shouldn't bring with you. This is a combination of things from my personal experience along with some advice (some good, some bad) I have received in the past. This is part 7 in my University Season articles, so if you want to hunt down the other 6 parts, you can find all the links here.

Urgh, it won't all fit into the suitcase!

1. Mobile phone
Verdict: Definitely - bring your mobile with you.

If you have a perfectly decent mobile phone, then by all means bring it with you to the UK - make sure you terminate your contract in Singapore before getting on that plane. When you arrive here, simply go to somewhere like Carphone Warehouse and ask for a SIM-only package. It works out to be a lot cheaper that way and you can spend between £5 to £20 a month depending on how much data, texts and minutes you want included in your price plan.

If you think it is time to ditch your old mobile phone and upgrade to a new one, then it may be worth your while coming to the UK without a mobile phone and then going to somewhere like Orange, O2 or T-Mobile and see what packages they can offer you. They have contracts whereby they throw in a free phone if you sign up for like a phone + talk plan contract, but this is going to cost more than the SIM-only package as these phones are not cheap. Make sure you shop around and compare prices.

Do you already have a decent mobile phone?

2. Laptop
Verdict: Yes,  you will need one

All universities will have computer rooms where you can use the computing facilities for free - I didn't have a laptop back in the 1990s when I was a university student and I remember sometimes having to queue in these computer rooms and wait for a free terminal. Having a laptop just means being able to work whenever you want, wherever you want and it's really convenient. However, it does mean having to take care of your laptop and when it breaks down, it will cost you more money to get it repaired.

If you don't already have a laptop, there are probably two best places to get a laptop. I got mine for a great bargain because it was a 'last season' range - ie. not the latest model, but one that is 12 - 24 months old and so the price goes down because people tend to want to buy the latest model, not one that is from 1 or 2 years ago. You will probably be able to find places in Singapore where they do retail stock like that at a discounted price and it'll almost probably be cheaper in Singapore than in the UK.

You will see many laptops at your university.

The other option is to get the latest model at the duty free shop when you fly and as the name implies, you don't pay tax on it. I did check the difference between the price of a MacBook Air at Heathrow duty free vs a high street retailer and the prices at Heathrow were approximately 20% cheaper - simply because the VAT in the UK is 20%. Yes there really is a saving to be made at duty free! I wonder if it is the same for Changi Airport duty free? (Leave your answers in the comment section below please.)

Now this may seem totally obvious to you - but I used to be really cynical about the false economy of duty free shopping. I used to suspect that they will jack the price up at an airport duty free shop so you get the impression that you're getting a great bargain as you're not paying any taxes but you end up paying around the same price. It was only when I compared the price of that MacBook Air that I realized, oh! So you really do save money by shopping at the duty free! (Erm, random Spanish song below with the words 'duty free' in it, just thought of it as I was writing this.)

3. Winter clothing
Verdict: Don't bother - buy them here.

If you already have some winter clothing, then by all means bring them but otherwise, the last thing you wanna do is go buy winter clothing in Singapore only to bring it over to the UK! There are several reasons why you should never buy winter clothing in Singapore. Firstly, it is expensive. Winter clothing is seen as a luxury item in Singapore for those who have the means to travel to cold countries - whereas in the UK, it's just... clothing, because everyone poor or rich alike, will experience winter. I have seen some hideously overpriced winter clothing in Singapore - don't get ripped off. On the other hand, there are plenty of places where you can get very cheap, reasonably priced winter clothing in the UK, like Primark.

Furthermore, when you arrive in the UK, it will be late September early October - this is autumn. It is not cold yet - you can expect highs of about 20 degrees in the day time and lows of about 10 to 12 degrees. It is cool but all you need is a light jacket at that stage. There are so many different kinds of winter clothing for you to mix and match to create a look that suits your personality. You will look at how the other students dress and think, "that looks terrible, this looks good, ooh I want to get that combination etc" - and then you will get a pretty good idea of what you'll wanna get for the winter months. It doesn't really get cold until mid or late November, so you have plenty of time.

Limpeh in winter mode: -25 in Croatia

Winter clothing is often very bulky and will take up a lot of space in your baggage - therefore you should save that space in your bag for other more essential items. Don't go overboard with winter clothing - there are four seasons in a year and this is just clothing you will use for one season. The rest of the year, it'll be hung up in your cupboard, unused, unloved, just collecting dust.

3. Rice cooker
Verdict: Don't bother - you can live without it.

Okay I confess I do have a rice cooker - but only because it was given to me for free last year! From 1997 till 2011, I lived without a rice cooker but was still happily cooking rice. A rice cooker is convenient, sure, but it is not a necessity. I used to cook rice the way I cook pasta - simply by boiling it and then straining it. It's not rocket science and no risk of the rice sticking to the bottom of the pot. You can also try this  woman's recipe below, it looks simple enough and the video is only 1:25 long.

And if you are desperate for a rice cooker, then buy one here. You can get one for under £10 on ebay - for that amount of money, spare yourself the hassle of carrying one all the way from Singapore! Anything else, pots, pans, plates, spoons etc - don't bother bringing them all the way from Singapore. Buy it here, they're cheap anyway.

4. Sports equipment
Verdict: Probably, yes it is a good idea

It depends on how expensive it is - but I am so glad I finally got round to getting my roller blades to the UK. Trust me, you will enjoy doing sports so much more when it is 12 degrees and not 32 degrees - you barely sweat! It's great! I love sports but I really hate the way one sweats so much in Singapore when doing any kind of outdoor sports. Yeah, so something like squash/tennis rackets and skateboards - yes go for it.

5. Asian foodstuffs
Verdict: Totally, but only bring the stuff you can't get in the UK

Now allow me to assure you that you don't need to go to Chinatown to get Chinese/Asian food in the UK, any decent supermarket will have an Asian section where you will be able to get Chinese and Indian items at reasonably good prices. Take my local Tesco for example - there's a rather small one near where I live, but items I can get there include fresh kang kong (蕹菜), fresh egg noodles, beehoon, curry leaves, coconut milk, bamboo shoots, oyster sauce, prawn crackers, soy sauce, soy milk, tofu, fish sauce and chilli sauce. And hey, this is not a Chinatown supermarket - just a regular Angmoh supermarket!

What you will find missing though, are Malaysian and Singaporean items - there are loads of Chinese and Indian in the UK, but relatively few Malaysian and Singaporeans in comparison. So things I buy in bulk when I am in Singapore include pandan essence, laksa sauce mix, ikan bilis, Indomie, lap cheong, dried shitake mushrooms 冬菇 and sambal belachan. You see, even if you do go to a Chinatown type Chinese supermarket (or an Indian supermarket - plenty of those!) - you will be able to get loads of products from China and/or India, but not Malaysia/Singapore. Obviously, Asian foodstuffs are going to be a lot cheaper in Singapore - the same item will easily cost you double or triple in a British supermarket. You can bring just about anything into the UK (including meat products), just make sure everything is tightly sealed in plastic so you don't have your clothes smelling of dried prawn or chilli sauce.

You will so miss this in the UK.

It'll probably take me too long to list what is available and what isn't - so feel free to drop me a message and just check if your favourite item is available. What you will learn to do is just to adapt, discover new foods and it's a great way to bring people together. I loved cooking for my friends and giving them a taste of Singapore - albeit with limited ingredients I could get in the London supermarkets. Yeah but there are times when you will miss an authentic laksa, fried hokkien mee, ohr luat or popiah...

Oh and FYI, "Singapore noodles" is a common dish in the Chinese restaurants here - it's beehoon goreng. Not bad, but we'll just call it beehoon goreng or fried beehoon in Singapore rather than "Singapore noodles". And don't despair if you miss prata - you can easily get frozen ones from most supermarkets and once you cook it in the pan it's pretty much like the real thing!

And you won't be able to find this in the UK either...

6. Medicines
Verdict: Don't bother.

This was one thing my mother insisted on giving me when I first went to study in France - she gave me enough medicine to open a pharmacy! I didn't even use most of it and eventually, they were passed their used-by date and I had to throw them away. Look, there are doctors and pharmacies in the UK - if you do fall sick, then just go see a doctor or a pharmacist. Do not self-medicate if you are seriously unwell. I usually keep a small cache of medicines like pain killers and hay fever remedies with me at all times but you can get this at any pharmacist like Boots or Superdrug easily. The pharmacists there will be happy to give you free advice.

But you should always have dental floss handy - you can easily buy it at any pharmacist or supermarket. Now whilst you should always floss your teeth, there are some very good reasons to keep some dental floss handy. When you need some emergency white thread to tie something together or mend something, dental floss can double up as some incredibly strong thread. You may decide to improvise a washing line in your room just to dry the odd item which you hand wash in the sink - dental floss is ridiculously strong and can take a lot of weight, it will almost certainly never ever break.

7. Souvenirs from home
Verdict: Yes, but be sensible about it

It can be emotional for you to be away from home - it won't hit you in the first few days because you'll be so freaking busy but there will be moments when you least expect it, for you to suddenly feel homesick. I remember once dreaming about my childhood and then waking up in the middle of the night, realizing that I am in England and feeling rather homesick. Yeah, it's times like that when it will just hit you out of the blue. Your new room may feel impersonal and cold, so do think about how you want to decorate it to make it feel comfortable and familiar.

So yes, do bring some meaningful souvenirs that have sentimental value with you on this journey - but then again, don't fill your half your suitcase with such souvenirs. With modern technology, I still chat regularly with my friends in Singapore via Facebook and Skype and I am able to see exactly what they get up to, join in their discussions, comment on their photos - you wouldn't feel that far away.

A little reminder from home can bring great comfort when adjusting to a new environment.

8. A level notes/books/revision material
Verdict: Don't bother

It may be tempting especially if those notes served you well and gave you great A level results - but honestly, don't. The material you will encounter at university will be quite different and even if they do touch on the same topic(s), you will be expected to approach it at a far more advanced level. In short, the possibility of you being able to use those A level notes are practically zero. It'll just be heavy paper taking precious space in your baggage.

Believe you me, in no time at all, you will accumulate so much more notes, hand outs, assignments, photocopies etc in the first term that you will have way too much material on your hands to deal with already and it will be at that stage when you will turn around and say, "what the hell did I bring my A level notes for? The stuff I'm doing now is way more complex than the A level syllabus!"

You really don't want more notes than you need...

If you haven't done so already, it's time to put your A level notes/revision material in the nearest paper recycling facility. It is time to move on and look to the future.

9. A decent USB stick
Verdict: Vital, you need this

Yes you will need this, if you don't already have one - go buy one. This is because you may not want to take your laptop into college all the time but you do want to have some files handy to share with your class or print - so that is why you need a USB stick. It could also serve as a place to back up important files - but really you should be using something like Dropbox for backing up your files.

You can get some really cute USB sticks.

10. Documents
Verdict: Important

You need more than your passport for your student life - for example, if you have a driver's licence, don't leave that in Singapore, bring it with you! You never know when it may come in useful, say you may decide to go on holiday and rent a car. If you have other certificates pertaining to certain skills you may have, you may want to bring them along just in case you want to seek part time work and you may need those very skills to ensure that you get well paid part time work. But again, be sensible about it - no one will want to see your PSLE or O level results, so there's no point in bringing those.

In my days, there were also a bunch of vaccination and health certificates I kept - I am not sure if those are really necessary but I kept them anyway. No one ever checked them though. And here's one that you may not think you need: your Singapore Identity Card. Now technically speaking, you will never need that in the UK - but if you are a young looking student trying to get into served at a pub or enter a club, you may be asked to prove that you're over 18 and you don't want to be carrying your passport with you when you go clubbing - your IC will be accepted as photo ID to prove your age. I usually use my driver's licence for that kinda thing, but if you don't have a driver's licence, then your IC can perform that function.

You will be doing more than this at university I hope.

Also, it is a good idea to have a bunch of passport photos ready - you will be applying for all kinds of student ID cards when you arrive at university. It will be a busy time and you'd rather just have that ready in your wallet rather than have to hunt down the nearest place you can take passport photos. It is almost always going to be cheaper getting these photos done in Singapore than in the UK.

So there you go, that's my checklist of ten things for you to bear in mind when you are about to pack. You have a lot to look forward to - remember, you're not just meeting British students at your university but you will have the chance to interact with other foreign students from all over the world and you will make so many new friends! If you have any questions or if you think I've left something out, please feel free to leave a comment below. All the best and good luck for the next chapter in your life.