What should be on every student’s must-pack list?
Having at least the basic kitchen essentials will make cooking much more enjoyable, and you can never have enough glasses for when people come to yours for pre-drinks. It’s a good idea to have spares of bed linen and towels in case the washing machine is being used when you need it.

How can you make your room more homely?
I strung up photographs of friends and family from home on fairy lights. I had lots of soft blankets and cushions and brought a diffuser that smelt like home. It’s also a good idea to have an air bed for when friends from home visit.

What’s not obvious but worth taking?
I’m the biggest over-packer and moving to university was no exception. storage in halls is normally quite tight, so any storage hacks you can use like boxes under the bed or in-wardrobe shoe hangers will help you squeeze in everything you need in an organised way.

Anything you took but didn’t use?
For some reason I thought I needed to take a coffee machine. I probably used it twice before packing it up and leaving it to gather dust under my bed. No first-year student has time to be cleaning those things between lectures and nights out.

Advice for a first-year student?
You get out of university what you put in. So get out of your comfort zone – try new things, meet new people and say yes. It’s easy to stay in your room but that’s not going to give you the best years of your life!