Postgraduate pre-arrival: what to bring with you (and what to leave behind!)

Preparing for your Masters year can be quite stressful, especially if you are moving to a new country. Luke Jeeves, MSc Financial Mathematics student, shares his top tips on what to bring with you to for your year at WBS, and what to leave behind!

Starting at a new university is daunting enough as it is, but it can become an even harder task when you aren’t sure what to bring with you, and what to leave behind! In this blog post, I’ll try to talk about the essentials that you will need, and possibly some of the things you can leave at home.

Prepare for typical British weather

First off, be prepared for the weather! It can be pretty wet and cold on campus throughout the year, but especially so in the winter months (November-February). To prepare for this I would absolutely recommend getting yourself a good-quality waterproof winter coat and an umbrella. There’s nothing worse than starting your day by getting drenched. On the other hand, it can get pretty warm in the summer months (May-August) so pack some warm-weather supplies too.

Bring your own laptop

Next off I would recommend bringing your own personal laptop or notebook. There are plenty of accessible computers around WBS with all the required resources, but it really does give you freedom and flexibility with your workload if you can take your work with you wherever you go. You never know when you might want to look something up, take notes or download some materials from my.wbs (our online learning platform).

Travel light on the stationery

If you’re travelling from overseas, or even within the UK, don’t bring lots of heavy study materials like pads of paper, ring binders and folders; all of these can be bought on campus or in the surrounding towns. This way you can create more space for the things you do need (like a coat!).

Bring your sports gear

If you play a sport then bring your sports gear with as there is a brand new purpose-built sports centre on campus, with hundreds of teams you can join and it’s a great way to let go of some of that academic stress, especially during the intense periods. If you don’t play a sport, why not try something new and join one!

Leave your doubts behind!

Finally, make sure you come to WBS with the motivation and desire to give everything to your course, it’s far from an easy year but having the right mindset is half of the battle. If you can leave your doubts behind and make the most of your time at WBS, you will have a fantastic year.

Discover more about life at Warwick Business School before you arrive.