Freshers' Guide - Packing

The College provides you with a room for the year, but it's up to you to make it a home. At the bottom of this page you will find a broad list of things to consider when packing. It can be a slightly intimidating task to essentially pack up your entire life for eight weeks and carry it halfway across the country (or even further if you're an international student). I know I certainly brought too much stuff in my first term – as the year goes on you'll get better at deciding exactly what you will and won't need (I now leave that extra knitted cardigan behind). And don't forget, although Oxford is relatively small, there are still hundreds of shops of every variety: you can buy almost anything you need, within a ten-minute walk of college. So there's no need to lug a year's tea supply (in most cases, an unhealthily large amount of tea) all the way from home; equally, however, remember that everything you buy does have to go back with you at some point, so don't go over the top.

Issues such as decoration are left entirely to you. You'll probably want to bring some posters, geraniums, suits of armour, tiger-skin rugs, real tigers, etc. to liven up your room a bit. There are only a few minor caveats:

• No blu-tac. Your room should have a picture rail or hooks (and you can always ask at the lodge to have more hooks put up); you can buy picture-hangers in stationery shops.
• Noisy or otherwise disruptive items (such as a keyboard or guitar amplifier) should be cleared with the College first. Just send an email to the Domestic Bursar (douglas.bamber <at> admin.merton.ox.ac.uk).
• If you want a kettle in your room, it must be of the type that automatically switches off when done. Other electrical cooking items, such as toasters, aren't allowed, due to fire regulations.

Subfusc

Not easy to look stylish in seventeenth-century fashions? Not a bit of it, as these good-looking Mertonians prove! (It will soon become apparent that subfusc provides ample amusing photo opportunities.)

"Subfusc" is the name given to the academic dress at Oxford. You will have to wear this for matriculation (more about this later) and your University examinations (I won't mention them again, promise!), and it consists of:

Men

• A dark suit
• White shirt and white bow tie
• Black socks and shoes
• Gown and mortarboard

Women

• Black trousers or black skirt and tights
• White shirt and black ribbon tie
• Gown and mortarboard
• Black shoes

Don't worry if you're missing some or all of these items (in fact, I'd be quite worried if you already had a mortarboard) – you will probably receive some marketing soon from various places in Oxford where you can buy it; or, alternatively, there will be plenty of time to pick some up during freshers' week. Although full academic dress is only rarely worn, your gown will get a lot more use – at Merton, gowns are worn at Formal Hall (one of the two options available for college dinner). Many people choose to buy a gown made of synthetic material because it's more durable and harder to crease; this, however, is entirely up to you.

Books

Depending on your subject, your tutor-to-be may have written to you with some sort of list of books you will require for your course. Don't necessarily rush out and buy all of these immediately – Oxford always sees a huge trade in second-hand books at the beginning of each academic year, and you are likely to be able to pick up many of your books with ease and minimal expense this way. In addition to this, don't forget the quality that Oxford is most famous for – the incredibly good library provision! If you don't buy a book, it will undoubtedly be waiting for you in a library when you arrive.

A Quite Comprehensive List of Suggested Items to Bring and Handy Hints

* = Absolutely, inescapably, utterly, unquestionably, categorically essential

• Official Items
  • Funding and loans paperwork*
  • Bank details*, cards*, money, chequebook
  • NHS and National Insurance cards
  • Medical details*
  • Passport photos*
  • Some form of ID* – e.g. driving licence, proof-of-age card
• Room items
  • Sheets, pillows, duvets*
  • Alarm clock*/radio
  • Desk lamp
  • Drawing pins for the notice-board
  • Cutlery, crockery, mugs, glasses
  • Tea towels (hint: wrap crockery in tea towels when packing to prevent chips/breakages)
  • Washing-up liquid and cloths
  • Laundry equipment* (detergent, large bag, etc.)
  • Fridge (hint: get one that runs quietly, or, better still, silently)
  • Kettle (but see the note at the top of this page)
  • Music system – speakers, headphones, mp3 player dock/charger, CDs, tapes, or 45s if you're from the stone age
  • Camera and necessary charger/USB cord, or rolls of film if you're from the stone age
  • Computer equipment and wires (see technology page), unless you're from the stone age
  • Cheap plug-in phone for internal calls
  • Mobile phone and charger*
  • Extension lead/multi-socket adaptor (hint: only bring one of these, and try to bring a modern, surge-protection model, as college gets a bit frisky with the fire regulations)
  • TV (Don't forget a licence!)
  • Tea, coffee, cereal and other food/drink, and Pro-Plus if you're that dedicated
• Personal items
  • Dressing gown
  • Sewing kit
  • Toiletries (toothbrush!)*
  • Towels*
  • Shavers, razors*
  • Small medical kit (painkillers may come in handy)
  • Stationery*
  • Relevant A-level notes, books
  • Stamps, envelopes
  • Bop costume materials
  • Paracetamol and thermometer
• Clothes*
  • Umm...well, clothes
  • Formal wear – guys will need a suit for Formal Hall and subfusc (see above), for which you will also need:
  • Gown, mortarboard – buy them when you get here (again, see above)
• Other
  • Bike, bike lock, helmet, reflective gear, lights
  • Sports equipment
  • Photographs from home
  • Teddy bear/blankie/general comfort items*