Top tips on things to bring to Manchester.

Pack like you are going on an adventure!

Clothes

• Formal wear - It is recommended to bring both business formal wear and evening formal wear as certain courses may have presentations or events in which business wear may be required. Additionally, many societies or student halls host dinners and balls where evening wear will be needed, such as Singapore Society’s very own Annual Ball! Don’t forget your formal shoes!
  

• Shoes - Make sure you bring comfortable walking shoes as Manchester is a “walking city”! It would be best if they were mildly waterproof as well as UK is known for its unending drizzles. You may also find it useful to have a pair of bedroom slippers or normal slippers on hand if you share a kitchen or toilet with flat mates as most Europeans wear shoes into the house!
  

• Clothes - When you first arrive in UK, it would be approximately 15 degrees and it would only get colder! Pack warmly but don’t be too worried if you don’t own enough winter clothes as they’re easy to find in UK and often cheaper than Singapore! A hoodie layered with a windbreaker/waterproof outerwear will be good for a start, and you can progressively layer more or less depending on the weather and your personal preference. Essentials such as scarves, gloves and beanies will really help combat the cold, but they’re cheap and easy to find in UK if you don’t already own some! Make sure you have plenty of pairs of thick socks as well! Check out our post on tips for shopping in Manchester! If you’re looking for base layers, uniqlo heattech is a pretty good choice. There is a uniqlo outlet in Manchester City centre, but prices will be a tad higher due to exchange rates :P
  

• Outerwear - Waterproof outerwear is the best way to combat Manchester’s weather as the strong winds often render umbrellas useless. If you don’t have one yet, fret not as they are easy to find in UK which has a wider selection and lower prices! If you plan to do any hiking activities or travelling, a pair of (at least mildly) waterproof pants would be a great option to have as well.
  

Food

• Singapore flavours - "You’ll definitely miss Singapore food while in UK, so curb your cravings with chicken rice pastes and laksa sauces! Recommended: 1. Prima’s Fragrant Hainanese Chicken Rice Mix 2. Prima’s Laksa Lamian 3. Indomee Mee Goreng 4. Japanese curry pastes 5. Lots of chilli sauces 6. Singaporean biscuits like gem biscuits or khong guan 7. Milo powder
  

• Rice cooker - A Singaporean international student’s staple, though it is possible to purchase one in Manchester as well!
  

• Kitchen utensils - While we do recommend bringing a rice cooker, all other kitchen appliances and utensils are optional as they’re easy to find and cheap to buy in UK. (not to mention they take up a lot of luggage space)
  

Miscellaneous

• Official documents - Be sure to bring your education transcripts like A level / O level / IB / Diploma Certificates as they’re often requested by the university! Other things include your visa forms and bank statements.
  

• Cash - Bring more than enough cash for emergencies, especially if you plan to settle the bank accounts AFTER arriving in Manchester as you can wait up to 3 weeks for an appointment! Additionally, if you’re planning to travel to parts of EU during breaks, multi-currency cards such as Youtrip can be extremely convenient, but make sure you bring along some cash as well as there are parts of Europe that do not accept cards.
  

• Bags - If you’re planning on travelling during holidays and the like through budget airlines like Ryanair or easy jet, ensure you have a bag that is within the dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm (smaller than usual cabin luggage size!!). Unless you want to pay extra for checked baggage/extra carry-ons. They aren’t very strict usually but better safe than sorry! Recycle bags are also extremely important as plastic bags cost 10p each for groceries and the like.
  

• Bloster - UK does NOT sell bolsters much to our dismay, so if you’re unable to sleep without something to hug, you’ll either have to bring your own bolster from Singapore or make do with a pillow instead.
  

• Contact lens and solutions - Bring your own contact lens and solutions as they are really expensive in UK!
  

• Stationary - Things like notebooks, markers and highlighters are expensive in UK. Japanese pens like pilot and sarasa are nearly impossible to find and also extremely expensive! Correction tape also apparently doesn’t exist in UK (though it can be amazon-ed in bulk).
  

• Room decoration - Bring photographs of your loved ones or soft toys to decorate your room and help you feel at home. It may seem redundant, but trust us, it will really help you feel a lot better in those first few weeks.
  

• Medication - It’s highly likely that you’ll catch the dreaded “Freshers’ Flu” within the first few weeks of arriving so be sure to bring general medication such as Panadol, charcoal pills, lozenges, antihistamines, vitamin C and D tablets, or even Chinese medication! That being said, most general medications are purchasable over the counter in UK and are generally relatively cheap. So fret not if you just bring the bare minimum. Just make sure that you don’t find yourself waking up ill without any medicine on hand!
  

• Feminine hygiene products - UK has a very limited selection of brands, especially sanitary pads (they have more tampons), and their quality is definitely not up to par with those found in Singapore. Make that time of the month less horrific by bringing the products you’re used to! It’s worth the luggage space!
  

• Others - Feel free to bring anything else not listed ie electronics, adaptors, soaps, and more!
  

Finally, don’t forget to bring lots of enthusiasm as you begin a new adventure. Fret not as SSSMUK will be here to provide support and encouragement every step of the way! :)