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THE ULTIMATE STUDENT STARTER PACK IS HERE…

Student life is not easy.

This Ultimate Student Starter Pack will give you everything you need to amp up your student experience! I know how difficult student life can be so, I decided to help you all by putting everything you will need in one place! I have found the best: apps, websites, shops and YouTube channels you need to know about that will help make your student life so much more enjoyable.

STUDENT STARTER PACK:

APPS:

1. Unidays

My go-to student discount app! Who doesn’t love a good discount, no matter how small? Unidays have so many shops on there, I highly suggest checking it out.

Some shops that offer discounts:

• ASOS- 10{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• MISSGUIDED- 10{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• URBAN OUTFITTERS- 10{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• AMAZON PRIME- 50{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• FOOT LOCKER- 10{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• TOPSHOP- 10{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• EGO SHOES- 20{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• LOOKFANTASTIC- 20{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• ORIGINS SKINCARE- 15{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• MORPHE- 20{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• APPLE: up to 10{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off

2. Student beans

Student beans is very similar to Unidays, however they offer different shops.

Some student discounts they offer:

• GYMSHARK- 10{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• DOMINOS- 35{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• I SAW IT FIRST- 40{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• MONKI- 11{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• LOUNGE UNDERWEAR- 15{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off
• WEEKDAY- 10{c442fc8ef3789ed23df439e52609827a13bf4892a25a9bdf30f84ba71f479458} off

3. Your University

All Universities or Colleges usually have their own app. Where you can find everything from your emails to any updates you may need to know.

4. Monzo

Monzo bank is an account you can create from your phone in minutes. Once you download the Monzo app and put in your details your debit card should arrive in 7-10 working days.

I love Monzo because it makes saving so easy, you can create “pots” which is a separate account where you can put some money aside. Also, I discovered a new feature where Monzo will automatically “round up” your purchases. For example, if you spend £14.50, you will be charged £15 and 50p will be added to your “pot”.

5. Local public transport app

Very obvious I know… downloading your local public transport app will save you time, making your life so much easier. Public transport apps will tell you when the next: bus, train, tram etc is arriving.

If you are in London, I suggest “CITYMAPPER“!

6. Google Drive

Google Drive is a place where you can: create, upload, share and organise your files. I love Google Drive because you can access your files from anywhere that has Internet access.

How do I use Google Drive?

1. Go to drive.google.com and login into your Google account
2. Upload all the files you would like to add
3. Share and organise all your files into separate folders

7. iTunes U

iTunes U is an app that gives you access to an infinite amount of quizzes, lectures, powerpoints, worksheets, lab demos, reading material and much more. It allows you to learn around your subject or something completely different. All completely up to you.

8. Goodnotes/ Notability

These are the best apps for taking notes digitally and annotated lecture slides on my iPad. I was quite sceptical as the apps are around £14 when you buy both. However, the price is pretty much the same when you buy physical notebooks and/or folders.

Do you need to buy both apps?

Personally, yes but you don’t have to!

I prefer using Notability to annotate my lecture slides and revision booklets because Goodnotes doesn’t allow you to open PDFs. Also, if you do not own an Apple Pencil or any stylus, Notability allows you to type. Sadly, Goodnotes doesn’t allow you to type. However, I love the way Goodnotes lets you personalise the paper and I prefer the way it operates when it comes to handwriting my notes.

PLUGINS:

1. Self control

I don’t know about you, but I can get distracted very easily when I am on my laptop. Self-control is the perfect software that you can turn on and add the websites that distract you the most.

Once you have installed the Self Control plugin, it would appear to the right of your search bar.

You can also change how long these websites are going to be inaccessible for. I usually go for 2-hour bursts.

2. Honey

Honey is a new plugin for me. I originally heard about them from numerous YouTube ads.

How does it work?

Once you have Honey installed, the plugin does all the work for you. As you enter the checkout to a website, Honey will pop up and ask to scan coupon codes so you can get the best deal! If you join with my link, we will both get 500 Honey golds!

SHOPS:

1. Amazon

Amazon is the real underdog when it comes to finding your dorm essentials. As you all probably know you can find anything and everything on the site.

A few of my favourite things to get are:

2. Ikea

Every adults favourite place to go! I’m sure you have all heard or been to Ikea at least once. Other than their famous meatballs, Ikea is known for everything you can imagine.

Be careful, because you can easily spend £100 without even knowing. All the small things add up very quickly.

3. TKmaxx/ Homesense

One of my first loves! Homesense is very similar to TK Maxx, Homesense focuses more on…you guessed it, homeware. From stationery to rugs, they have it all. As well as homeware and stationery, TKmaxx sells clothing, luggage and skin/body care.

My favourite part about Homesense is that there is a new inventory whenever you go back. They don’t have a website, nonetheless, it is still worth the trip.

4. B&M

The go-to place to get your cleaning supplies and staple goods. B&M are really affordable. I had never gone into B&M before until I went to university.

Some of the things I bought were:

• Sponges
• Mop
• Underbed storage
• Cleaning supplies
• Deodorant
• Storage baskets
• Canned foods
• Plastic gloves

A year later and they are all still all intact!

YOUTUBE CHANNELS:

1. Khan Academy

Khan Academy helped me so much during my A level years. My favourite videos are when they do a walkthrough of a question similar to the one that I am struggling with. This helps to consolidate your knowledge and apply what the video taught you.

2. The Organic Chemistry Tutor

I would not have been able to get through my first year without him. As a Chemical Engineering student, I found myself getting confused in some Maths, Chemistry and Physics modules. He has hundreds of videos each of different lengths, some are short revision sessions and some are long 1+ hour lectures. If your degree or A level subjects are in the Maths/Science field, you will find him extremely useful.

3. Elloitsangela

Do you like studying with friends, but don’t want to get distracted? She has so many “Real-life study with me”, which is where she studies for 1+ hours and you can study alongside her as you would with a friend but without the distraction. I love real-time study with me’s because it also keeps you accountable and motivated to not stop working.

And that’s it!

I hope this LONG student starter pack, full of everything you may need and use. I hope this guide was useful to you and you can apply it to suit you.

See you next Monday xx

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• 40 + DORM ESSENTIALS YOU NEED TO SURVIVE UNIVERSITY