For the Yew Chung International School of Beijing’s and many other Year 13 students around the world, anxious anticipation has turned to glee as university acceptances have poured in, with many students receiving offers to attend their dream schools around the world. Once the difficult choice of which university to settle on has been made, students are faced with yet another daunting task: packing.

For students studying abroad, it can be especially challenging to decide or know what to bring, especially if you’ve never lived in or even visited the country in which they’ll be studying. Thankfully, our University Guidance Counselor Susan Wiltshire is here to help with a set of essentials that will guarantee any student’s safety, happiness, and ease of adaptation, no matter what country to which they are relocating!

1. Pack an overnight bag for hand luggage in case your big luggage goes missing.

2. Bring your birth certificate. You’ll probably need it to set up a bank account and possibly for registering at a university or collecting scholarship awards.

3. A sim card that works in the country you're going to, and even a spare phone to make calls back home if you have one.

4. A supply of meds, vitamins and supplements that you routinely take. You might not find what you're used to where you’re studying and it's important to keep healthy.

5. A laptop! What else are you going to do your work on?

6. Memory sticks to back up your work. You don't want to know what it feels like to lose the work you spent so long creating.

7. Your passport. This probably goes without saying as you’ll need it to get where you’re going, but make sure to take some copies of it plus your visa in case you lose it.

8. Medical insurance, again, goes without saying. You can't really plan to avoid illness or accidents other than being careful, but you can't control others and the pathogens that lurk around you. Joining massive institutions (like universities) opens up new possibilities and opportunities for hungry little viruses to prey.

9. A list of all the passwords you use for your accounts. It's not nice being locked out when you need to communicate with friends and family back home!

10. Currency for the country in which you’ll be living. As soon as you reach the airport, you'll be looking for transport. Be armed with some small notes in the local currency and a city map.

11. Adapters to plug in your devices. It’s very frustrating to discover you can't charge your phone as soon as you reach your destination.

12. Don't forget a towel. Time to get your hygiene well and truly sorted!

13. Finally, for our international students of Asian heritage, don't take a rice cooker! I see this so many times at the airport. Know that you can buy a rice cooker in whatever country to which you’re travelling. Taking one wastes valuable space and luggage weight allowance.

That rounds off our barebones master list of what to (and not to) bring when packing for university. We wish all graduates a wonderful summer vacation before embarking on their university adventures!

Visit our website to learn how we prepare our graduates for university success.