It’s that exciting time of year when many students are getting their offers for LSE and beginning the process of planning a big move. For many international students, this will be their first time living away from home. As someone who’s been in your shoes, here are some tips on beginning the process of looking for accommodation and packing.

Finding accommodation

When it comes to finding a place to live for the year (or for however long your time at LSE is), it’s definitely worth putting in the time to learn as much as you can about different neighbourhoods in London. Aiming for anywhere in Zone 1 might seem great at first, but certain areas can be very expensive, less convenient for public transportation, or have difficulties with finding housing options in the short term. For advice on choosing your student accommodation, read Amirah’s blog for her top tips.

When I moved, I decided that worrying about navigating the real estate market was going to be an additional hassle, and decided to stick with LSE’s accommodation options. Check out LSE’s accommodation here, and sort through postgraduate and undergraduate exclusive, as well as mixed. There are a variety of facilities with various amenities, so make sure to really evaluate the options available to find which one is best suited to your living style. One other thing to consider is timing of your application – many of the more popular halls will fill up early in the spring, and I found that applying for housing in May meant fewer options. Make sure to get on it and get organised, so you end up with an accommodation you’re happy with!

Looking for housing outside of student halls

In terms of off-campus housing, while I have no direct experience with it, I’ve had lots of friends who have found great flats for the year. Facebook is the best place to start – try to find Facebook groups of people with rooms or flats available to rent, like this one. Again, making sure you have a strict budget, flexible locations, and the ability to dedicate ample time to searching through listings and posts. For more information and tips on renting in London as a student, read Thu Huong’s blog.

What to pack

As someone who moved across the country for my undergraduate and across the world for my master’s, packing efficiently has become a valued skill of mine. While you may be tempted to bring everything with you (a “just in case” mentality), London is a huge city with lots of shopping to fill the gaps in your wardrobe or bag. Clothing-wise, packing a variety of outfits in a “capsule wardrobe” that can go together with each other and keep you warm and dry through all of London’s weather is a good place to start. For my accommodation, we are uncatered, which means bringing some key snacks and any specific utensils like forks, spoons, mugs, knives etc. If you can’t find room to pack this, a TK Maxx or Ikea trip (or Facebook marketplace finds) can do the trick just as easily. Not sure what might already be in your student accommodation? Read Thu Huong’s blog for advice on what to bring and what to leave when packing for student halls. 

More importantly though, be sure to bring meaningful trinkets or photos from home, any spices or snacks from your home country, as well as power converters and all electronics you’ll need. Other than that, the options are open to you to bring however much or little you want! You will also want to take into account available space in your accommodation and the burden of carrying your bags on long journeys.