The necessities: advice on what students can’t do without

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First-year university students can be broadsided by many things when they first set foot on campus, including the not-inconsiderable costs of the bare necessities needed to get the most out of their postsecondary studies.

Here, two members of faculty and two current students discuss how they would tackle assembling some of the essentials within the limits of a student budget.

Darran Fernandez

Associate registrar and director of the student support and advising unit at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver

There are a lot of startup costs. A laptop doesn't need to be purchased every year but typically we advise students the first-year budget needs to be a bit higher.

If you're moving into residence for the first time, you've sometimes got to factor in things such as a new set of sheets and there's a bit of thought that needs to be put into that at the outset.

Relative to each program, textbooks can prove expensive, too. Bookstores have become more innovative in doing book rentals now, as opposed to students purchasing outright, which costs less.

When it comes to transport, at most institutions your student card doubles as a bus pass that's local to the transit in that city. So at UBC, in Vancouver and the Okanagan, students have access to travel all across the lower mainland just by using their university pass.

Farah Talaat

Studying equity studies at the University of Toronto

I have found it is impossible to be at university, at least at U of T, without a laptop. If you don't have a laptop or a phone where you can access the Internet properly and quickly, you will be behind in your studies and it's so hard to catch up.

The WiFi is obviously just in the buildings but you might need a data plan when you're walking because the U of T campus is huge. Definitely you need some kind of data plan that will allow you to use Google maps at least for the first two years to find your way around because you have classes in different buildings all the time.

I found that I couldn't rent most of the textbooks and I couldn't get them used either, so I had to buy new copies.

If you can rent it, though, be sure to set a reminder on your phone for the deadline because if you miss it, you will pay a late fee.

You can buy most of the books on Amazon for cheaper and Amazon Prime does six months free shipping for students.

Gina Robinson

Director, student success centre at McMaster University in Hamilton

One of the things we try to stress is 'You're a student living on borrowed money – act like it.' There are a lot of things that end up as wants and not necessarily needs.

Textbooks: The big thing with first-year students is they should wait to buy textbooks. Don't go off and buy books all at once. Our message is to look at your options. If you need textbooks, get used ones. Usually the library will have one copy of every single textbook and you can just go in there and borrow or consult it.

Also, look to see if books are recommended versus those that are required, because you don't need to buy the recommended books. Wait until mid-September, wait until after a couple of weeks of class to figure out exactly where you're going to invest in your books.

Meal plans: I tell students not to go out and buy the most expensive meal plan on campus. Buy the cheapest that you have to because once you buy a meal plan, you can't get the money back, but you can always add money later.

Car: You really don't need a car and cars and parking are super expensive. So what we tell students is you've got a bus pass, it's included in your fees (for most universities), so take the bus. And try not to make Uber your best friend unless you absolutely have to.

Dental and health insurance: A lot of students are covered under their parents' plan and they can opt out of the insurance offered by the educational institution and that can save them some money.

Shifrah Gadamsetti

Third-year student at Mount Royal University in Calgary and chair of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations

I think a lot of times students are pressured by their social environments to purchase the newest model of tools such as a laptop or a phone, because that's what everybody else has.

You don't necessarily have to choose the newest model. An older model is a more affordable choice for a student and it's still functional and practical.

In back-to-school season, in August or September, watch for sales on technology products. For instance, Apple offers those who purchase their Macbook the entire Microsoft Office suite of software for a very affordable price with a student ID.

Just always be aware that there are a lot of companies targeting you and they want you to spend money.

Another important point is resource sharing and I don't think we do enough of that because of this emphasis on consumerism. So you can go online and find potential educational resources for free.

So you have everything from YouTube videos, the National Film Board, online tutorials – things that can help your learning.

Responses have been edited and condensed.