Having to move to a completely new location for the next four (or five) years is a daunting task for more reasons than one. Given the remote location and extreme weather conditions, knowing what to pack is of utmost importance. This list aims to provide a fair idea of what would be required in order to stay self-reliant on campus. However, it will omit items that the Institute makes clear a student should bring, such as academic and medical records. 

Please note that these are just suggestions and one should adjust them according to their personal needs.

Clothing and Other Accessories

Due to not having a dress code for class hours, students can wear clothes of their choice. The average hygienic BITSian goes through around ten sets of clothes every two weeks. Yet, it is fair to expect a drop in your bathing frequency in the winter months. 

For the winter season, which starts after October, packing adequate winterwear (like padded jackets, mufflers, gloves, hoodies) is a must. Make sure to choose the right fabrics as well. It is important to note that it takes longer for clothes to dry in the winter, and thus it is advisable to bring extra pairs of clothing if you are planning to wash clothes by hand. However, services like the Laundromat and the dhobhi are more favoured. 

Students will have multiple lab courses in their first year, most of which require wearing shoes and full-sleeved lab coats. These can be purchased on campus from the on-campus supermarket, Akshay, or from C’not. Apart from labs, the indoor gym and badminton court require students to wear shoes and rubber-soled shoes respectively. 

Carrying a few formal and a few ethnic outfits can prove to be useful for certain occasions. It is preferable to get a raincoat too. Furthermore, one can get belts, a cap, loungewear, jewellery, dress shoes, sandals, and athletic wear if needed. 

Hostel Room Essentials 

A hostel room is equipped with a cot, a cupboard, shelves, a table and a chair (per person). Most hostels provide a whiteboard as well. It is better to buy a mattress from either Akshay or C’Not than to bring one from home. Pillows can be bought here as well. Bedsheets, pillowcases, mattress protectors, blankets, and curtains can either be brought from home or bought here. Buying a quilt or razai is necessary for the winters since temperatures can drop down as low as 6-7 degrees. 

Hangers, mirrors, room fresheners, table lamps, shoe racks, and other items needed for organising your room can be purchased on campus. If required, a laundry basket could be bought on campus or ordered online once here. Decorative objects including fairy lights, tapestries, pictures, and posters can be carried from home or ordered online. It may be a better idea to bring necessary utensils—spoons, forks, a knife, bowls, plates, glasses, a thermos, water bottles—from home. However, it is recommended to purchase an electric kettle after reaching campus from online platforms rather than C’not.

Toiletries and Cleaning Supplies 

While buckets and mugs can be bought on campus, it is suggested to bring towels and a pair of bathroom slippers from home. Most toiletries one would require, ranging from soaps to razors and other grooming products are available in Akshay. However, these could be purchased online or brought from home if one is particular about the brand. Other essentials include combs, brushes, nail cutters, moisturisers, hair oils, makeup supplies, and much more. Sunscreen is a crucial item to have for the Pilani heat. Cleaning supplies like disinfectant wipes, detergent, stain remover, dishwashing sponge, tissue rolls, broom, dustpan, and dustbins can be bought from Akshay. 

Electronic Items

It is recommended to bring most electronic items from home as quality could prove to be a concern when buying from Pilani stores. 

Due to the multiple academic resources existing online, it is ideal to bring a laptop to campus. Bringing your phone and chargers is also necessary. It is useful to get headphones or earphones, especially for studying in common areas like the library. Buying an extension cord is recommended due to the limited sockets provided in each room. There are two sockets provided per person for boys’ hostels (except Bhagirath Bhawan) and one for each person for girls’ hostels and Bhagirath Bhawan. 

Classroom Supplies and Stationery

Backpacks, notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, whiteboard markers, stapler, folders, scissors, and various other important stationery items can be obtained from Akshay or C’Not. An alternate option is S9, where students can find stationery, graphing notebooks, and lab notebooks. However, one can bring their own stationery as well. Calculators are necessary for several courses 

Textbooks can be purchased from various book vendors, mainly Ashu Book House and Roongta Book Store. They generally set up book stalls on campus once freshmen start arriving. They can also be acquired from seniors who usually sell them at a cheaper price. However, it is not compulsory to purchase all the textbooks as PDF copies of most are available. Even so, for courses with open-book exams it is advisable to have the physical copy, as the PDF versions are generally prohibited.

Miscellaneous

1. Gym-G and the Students Activity Centre (SAC) offer facilities to play a variety of sports. While some sports like basketball, football, and volleyball do provide the respective sporting equipment needed, it is better if students get their own equipment if they wish to pursue or frequently play a particular sport. Though the options are limited, Akshay does offer sports equipment like cricket bats, balls, and racquets for certain sports.
2. If students have forgotten an item at home then they can get it delivered by post from most places. Several online retailers like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, and many more deliver to Pilani. 
3. An umbrella would come in handy in the event of sporadic rainfall..
4. There are a variety of places to eat besides the mess, including Redis, ANC, Looters, Tott, and an array of food items you can get from Akshay. Nevertheless, it may be convenient to bring snacks of personal preference from home.
5. It is preferable to buy a cycle on campus rather than bringing one from home. Having a cycle is beneficial for students in hostels which are situated far away from academic blocks. Other add-ons, like a cycle lock and a cycle night light can be purchased here as well. However, it may be preferable to buy a cycle lock online for safety-related reasons.
6. Bringing a basic first-aid kit along with medicines such as cough syrup, eye drops, pills for cold and fevers, and inhalers, along with prescribed medication, if any, is a must.
7. It is useful to bring a few locks as they can be required for hostel rooms, almirahs, trunks and suitcases. Locks can be bought on campus as well but the former may be preferred by students with safety concerns.
8. Having a watch is especially advantageous for quizzes and exams as most examination halls do not have clocks. While smartwatches are not allowed, analog or digital watches are permitted. 
9. It is favourable to get a spare set of contact lenses or spectacles.

Glossary

• Akshay: Akshay Supermarket is a general store that offers a wide range of products.
• SAC: SAC or the Students Activity Centre has many facilities including various indoor and outdoor sports.
• Gym-G: Basketball, football, athletics, and various other sports can be played at Gym-G. It has an open gym as well.
• S9: It is a stationery store that also offers printing services.
• C’Not:  From eateries to general stores, students can find a variety of small shops at C’Not including a pharmacy, a laundromat, a tailor shop, a bookstore and more.
• ANC/Looters/Tott: These are some eateries on campus.
• Redis: They are small eateries where rediwale provide a variety of food and drink items at cheap rates.