I remember my A-Levels well and to say it was a stressful time for me would be an understatement! I definitely needed to spend a portion of my summer relaxing (you all deserve it)! That said, you can still be productive with some of your time…

Get yourself a job (trust me you’ll appreciate the money when term starts!)

I worked in a local Jewellers in town where I lived, working every Saturday and a couple of days in the week. A lot of people will work over summer to earn money before University and I would recommend it to EVERYONE! Having that extra bit of cash in your bank account for the start of University is incredibly useful (Uni life is expensive)!

Do an IKEA trip (or equivalent)

Don’t forget about all of the random things that you need to be able to live independently! You’ll need your own kitchen equipment (utensils, plates, glasses, bowls, pans), pillows, bed sheets, towels, hairdryer, toiletries and so much more! If you have a place in halls, it is worth checking the Student Accommodation website to see what is included in your room and what you’ll need to provide yourself.

Some larger things I ordered to click and collect from the local Argos near my University, such as a printer, which I found very useful (and saved much needed room in the car for transporting everything).

Start the packing! It takes longer than you think

Packing up the car to take my stuff to University was like some extended version of Tetris! It takes some organising believe me, so don’t leave it until the last minute!

Collect various boxes and bags to carry all your things and organise accordingly (less trips to the car when you arrive at University!)

Get things to make your room homely

Going to University is a daunting thing and many people will worry about being homesick (I definitely worried about this!).

To help with this worry, I printed photos of friends and family and hung these up with peg fairy lights! Making my new bedroom feel homely with my own decorations and things really helped the moving process feel less scary.

On this note, please don’t be too scared, everyone is in the same boat and you will soon make lots of new friends and feel at ease about the leap away from home.

Get ahead of the game…read through your course modules

Keep an eye on your emails to ensure that you’re up to date with all the information you need prior to moving to University. If you have been sent module codes, have a look at the outlines to gage what you will be presented with when you arrive at Uni.

Also, ensure you’re prepared with all the equipment that you need for your course…who doesn’t love a good stationary update!

Say all your goodbyes

Enjoy the little time you have left with your family and friends, make sure you see everyone that you need to (get all those goodbyes in from relatives etc). Most importantly say goodbye to your pets…trust me you’ll miss them the most (sorry mum and dad)!

Finally, good luck with your University experience and enjoy that well-earned summer before the hard-work starts again!