Looking to go to university this year? Here are the things to do once you’ve accepted your university offer.
Apply for accommodation
Some universities use a first come first serve basis and have deadlines for accommodation applications. Check with your university for the deadline and make sure you apply on time if you’re deciding to live on campus.
Make sure you consider where you’ll be studying, how you’ll get around campus and what social and essential services you’ll have around you when choosing somewhere to live.
If you still have time or are thinking about university for next year, visit your uni and take a look around your accommodation options to help you make the best decision for your needs.
Look for open days/tours
You’re likely to receive an invite to look around the uni once you accept your offer. Many unis provide open days/applicant days where you can meet people who also go there and get familiar with the site.
Take the opportunity to get familiar with your new campus, see where you’ll be living, and even make new friends who’ll be living near you or studying the same course.
Open a student bank account
This is a good thing to consider when applying for student finance as having all of your student money in one place will allow you to keep it separate from your personal finances. This means you can see how much money you have for university and budget those pounds (which is key!). You may need to wait until you have already accepted your offer to prove you are a student to open a student bank account.
Plan your travel
Whether you’re choosing to live at the university or commute from outside the campus, you’ll need to consider how you’re going to get there. You might need to think about where the parking is or find bus routes and trains you can rely on.
It may be cheaper to get a bus pass or 16-25 railcard. Make sure you have one before you need it and shop around for the best prices! You might even be eligible for free passes based on your location so whether it’s something you’ll rely on or only use now and again, it’s worth looking into.
Prepare for uni life
You might have already started buying all the things you need for uni, but you certainly don’t want to wait until the last minute. Take a look at our uni checklist to see what essentials you’ll need to take with you.
There will be lots of sales and discounts for students in the period before you start, so make sure you make the most of them.
And don’t forget about your skills! Preparing for uni isn’t just about buying equipment and furniture. It’s also about being prepared to live away from home. The main skill you’ll need is to be able to cook for yourself.
Ask your family and friends to help you make easy meals that you can prepare at uni and write down the recipes to take with you. Think about food that is nourishing, you’ll be able to afford with your budget, and that has easy to find ingredients.
Create a budget
We’ve mentioned the word budget a few times already and that’s because it’s one of the most important things you’ll need. You’re likely to be paying for your course, educational resources, food, accommodation and travel – don’t forget about a bit of extra cash for your social life and hobbies!
Create a budget so that you can see how much money you have each month/week, what essential money will be spent, and how much you’ll allocate for things like food, activities, and fun. Ask your friends and family (especially anybody you know who is already in uni) to help you think about what you’ll need to pay for. You might have forgotten about extra uni supplies like pens and notebook or bills like a TV licence if you need one.
Chat to other uni students
Before you go, join social media groups for your uni or join group chats with people that you know you’ll be sharing classes or accommodation with to get to know them better. You’ll be familiar friends by the time you get there and it’ll make it easier to settle in.
Start revising
Now, you don’t need to intensely study and go through everything on your own. You’ll work through course content when you get there in class.
However, it really helps to get familiar with your course content before you start classes by reading ahead and lots of people have said that ‘wider reading’ really helped them. This means exploring the subject you enjoy on your own to gain a better understanding.
You can start preparing for your uni course early and get ahead so that you’re ready to get stuck into learning when you arrive.
