Making the most out of summer before starting university

You’ve finished the stressful period of your final exams and now it’s the summer before you start University. It can be a shock going from so much pressure to having all this free time; from seeing friends to sorting out your packing, there is a wide range of things people want to get done before uni.

I’m Lily, a 1st year Psychology student at ARU in Cambridge. In this article, I want to explain how you can make the most out of your summer as well as top tips on how to relax and unwind before the first year starts.

Start packing and organising

Starting to pack gradually will be a massive help to you in the future. Being organised and writing a list of all the things you may need, such as storage, appliances etc, and over time buying these things will be super helpful for you.

Moving from your home to university is a massive change and the last thing you want to be worrying about is if you have enough boxes to keep all your stuff in. So being prepared and being ahead of schedule is always a good idea.

Work

As well as being prepared, money is also a huge worry. Many companies and jobs advertise for summer jobs, so it's not a bad idea in getting one before university. Being able to work part-time will fill up your time before uni, as well as being something to get you out of the house after your studies.

This job could also be something you go back to during term time, or holidays when you go home, to gain some extra money as well. Not everyone wants to juggle a job and studies – you may just want to focus on uni – so having the opportunity to earn extra money when you go home eases money worry.

Seeing friends and family

The obvious one is seeing friends and family before you go away. Seeing loved ones is so important and spending quality time with them as well. Going to the beach, having picnics, and having days out is some ideas for quality time.

As well as this, also seeing friends who are also off to uni, and being able to arrange when you'll be able to see each other in the future so you can have something to look forward to.

Relax

It's also important with all the craziness around you to also take some time out for yourself. Before studies start back up again, you need to make sure to do things you want to do such as watch a tv series, go to that new coffee shop or laze around and read a book.

I hope this article has given you inspiration on how you can make the most of your summer before university and how to relax before. It’s important to appreciate this time you have off but also be prepared for the time ahead.

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Find out what you need to do to register and other advice before starting at ARU in "Before you get here".