7 ways to prepare for university

The period before your first year at university can feel stressful. How can you know how best to prepare for university when you're jumping into something completely new? To ease your mind and help you get ready for the adventure ahead, we've put together an essential checklist for freshers' students.

Preparing for university: the summer essentials

The summer break between A-Levels and your first year will be the longest you've ever had. There's plenty of time to relax, enjoy yourself, and crack through some essential organisation!

1. Organise your Student Finance

The first step in organising your finances for university is setting up a student bank account. A lot of major banks offer added incentives when you sign up for a student account, including discounts at hospitality venues or on rail travel. But the biggest benefit by far is the ability to set up an interest-free overdraft. Typically, you can spend up to £1500 in an arranged overdraft without being charged any interest.

Next, you need to apply for Student Finance if you are going to receive government funding when you study. You can apply for both a tuition fee loan (to cover the costs of your course) and a maintenance loan (to cover your cost of living). Only your maintenance loan will be paid to you, while your tuition loan will be sent directly to the university by the student finance body. It can take time for your student loan application to be processed, so try to apply as soon as possible. Once you know how much you will be receiving each term, you can begin to draw up a budget. This should help you avoid any nasty surprises later in the term - even if it goes out the window during the excitement of Freshers' Week!

2. Apply for accommodation

Once your place at university has been confirmed, you should apply for student accommodation. Most first-year students choose to live in halls of residence managed by the university, although you can look into privately renting student housing off-campus too. If you are going to live in halls, you'll usually have to enter preferences such as whether you'd prefer, self-catered or catered halls, whether you want to live in a flat or a studio, or if you'd like an ensuite or shared bathroom. If you have strict preferences, it's a good idea to apply for accommodation as quickly as possible, as it's typically allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis.

3. Make sure you have the essentials

When you think about preparing for university, a trip to IKEA might spring to mind. While it's definitely important to have the essentials, you should also consider the fact that the space in university accommodation can be fairly limited. Bedding, clothes, kitchen supplies, stationery, and a laptop are the absolute essentials for university - but from there, it's really up to you. Try not to overpack, but bring enough to make your university room feel like home. If you haven't got a laptop yet, in the weeks before university starts, many major retailers offer discounts and deals that can make it more affordable.

4. Find your reading list

Most universities will send you your course's reading list a few weeks before term begins. If not, you should be able to find it on the website. Even if you don't quite get around to reading them over the summer, it's a good idea to buy the core texts in advance to avoid a last-minute scramble to prepare for lectures and seminars. Some of the books might seem a little pricey, but ordering second-hand can make things much more affordable. Bear in mind, though, that second-hand texts can take longer to arrive. That just means the further in advance you prepare, the less you need to spend!

5. Prepare for living alone

Honing key domestic skills like cooking, cleaning, and laundry is an essential part of preparing for university. Don't give in to student stereotypes - you don't want to get to university and find out the only meal you can make is beans on toast and you have no idea how to turn the washing machine on. You can buy student cookbooks with easy, beginner recipes or find great free alternatives online. And, of course, don't be afraid to ask family and friends for tips. A diet of pot noodles and pesto pasta eaten in a filthy kitchen can only get you so far, trust us.

6. Join social media groups

Getting to know some of your peers is one of the best ways of preparing for university. You can use social media to your advantage here. Your university will probably have Facebook groups for each individual course and accommodation. If you follow your university on social media, it'll be easier for you to find these. You can then join group chats, introduce yourself, and get to know a few people before you even arrive on campus. It'll feel a lot less intimidating if you can already recognise a few friendly faces.

7. Get ready for Freshers'

Freshers' Week is packed with student events designed to help you meet people and get stuck into university life. While Freshers' is often hyped up as the best week of university, in reality, it can feel quite stressful. When preparing for university, you can squash some of this nervousness by looking at the activities the Students' Union is putting on and seeing what you might like to get involved with.

You should also be able to buy tickets for nights out in advance. Some universities even offer a wristband which will secure you entry to every student night they organise in Freshers' Week. Even if you're not sure that you'd like to go, we'd recommend buying a few event tickets as they do tend to sell out. That way, you can make sure you don't miss out on anything. Be careful of scammers though. Try to stick to the official nights organised by your Students' Union - these are usually the most popular and the best value for money.

Are you ready for university?

Preparing for university is an exciting time. Just keep calm and try to remember that the best is yet to come. If you're heading off in September and need more advice, check out our blog on what to expect from Freshers' Week.