As you reach the summer break, there’s a sense of breathing out and relaxing. Whether you have finished school and will go to university for the first time after the holidays or are in the middle of a course, the summer is the time to take it a bit easier and to recharge ahead of the new term. But there are also some important jobs to do during the summer holiday to prepare you for the new year ahead.

Organise where you will live

Once you know where you are studying the next year, the very first thing you need to do is sort out where you are going to live – opportunities go quickly and if you leave it too late, you might end up with a place that has a long commute to campus or is in a less desirable area.

There are two main options for accommodation – you can live in halls of residence or you can rent a flat or house. There are benefits for both but you can sum it up in that halls of residence take away some of the stress of managing your own home but you have no choice about where or who you live with. Renting accommodation privately lets you pick who you live with and where you live. You can even band together with a group of friends to go for a bigger property that you could afford alone.

Sort your finances

Once the decision about where to live is organised, you can start sorting your finances. It helps to have a clear budget about what your living expenses are and don’t forget about things like public transport costs if you don’t live on campus. By laying out exactly how much money you have and what everything costs, then you can see what you can spend on yourself without using your food budget or drink your council tax!

Consider doing some work

Sure, rest is a big part of summer but it is also a good time to consider doing some work, either paid or voluntary. Voluntary work looks great on your CV when you start applying for jobs after university and can learn you valuable, real-life skills that you don’t get in a classroom. Plus, you are helping out the charity or organisation that you give your time to – always a worthwhile thing to do.

Getting a paid job is also beneficial if you know you need to work while at university. Experience in part time roles will put you ahead of others without the experience when applying for term time jobs and never hurts in later years. Plus, you can save up some money to make life a little easier when you are at university.

Conclusion

Summer is a fun time of year and definitely the time to recharge your batteries. But it is also important to plan ahead somewhat for the term time to come so that your life is easier when your classes start and you can concentrate wholly on the reason for being there – your education.