Hi! I’m Prisha, a third and final Zoology student at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus, and if you’re starting university this September, firstly, congratulations!
Starting university is such an exciting time, but the summer before can also feel slightly strange. I still remember the daunting few months eagerly waiting to buy essentials and pack everything to leave for Cornwall.
You’ve probably finished exams, and now everyone keeps asking if you’re “excited for uni yet?”. Suddenly you realise that in a few months you’ll be responsible for feeding yourself and remembering to wash your own bedsheets.
As someone who’s now nearly finished university (this is still crazy to me!) I thought I’d share a few things I did before starting first year, plus a few things I wish I’d done more of.
So here are 7 ways you should spend your summer before uni:
- Spend time with family and friends
It sounds obvious, but it’s so important to make most of this time. University is exciting, but it’s also a very big change and you probably won’t realise how much you’ll miss the small everyday things until you actually move out.
You definitely don’t need to spend the whole of summer worrying about “preparing” for uni. Some of the best preparation is simply making memories and properly enjoying being at home before everything changes.
Do everything you want to do – family dinners, spontaneous day trips with friends, annoy siblings, and give extra hugs to your pets. There will come a time when it feels emotional looking back at all the good memories. For me this was London trips with my family and pottery painting with my friends!
So have that movie night. Say yes to random last-minute plans. Take photos. Even just sitting in the garden chatting with your family becomes something you’ll appreciate later.
- Learn how to cook at least 3 meals
For this one, no, beans on toast and oven chips don’t count.
You don’t need to become a professional chef over the summer months but learning how to cook a few meals reliably will make your life a teeny bit easier. And who knows, you might even enjoy it more than you think!
I’ll admit this isn’t something I did during summer, so it took me a bit of time after starting uni to get comfortable in the kitchen. Now I can make meals with it needing to be a whole event and I make some pretty tasty food if I do say so myself!
Dishes like stir fry, pasta bakes and stews are a good start. These can be make in big quantities so can be left in a fridge for a few days, great for when life gets in the way and you have no time to cook. Personally, I prefer having the same dinner for a few days rather than ordering take away for when I have no time to cook. I found that this is also an easy way to make dinners cost effective. Bulking out meals with healthy veggies and making multiple portions is the perfect way to save a little money when it comes to your food shop. Cheaper and healthier, what more you want?
Cooking and baking are also a social activity when at university and living in student accommodation. My flatmates and I often baked cakes for special occasions and other baked goods whilst watching Mamma Mia for the 5th time in a row. And we can’t forget the time where we left the brownies in the oven too long…
- Practice basic life skills
There are certain “adulting” tasks nobody warns you about until one day you just have to do them yourself.
Things like:
- doing laundry properly – this is just remembering things such as separating your white and dark coloured clothes, or taking out a load immediately to avoid bad smelling clothes!
- changing bedding – people should really be changing their sheets every 1-2 weeks
- Budgeting – start over the summer by setting a budget every week and making a list of your income and expenses, and definitely save up to UNiDAYS, the student discount app!
- food shopping – keep one day a week dedicated
- cleaning a bathroom – I recommend not leaving the cleaning for when it gets visibly dirty, clean regularly and it will always look clean!
- remembering bin day – it’s a good idea to have a note down on your fridge, so you and your flatmates all remember and can help each other.
None of it is difficult, but it is much less stressful if you’ve done it before. Even learning something small like how long clothes take to dry indoors is valuable knowledge in student accommodation. When I lived in Glasney Student Village, I had an en-suite and a double bed so it was my own responsibility to keep it clean and tidy. I’d usually do a weekly clean and that would help me make sure everything stayed in tip top shape.
So, I would recommend perhaps every now and then making your bed by yourself and giving your bathroom at home a wipe down. Just so that it doesn’t feel as much of a chore when you come to uni. It’s not the most fun but it is important!
- Get a summer job
Having some money saved before university is genuinely quite helpful. Freshers’ Week, food shops, society memberships, course supplies – it all adds up faster than you expect.
A summer job could also help you build confidence and skills to add onto your CV before uni starts. And if possible, try finding something flexible that you could continue alongside your studies. In my second year I started online tutoring, just a few hours a week which fit great in between lectures and evening activities.
As well as all this, earning your own money at uni makes spontaneous trips, meals out, and society events much less stressful financially. After all, the student loan can’t cover everything!
- Don’t leave all your uni shopping until the week before
This is probably one of the most practical tips I can give.
Start slowly picking things up throughout summer instead of attempting one giant panic-shop in September.
Little things add up quickly:
- kitchen equipment
- bedding
- extension leads
- towels
- storage boxes
- mugs you definitely don’t need but buy anyway
Doing it gradually is probably going to be cheap and way less stressful. Much better than doing it all the week before you leave home. Also, you don’t need to buy everything brand new! Charity shops and hand-me-downs are just as acceptable. I for one may or may not have taken a few things from my house without my mum noticing. But don’t tell anyone that.
- Do some volunteering
Volunteering is something that looks good on paper, but it’s also just a really nice way to spend some spare time.
It can help you build confidence, new skills, meet new people and gives you so many experiences outside your daily routine. And it doesn’t hurt that it looks great on your CV too! Volunteering doesn’t have to take much of your time either, anything from a couple hours a week to a whole day is still worthwhile. Some ideas are helping at local events e.g. park runs, charity shops, animal shelters, sports clubs etc.
Throughout Sixth form and the summer before uni, I volunteered at a kennel and cattery, I had a blast getting to know all the dogs and cats who came to visit, and it was generally just a fun way to spend my Saturday mornings. Plus, getting some experience with animal handling was something I could put on my CV as someone who is studying Zoology.
- Learn a new skill/hobby
Uni is actually the perfect time to try new things, so starting now can be really fun. Learn something purely because you want to.
Maybe that’s:
- Reading more
- Photography
- Baking
- Drawing and painting
- Going to the gym
- Running
- Learning a new instrument
For me, learning a new sport and getting back into drawing has been the best parts of university. So why not try new things before you even get here?
You don’t need to arrive at university already being amazing at something, nearly everyone will be trying things for the first time too. But it’s enjoyable to try get good at a skill and fun way to spend some downtime.
Final thoughts
I think the biggest thing I’d say is this: don’t spend your whole summer stressing about university.
You really do figure things out as you go along. Nobody arrives knowing exactly what they’re doing, everyone’s learning how to live independently at the same time.
So yes, prepare a little. Learn a few life skills, buy some kitchen equipment and maybe figure out how to use a washing machine.
But also enjoy this stage of your life before the next one begins.
Before you know it, you’ll be unpacking boxes in your accommodation wondering how summer went by so quickly.