After results day, when you should (hopefully)
have a place confirmed at the university you
want, you may be wondering what happens
next. I will provide a guide to this here.
Firstly, be aware that university processes can
differ. For example, at Durham University, you
will have to complete an offer acceptance form
within seven days of receiving your confirmed
decision. You should receive clear instructions
from your confirmed institution about what to
do next.
Also consider that if you sit certain
qualifications, you may need to send these to
UCAS. A list of results that UCAS don’t receive
from the exam board can be found on the UCAS
website.
• Contact: You should ensure your contact
details are correct – by this point you
should not be using a school email
address.
• Accommodation: You will need to ensure
your accommodation arrangements are
made.
• Support: You should discuss any support
that you might need, for example,
additional support if you have a disability.
• Enrol: There will be a process of enrolment
that you will need to follow, this will ensure
that you have things like a university IT
account, an email address etc. After this
you should then be able to register for the
university course modules you want to
take.
• Organise your finances: First, you should
make sure you set up a bank account
if you have not already. You can often
get great student bank accounts which
offer incentives such as a young person’s
railcard, this will save you a lot of money
when you are travelling to and from
university.
• Budget: You should, by this point, have a
good idea of your expected income when
you are at university. You should learn the
costs of everyday items, thinking about
essential items like food and utilities, and
then luxuries like evenings out and clothes.
• Buy a Railcard: A 16-25 student railcard
is a worthwhile investment if it is not
something you have already. A railcard can
save you a third off your train travel. Once
you have made two or three journeys, you
may have saved what you would have
spent on buying the card.
• Join social media groups: You can also
start making connections with your
fellow students on social media. Most
universities will have social media groups
in place which they will invite incoming
students to. This is a great way to make
friends before you arrive, and it should
make the whole process less daunting.
• Start reading: Most institutions will have
a pre-reading list available before you
arrive. You will not be expected to read
everything, but you should get your brain
cells going again and prepare for the
workload that you can expect when you
start university.
• Learn to be self-sufficient: You should
prepare for certain life-skills that are
required when living away from home. You
may have never cooked, cleaned or done
your laundry before! The summer break is
a great opportunity to learn some of these
skills. You should at least know how to
cook two or three basic meals to help you
stay fit and healthy at university.
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