The Boring Stuff

Now that your place in University has been confirmed there's a lot of stuff that you're going to need to sort out, and it can be quite overwhelming and scary at first. But the majority of Universities are very organised and will help you along the way so that you don't miss anything and do everything that you need to.

One of the first things you can do though is to log on to your student finance and change the name of the University you are attending (if it is different to the uni you have put down originally).

By doing this straight away, you ensure that you're going to be able to secure an appropriate loan for your stay at University, after all, you have to pay to go there. In the next few days or weeks student finance should send you a letter detailing exactly how much and in what size instalments you will be paid your tuition and your maintenance loan. A bit boring, but it's vital I'm afraid.



Once you've got that sorted you can start thinking about where you're going to live! If you have decided to live at home and commute then you're sorted for this section but if not, the rest of you are probably either living in student accommodation which is attached to your uni of choice, are getting a flat with your mates or if you're lucky enough, getting a flat of your own. Either way, now that your maintenance loan has been confirmed you will be able to more solidly confirm rent payments with your accommodation carrier.

If you have applied for student accommodation as I have myself, you should receive an email soon after your acceptance offering you a place at your chosen site or another similar location. Keep an eye out for the email to see where you will be living! I don't know what it will be like for other Universities but at my chosen uni I was asked to log in to the website above and confirm that I wanted the place and then confirm a payment method. I am also assuming that for most other accommodation types a similar procedure will have to be followed.

Finally, over the next few weeks there may be many different things that you need to confirm (such as university email accounts, key release forms and student identification applications) so again, log onto your email every day to check if your University has sent anything and complete it promptly so that you don't forget. It also helps if you print off all of the email confirmations and documents that you may need and organise them in a folder or plastic wallet of some sort, after all, moving in day is probably going to be hectic and it helps if you know where everything is. This is my folder!

All that should be left to do after that is check on the uni website about when you can move in/start classes and what time you can go as well as any entry procedures you need to follow on the day. Next step is actually going! Scary...

Extra tips:

Now that you are going to be dealing with a lot more money than you are probably use to it's worth going to your bank and booking an appointment to talk about your options with someone. I did this and managed to get a student account, perfect for, well, students, and got my very first savings account!

Also, if you are like me and you're 'living in', your maintenance loan may only just cover the cost of your rent and bills so, unless your parents have offered to help you a little bit with finances, it's essential that you start looking for a job as soon as possible. Make sure your CV is updated and you have any reference letters from previous jobs handy, I've applied for some and haven't heard back yet but wish me luck...

Finally, I'd urge you to check out what your University is doing by way of a fresher's week because they're a great way to break the ice and also probably help to curb the home sickness the first week. You may have to buy a ticket for freshers week or simply just pencil in a couple of events into your diary, for me, I was sent this letter: 

I hope everything goes smoothly for you and you get to University without any problems! 

Getting Started With Univeristy

So by now the A Level students of 2014 have got their results and know what they're going to be doing with their life for the next couple of years. Exciting isn't it?

Well, it's both exciting and terrifying and as an A level student fresh out of college I thought I'd share my experience along the University journey and beyond, if only to ease a few minds for the following years leaving students.

First things first lets start where it all begins, at results day. You've googled about the procedure on the day, you've had advice off your teachers and friends but it doesn't stop your mind whirring thinking about the day ahead and whether everything will go smoothly or not. But don't worry, if you've worked hard then there's no reason why you can't get into your first choice University, and if not, that's what your insurance choice is for. And even still, if that doesn't work out it's not the be all and end all! You can still get a place in another University through clearing or get a job or even just apply again a year later, the possibilities are endless.

(Disclaimer: I can only use my personal experience and those of my friends to explain the procedure on the day, this may not be the same for everyone.)

So if you're venturing onto this post you are probably already very familiar with the UCAS website and the way it works, the day before results day all of the UCAS application forms on the website (www.ucas.com) will be unavailable until around 8AM the day of the big event, sometimes this will be moved to earlier but if not just be patient. Go to sleep and set your alarm for 8 so you can log onto the UCAS website and see if you've got into University.

Now again, I can only speak for personal experience but if you've successfully secured your place at your firm choice this is what the website should look like for you, and I'm assuming this is what it will also look like if you got into your Insurance choice instead. If this is the case for you, you need to click the button that says 'View your confirmation letter'

Just in case, print this letter off so that if your college needs confirmation of your University attendance then you can just whip this out without the hassle of printing everything off in a rush. Now, if this is the case for you then congratulations, you got into University! Today's going to be a lot easier for you now, you can go back to sleep if you want or go and get your results straight away (like I did!). 

If you unfortunately didn't get into either of your Universities, don't panic! But you can't really go back to sleep right now, it's best to get to college straight away so you can snag the best clearing place possible.

Next step is to go to college and get those results, prepare some tissues either way because either you or someone around you may need them, it's a very emotional day. Your college will probably make it very clear when you are allowed to come and get your results and where to go, so relax, get in line and collect your hard earned qualifications. 

This is what my results looked like, very pink and important. Don't be afraid to smile if you got what you wanted, you earned it, and if not, you tried your very best and that's all anyone can ever ask of you. Your college will then tell you where to go to either confirm that you got into Uni or to go through clearing and they'll guide you through the procedure.

Clearing usually involves looking at what course places are left at what universities so take your time, make sure the university is somewhere you want to go and the course is something you want to do then call up the uni, keep calm and negotiate a place for yourself. There are sometimes apps that let you access the complete list of clearing spots across the country so look out for those the day before the big day, UCAS usually has a list on the website as well.

Now that all of the boring stuff is out of the way, it's time to celebrate! You're taking the biggest step forward that you ever have in your life, so many opportunities are going to open up to you and I guarantee you're going to have a great time so get excited and enjoy it.