How to Make the Most of the Summer Before University
04 July 2025 • 7 min read
This post is part of our "Next Stop: Uni" series which guides you through each week of the summer between finishing school and Freshers so you can start uni prepared and excited.
Next Stop: Uni by UniHomes
The summer before uni can seem like a scary time. What with anticipating new changes, getting ready to say goodbye to friends and family, and anxiously awaiting your A Level or BTEC results, sometimes it can feel like you’re just stuck in waiting mode.
But it doesn’t have to be this way! With exams out of the way and your newfound freedom now in sight, this is the perfect time to explore, to unwind, and to sit back and live in the moment. Your life is basically a coming-of-age movie now, and whether you fancy yourself Lady Bird or, I don’t know, Troy and Gabriella a lá High School Musical 3: Senior Year, there are so many different ways you can live life to the fullest before starting university. We’ve all “gotta go our own way” (yes, I know that’s High School Musical 2, but it just works), so we might as well make the most of it.
With the help of our UniHomes Content Ambassadors, we’ve put together a list of things you can do during this pre-uni period to get you feeling inspired and ready to seize the summer.
Take time to travel 🌍
Whether you’re getting a free holiday out of your parents (we all do it) or going on the trip of a lifetime with your mates, travelling is a great way to spend your summer before university.
Think about it; you finally get to relax after some very hectic few months, soak in some new cultures, eat great food, and get away from our not-so-impressive British summer. What’s not to love?
Need some inspiration? Check out our top budget-friendly summer holiday destinations for students, or see what Lara, our Newcastle Content Ambassador, got up to whilst travelling during her last summer before Newcastle University:
"In the summer of 2022, I went Interrailing around Eastern Europe with my school friends as a last hurrah before starting my first year at Newcastle University. Although I travelled with four of my best friends, most of our year group had similar plans – so we ended up crossing paths with familiar faces in various European cities.
We kicked off our adventures in Paris at the beginning of July, then caught a train to Amsterdam, where we stayed in a fourteen-bed mixed hostel dorm which smelled like feet and body odour. It was a humbling experience, to say the least. We ate pancakes, drank Heineken, and cycled around Vondelpark in the sun.
Next, we travelled to Berlin, where we attempted to immerse ourselves in the culture by visiting techno clubs and eating bratwurst sausages for lunch and dinner. Our following stop was Prague, where we fell in love with Duplex – a nightclub in the centre of town. After pulling an all-nighter, we headed to Vienna on no sleep, which did not serve us well when we arrived at our Airbnb to find it only had one double bed. We had to laugh through the tears.
Lake Bled was next on our itinerary, offering a relaxing retreat from the chaos of our previous endeavours. By day, we sunbathed and swam, and each evening we cooked for one another and drank wine in the hills. To contrast this serenity, we finished our trip with a bang by partying with our school friends at a festival in Tisno, Croatia, for a solid week. It was the perfect way to end our travels.
As you can tell, our trip mainly consisted of catching trains, eating local food and clubbing until early hours. The girls I went Interrailing with became my sisters, and our shared experiences have bonded us for life."
Build up your piggy bank 💸
The grind never stops. Between kitting out your upcoming uni digs and buying those all-important Freshers ‘fits, the extra money that a summer job brings can really help with the costs associated with moving away to uni for the first time.
It can be hard knowing where to get started when it comes to student jobs, though – check out our blog post on the best summer jobs for students, or read our guide to summer internships for students.
Here's what George, our Nottingham Content Ambassador, has to say about his summer before starting at Nottingham Trent University:
"The summer before I started NTU, I worked part-time in retail, mostly to fund my student kitchen dreams (which, spoiler: became pasta, pasta, and more pasta).
I spent evenings hanging out with friends, making the most of being back in my hometown before the move. I also tried – and failed – to learn how to cook more than two meals.
But mostly, it was about soaking up freedom, building anticipation, and occasionally panicking about Freshers’ Week outfits like it was the Met Gala."
Spend time with friends and family 🫶
It may be a no-brainer, but you’ll be glad for all the memories you’ve made with your loved ones once first term hits and you start missing all of your friends and family. Prioritise spending time with the people important to you, and consider taking photos of all your adventures together – your uni room decor will thank you.
Have a look at how Lucie, our Sheffield Content Ambassador, used her summer before starting at the University of Sheffield to spend time with all of her friends:
"The summer before my first year of uni was a chaotic but jam-packed one. Having finished my final A Level exams in the middle of June, I was left with 3 months to take up any extra shifts available at the local café where I worked to save up for the much anticipated Freshers’ week, as well as spending any free time with my friends from college and saying our goodbyes before we departed across the UK to our different uni cities.
Not to mention purchasing and packing all first-year essentials from pots and pans to new clothes and the best outfits to showcase in my first few lectures (I needed to make a lasting impression).
Despite spending the majority of my summer working and saving in preparation for the next three years that were awaiting me, I also made sure to put aside time for myself to have fun and experience freedom outside of the exams I had just suffered.
I attended a festival, various live music events, and parties (preparing me for the Freshers' week shenanigans) in addition to relaxing and taking time to enjoy the sun in the Lake District, sightseeing and spending time with my family before our September goodbyes.
It was a summer full of experiences to remember and carry with me into my new life that was soon to start at the University of Sheffield."
Pack your bags and get ready for uni 📦
We know, we know. Between packing, setting up your student bank account, learning to cook, and prepping for Freshers’ week, the list of things to do before uni rolls around can seem endless and overwhelming. But that’s where we come in.
Here at UniHomes, we’re kicking off the summer with a bang with our "Next Stop: Uni" series. With articles covering everything you’ll need to know before heading off to uni, we’ll take the stress and uncertainty out of the next few weeks, leaving you free to live summer to the fullest. No need to thank us.
Here’s a taste of what’s to come:
Whilst you’re out having fun in your new uni city, remember that UniHomes promotes responsible drinking, and any alcohol products featured within this article are for ages 18+.
The views and opinions expressed in these blogs are those of the UniHomes Content Ambassadors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of UniHomes. UniHomes accepts no liability for the content of these Student Blogs.
