What to Do the Summer Before Uni: 25 Things
What to do the summer before uni comes down to four things: sort the admin (finance, accommodation, course registration), learn basic life skills (cooking, laundry, budgeting), find your people early through official group chats and society pages, and build the confidence to walk into a room of strangers on day one. Do those, and still leave plenty of time to just enjoy your last summer at home.
If your biggest worry about the summer before university is being the awkward one in freshers' week, Aura finds where your presence leaks and fixes it with one small move a day: Find my aura leak.
Practical things to sort (1 to 6)
The boring stuff first, because it causes real stress if you leave it to September.
- Confirm your student finance or financial aid. UK: check Student Finance England (or your nation's equivalent) has everything. US: double-check FAFSA and your aid package. Canada: check your provincial student aid.
- Accept your accommodation offer and read the contract dates.
- Register for classes or modules when your university opens it. In the US, popular classes fill up fast.
- Open a student bank account if you want one, and compare the perks.
- Sort your health admin. Register with a GP near uni (UK) or check your campus health plan (US and Canada). Pack any regular prescriptions.
- Make a packing list and buy things gradually. Bedding, a few pans, an extension lead, a doorstop (more on that later).
Things to know before starting university: you don't need to buy everything. Lots of stuff can be bought after you see your room and kitchen.
Life skills to learn (7 to 12)
Nobody's going to tell you to eat a vegetable once you leave. Practice now.
- Learn five cheap meals. Pasta bake, stir-fry, chili, curry, a big soup. Batch-cookable is the goal.
- Do your own laundry for the whole summer. Learn what can't go in the dryer.
- Make a simple budget. Rent, food, transport, going out. Try living on it for a month.
- Clean a bathroom properly. Your future flatmates will thank you.
- Book your own appointments (dentist, doctor, haircut). Phone anxiety fades with practice.
- Learn your new city's transport. Download the bus or metro app now.
| Skill | Practice this summer by... | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking | Making dinner twice a week | Saves money and makes friends in the kitchen |
| Budgeting | Tracking every spend for 30 days | Stops the October money panic |
| Laundry | Doing all your own | Avoids pink-shirt disasters |
| Phone calls | Booking your own appointments | Uni admin is full of calls |
Find your people early (13 to 17)
This is the part most lists skip, and it's the one people on Reddit threads about what to do the summer before college often wish they'd done.
- Join official group chats. Most unis have freshers or class-of-2030 groups, sometimes run by the students' union or accommodation. Check your uni's official channels and be careful with unofficial ones.
- Find your flatmates or roommate. Many halls let you see who's in your flat before you arrive. US colleges often reveal roommates over summer. Send a short message: "Hey! Looks like we're flatmates. I'm from Leeds, doing History. What are you studying?"
- Follow societies on Instagram. Pick 3 to 5 you'd try. Our list of the best uni societies to join helps you choose.
- Look for course group chats. Introduce yourself once, then join in naturally.
- Plan a first-week meetup. "Anyone want to explore the city on the first Sunday?" posted in the group chat makes you the person who starts things.
Don't overthink online first impressions. Friendly, short and a bit specific beats trying to be hilarious.
Build your confidence before day one (18 to 21)
Freshers' week, orientation and frosh are basically a week of walking into rooms where you know nobody. That's a skill, and you can practice it all summer.
- Practice walking into rooms on purpose. A café, a new gym class, a party. Pause at the door, look around, then walk in.
- Talk to one new person a week. A cashier, a coworker, someone at a summer job.
- Get a summer job if you can. It's the best confidence training there is, plus money.
- Sort your look. Not a whole new wardrobe. One outfit you feel great in for the first night.
The tricky part is you can't really see yourself. You don't know if you slouch when you walk into a party, or if your eye contact drops after one second. Guessing and overthinking all summer just makes it worse.
That's the step Aura does for you. Answer 16 questions and it pins down your leak (you shrink when you walk in, your eye contact slips, your look says nothing, your voice gets lost, your body gives you away, or you run on empty afterwards), then gives you a 14-move plan, one move a day, all summer. Find my aura leak
Fun things to do (22 to 24)
It's your last summer before everything changes. Enjoy it.
- Do a trip with your home friends. Even a day trip. You'll miss them.
- Make a "first-year playlist" for the drive or train down.
- Spend time with family, even the annoying bits. Homesickness is real, and these memories help.
The week before you go (25)
- Run the final checklist:
- ID, passport or driver's license
- Accommodation keys or pickup details
- Bank card and some cash
- Laptop, charger, extension lead
- Prescriptions and a basic first aid kit
- Bedding and towels
- A doorstop, so you can keep your door open in week one (see how to make friends in the dorms)
- Snacks to share on day one
- One outfit you feel confident in
If you're heading to a Canadian school, read our frosh week tips too.
Then sleep well, say your goodbyes and remember: everyone arriving is just as nervous as you.
Arrive at uni already knowing your leak
The summer before uni is the perfect time to fix the thing that makes you shrink in new rooms. In the next minute Aura asks you 16 questions, gives you an aura tier and a plan of 14 small moves, plus one-tap check-ins each night and a streak to keep you going. It's a one-time payment with nothing to cancel.
FAQ
What should I do the summer before university?
Sort your finances and accommodation, learn to cook a few meals and budget, join official group chats to meet flatmates and coursemates, and practice confidence in new situations. Leave plenty of time to relax with friends and family too.
What do people on Reddit say to do the summer before college?
Common advice includes getting a summer job, learning to cook and do laundry, reaching out to your roommate early, and not overpacking. Lots of people also say to enjoy your last summer at home instead of stressing.
How can I make friends before uni starts?
Join your university's official freshers or accommodation group chats, message your flatmates or roommate, and follow societies you're interested in. Suggest a simple first-week meetup so you have plans on day one.
What are things to know before starting university?
You don't need everything on day one, everyone is nervous, and friendships take a few weeks to form. Budgeting matters more than you think, and showing up to things regularly beats going to one big party.
How do I prepare for freshman year of college?
Confirm your financial aid, register for classes, learn basic life skills, connect with your roommate and practice meeting new people. Packing light and bringing a doorstop for your open door are both underrated.