You’ve got your place at uni. Now what?

They day has finally come. You’ve got your results. You’re on your course, you’re heading to uni. Now what?  

Once you’re past the excitement of getting into the uni you wanted, it’s time to think about the next steps of your student journey. Some big changes are ahead, but if you start planning now, the journey doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here’s a quick guide on how to get ready for September.  

Consider where you’ll live 

If you haven’t already chosen, you should probably be quick to figure out where you’ll live – you don’t want to miss out on the best options and end up in the middle of nowhere.  

If you’re heading to uni in your hometown, you might choose to live at home. If you’re looking for a bit of a different student life now school and college are over, then you’ll need to find a place to live while you’re at uni.  

You’ve got a couple of options. You could rent privately, but you won’t get much in terms of student benefits. We suggest opting for what’s known as purpose-built student accommodation. These are homes designed with students in mind, with packages that benefit you when it comes to location, price and amenities.   

Choose what kind of room you’d like to live in  

Once you’ve set your mind on whether you’ll find a private rental property or head to ready-made student accommodation, you’ll need to figure out what kind of room you’d like.  

If you’re after a social buzz and don’t mind sharing a kitchen and living area, then an en suite room can give you a great-value option with enough privacy for getting ready and feeling at home. At iQ, you can even book with friends and share a flat and the uni experience with your mates. Your own bedroom, your own bathroom, with a shared kitchen and living space to have a laugh in. Plus – while you’re at it – you can take advantage of our refer a friend scheme. Grab cash when you refer a friend to iQ. They’ll also be rewarded, and you can invite as many friends as you like, earning you cash each time.  

If privacy and independence are your main focus, then renting a studio or apartment could be your best bet.  

Book your student room 

Figured out what you want? It’s time to book that room.  

Things move fast, so you’ll want to secure your student accommodation as soon as you’ve figured out where you want to be.  

At iQ, booking is easy. Once you’ve used the search function to find the accommodation closest to your uni, you can pick from the room types available and select the exact room you’d want using our interactive floor plans. From there, you’ll just need to fill in a few details and pay a booking fee. Then the room’s yours.

Create a budget 

You’ll likely have to show a lot more initiative than you’ve had to before when it comes to paying your own way. Whether you’re making use of a student loan, getting a job or relying on family, you’ll need to figure out how to manage your spend based on the money you have available to you.  

At iQ, we try to make this a little easier for you by giving you fixed rent on the prices you book, with bills included. That means you’ll know exactly what your outgoings will be when it comes to your living space and bills – something that can be a headache when you rent privately. With most iQ locations just a walk away from uni, travel shouldn’t be an expense, but if you need to take public transport, consider how much you’ll be spending on buses, trams or trains. 

Once you know your main spend each month (rent, travel, your phone bill, any subscriptions you have, etc), you can figure out how much money you’ve got left to play with when you take this away from your expected income. It might take a couple of months to figure out a good balance, so we reckon it’s a good idea to overestimate how much you’ll be spending just to be on the safe side.  

Plan for your move in day 

Booked your room? Know your contract start date? Plan when you’ll be moving in to your new place. Work out whether you’ll get by with a couple of suitcases or if you’ll need a car or van to help you out. At iQ, you can move in any time after your start date. Or, if you want to arrive early, you could book a summer stay and get ahead of the game.  

Prepare for uni and your course 

Uni can feel like a big step up. You’ve probably already looked at your course module when you were choosing what to study, but it might be worth refreshing your memory in case there’s anything that you might want to read up on before starting.   

This could be a good time to connect with others at your uni or on your course. You might be able to chat to other students through things like Facebook groups, where you can plan a get together or find others that might be living in the same accommodation as you. Knowing someone else on your course can make the first day at uni a lot less scary.  

You may also want to prepare for living alone for the first time. Learn to cook, do your laundry or plan a proper food shop to make the big step feel a little smaller.  

Plan what to bring 

If you choose to move somewhere like iQ, furnished rooms mean the essentials for living are there, and plenty of storage means there’s lots of space to bring the things you need for the student life you want.  

You won’t need to bring everything from back home.   

We’ve built a handy checklist of all the things you’ll need before you move in to iQ, which can give you a bit of an idea of what you might need to buy before your big move.  

Think about ways you’ll get involved 

Uni can be a great place to discover yourself. By getting involved with new things or joining clubs to meet likeminded people, you’ll get the most out of the university experience and give yourself an outlet to take away from some of the stress that can come for your studies.  

Is your uni holding a freshers’ open day for their societies? This can be a great day to find out what societies, clubs and sports are on offer at your uni – and you’ll also be able to grab a tonne of freebies from both clubs and big companies that also offer great discounts to students.  

If you choose iQ, your accommodation will also run exclusive events and iQ Clubs which will help you to find your people. Onsite social spaces make it even easier to meet other students and relax in your downtime, just outside your doorstep. 

Celebrate & relax 

With all the little (and big) things sorted, make sure you don’t forget to put some time aside to keep up the celebrations. Celebrate all the hard work you did. Catch up with your mates. Get excited about the journey ahead. You’ve made it.  

Ready to take that next step? 

If you haven’t yet organised a place to live, now’s the time.  

Start your search by uni and find the place that’s closest to class. 

Search now