What to do between A Levels and starting university?

[redskydarknight]

(Wasn't sure which forum to put this in, but thought this might attract posters with useful ideas)

So ... DD has finished her A Levels and now has 3 months to fill before she (hopefully) starts university in September.

She is going away on holiday with us and also away with friends.
She will continue with her part time job and has also said that she will cover others' shift if needed.

I am sure there are both practical things she could/should be doing and maybe some things she can do just because she has a lot of free time and not much to fill it.

So interested to know how other DC fill the long holidays between exams and starting university?

Hi OP, I basically upped my hours at my job to full time to earn as much as possible before starting uni because everything costs a fortune! My textbooks were £310 and when you first start if you want to join any societies/clubs lots of them take payment upfront so the extra money came in handy!

Is there any volunteering she could do? DD volunteered at the Cancer Research shop.

Get her cooking meals so she is confident in kitchen and also check other basics, washing, sewing repairs, researching money management.But upping the part-time job and any other ways to make cash and also researching and then shopping for what she needs for uni. Mine got a lot from going to charity shops so enjoyed doing that and found some really nice stuff ie she didn’t need a full set of anything so the odds and sods of crockery she found were perfect

What does she think?
What are her friends doing?
She will need money, lots of it, when she's at University so a boring, sensible thing to do would be to ask her employer for more hours, or perhaps find another job so that she can save up for her new life away from home.
However, most young people use this time to have fun and enjoy themselves, and who are we to dictate how they behave?
My own daughter got an evening job in a pub. I can't say I was too happy about her choice but it certainly helped eek out her loan and taught her some valuable lessons in making ends meet.

That post-A level summer feels like a long time at the start, but with holidays and work it will fly by!

Increase her hours
Take a First Aid course
Learn life management skills

My dcs worked managed to get jobs - 1 did about 15 hours per week, the other did a bit more as wanted more money.

Dd1 went on a weeks holiday with friends. DD2 didn't. They socialised .

I'm not sure what you imagine she should be doing?

Work as much as she can at minimum wage jobs so she really values what uni could bring.

Have as much fun as possible!

I'm not sure what you imagine she should be doing?

I don't imagine she should be doing anything. I'm perfectly happy for her to have fun with her friends before they go off in many different directions and just enjoy a bit of stress free freedom.

She was musing herself about what she could do over the next few weeks/months and I wondered if anyone had any great suggestions.
She's decided for herself that she wants to earn as much money as she can, hence the asking for more shifts at work, and is pretty good on the life management type stuff already.

At the residential summer school that I work at (international kids 8-17) all our activity staff are 6th form or uni students. Most come back year after year whilst at uni.

So, most carry on working definitely.

I’ll be encouraging my dc to earn as much as possible to help through uni and doing some travel (sounds like she’s got that covered). Some courses have pre reading lists too.

DD has a really strong work ethic about school work.... but unfortunately way less invested in looking/applying for jobs.
I ask her to do a couple of jobs at home (eg hoover the lounge or hang a load of washing out) and have (very strongly) encouraged her to volunteer at a charity shop that is looking for volunteers

It sounds like she has a good plan already.

My DD hasn't finished yet, one to go on the 20th but she will be going on a couple of holidays and other than that mainly working at her punting job, its seasonal pay and she earns a lot in the summer. She will see her boyfriend and friends. Hopefully at some point she will clear the metre high floordrobe and gym equipment on her floor but not overly optimistic for that. I think she will buy some things for university. She's already very good on practical things like cooking, sewing, doing own washing etc, think its useful to know how to cook a few meals and use a washing machine. Mainly its just relaxing, travel and earning money. She might also learn to drive over the summer.

Some courses have pre reading lists too.
Oh yes - do check this out as they may not send them out, and just make them available on the website. We realised a bit late that DD's course had a pre-reading list and it was a bit of a scramble in September to get it all done.

If any student holding an offer from us asks me this I always advise them to earn as much money as possible because it will make the experience of being at university much more comfortable. However, taking some time to be young & free is great, too, if you can afford it.

What course will she be doing? (Sorry if you've already answered this.) Sometimes it can be worth reading a bit around some basic aspects that haven't been touched on at A-Level.

this is what my daughter and I have discussed-

Practice cooking easy meals and copy out any favourite recipes from home into a notepad to take

Download a budgeting app and start to think about weekly budget (research costs at uni like laundry/ buss pass/ shopping list)

de clutter bedroom and clothes (sell on vinted) and get rid of stuff they don’t want in readiness to make packing easier

make a list of stuff to take to uni and research / start to buy things they will need

research and choose what student bank account to apply for

Work as many hours as she can to get extra funds. University is expensive.

Work as a poll clerk in a polling station for general election? About £250 and good experience.
Mine is having holiday with us and then with friends. Going to 2 festivals. Working in her pt job/taking extra shifts. Sorting room/declutter/vinted.

OP your DD sounds very much like my DD so already has a great plan.

DD is the sort who likes to ‘do’ things otherwise feels it is a waste. She is now in Y1 at Uni.

She got an enormous bag of her sixth form smart clothes she won’t need until job interviews and exited them out of her wardrobe which is quite small and they went up in the loft, it was just one day of sorting and tidying but mentally helped her with that transition.

She loves a spreadsheet and put a budget together for Uni likely expenses

she went back to her school in September to help with uni interview and exam practice.

good luck to your daughter

Learn to type properly and to use Word, Powerpoint and Excel well.

Work! ( my daughters working in a nursery) and travel( going to Thailand with friends).

Mastering food shopping- so many uni towns supermarkets in September are rammed with bemused packs of students wondering where on earth to find things….

Touch typing is a very useful skill, perhaps see if there are courses near you.

She has already got a job, let her relax. Just remembering my post A level summer , wonderful unstructured time. I read books, swam in reservoirs, walked the dogs, had sex and got drunk. I am sure my mum tried to get me to do productive things but I don't remember that. I had worked very hard for my A levels , so maybe a summer of free time was my reward.