Moving from a life of education into the ‘real’ working world is a daunting thought for many students. There will be many changes in your life that can result from moving away from University and close friends. At UPSU we have put together a few little life hacks and tips to make the transition a little easier-
1. Save money. Keep hold of student discounts.
Keep a hold of your student discounts for 3 more years. If you buy an NUS Extra Card before you graduate you can get a 3 year card and you will hold on to those much loved student discounts. A 3-year card costs £32 upfront that works out as just 88p a month.
FIND OUT MORE
2. Save money on travel.
Train: Renew your Young Persons travel card for 3 years. It costs £70 and saves you over 1/3 on train travel. FIND OUT MORE
Bus: National Express 3 year card £25 FIND OUT MORE
3. Check if you are entitled to any benefits
Leaving Uni could mean you are entitled to some benefits. Speak to the UPSU Advice Centre to find out what benefits you can claim after graduating and when you should claim them.
4. Be careful if you are going on holiday
Bear in mind that the University exam resit week, for most undergraduates, is from 21st to the 25th August (check your Faculty for referred coursework dates) before you book that all exciting holiday in the sun.
5. Look into graduate bank accounts
The days of having a student account interest-free overdraft are coming to an end! Make sure you check the repayment conditions, especially looking at how long you have to pay it off before incurring interest charges. Most of the high street banks will give you between one and three years to repay your student overdraft. Money Saving Expert has some good tips.
6. Get some career advice?
Use the Plymouth University Careers and Employability Service if you haven’t got a job yet. They offer students and graduates quality and impartial information, advice and guidance. Whether you are a student looking for part-time work or a graduate wanting to kickstart your career they can help.
7. Clean up your online presence
In this digital age you need to do more than just update your CV when looking for a job. Your online presence is now more important than ever (especially on social media sites such as Facebook). You’ll need to make sure that if an employer is looking for you online (which is now common and easy to do) that they either get a good impression of you or can’t access certain information or photos you’d rather keep private!
8. Don't forget about your Uni emails
Don't forget about your Uni email address. Keep an eye on your University email account over the summer to make sure you get up-to-date useful information.
9. Exams didn’t go so well?
If you don’t understand your transcript, have failed a module and want to know about appeals then look out appeal advice (www.upsu.com/advice/academic/appeals) The Advice Centre also provides impartial advice on a range of other academic issued, including academic offences and complaints.
10. What about your student loan?
The UPSU Advice Centre can also explain how your student debt will be recovered by the Student Loans Company. Drop in for a chat.