Summer work
A realistic Guide to life at UCLan - written by students!
By Sophie Ames, 3rd Year, BA (Hons) Journalism
So you have decided that you are going to university and you have finished you’re A-levels but it’s only May and you have four months to wait?
Well, don’t worry because there are lots of great opportunities you can get involved with, that will make the time fly by. To be prepared for university life it would be a good idea to save some money so you have a bit behind you. But you don’t have to do this by working in a mundane job.
You could apply for jobs in your field, if you can get paid that’s great but otherwise you could volunteer to help out in your spare time instead. This will show that you are keen and it will mean you gain invaluable experience. As well as a new challenge, it would also be a chance to get a head start on your course and enhance your CV.
For many of you university will be the first time you have lived away from home so travelling would give you a great chance to gain independence and cultural experience. Your summer is a chance to do something different and there are many ways that you can do this. You could choose to work abroad so you have money to travel or to save for university. You might think that you would only be able to do this in a gap year but there are lots of prospects overseas for temporary workers. You could teach, volunteer, work on a summer camp or in a bar or restaurant. Alternatively you could go backpacking to the places that you have only dreamed of going.
Alice Craig, a third year Sports Coaching student at UCLan, has taught football in America over the past two summers. She said: “It’s one of the best experiences of my life I wouldn’t change anything for the world. I have made great friends that I will always keep in contact with.”
Joining a sports team or society is a great way to make friends so try out some of the activities available at university before you arrive in September. This way you will get an idea of the clubs that you would like to get involved with.
If last summer ran away with you and you didn’t manage to do something new and exciting then start thinking towards next year so you can plan or apply early and get the most out of the months you have away from university.