Looking forward to your last year at school? Make it amazing and get ready for your next steps to university with our five top tips.
Year 13 is going to be packed, exciting and potentially a little nerve-wracking, too! There'll be plenty of hard work and prep for exams, as well as some big decisions to be made about what to study at university and where to apply.
Read on to find out how you can get ahead this summer and start planning your university journey.
Contents:
- Get to know your subject
- Do some work experience or volunteer
- Make a start on your personal statement
- Book to attend Open Days
- Get a summer job
Get to know your subject
Use this time to really delve into degree subjects that inspire you. Think outside the box and look up all the other experiences involved in your chosen degree programme.
Find out what your top university choices do to really bring your subject to life. Explore how you could tailor your course with modules that fascinate you, or find out about options to work in industry or spend a year studying abroad.
Do some work experience or volunteer
Test out some future career paths by volunteering or doing a week of work experience. Many sectors take on interns and volunteers to help over the summer.
Think about organisations with connections to your degree subject or jobs you’d like to pursue in the future. Send them an email and see what they say! Even if your work experience only lasts a day, you might be surprised at how informative that turns out to be.
Make a start on your personal statement
Writing an amazing personal statement could be the very thing that earns you a place on your dream university course. It might be the first time you’ve written anything like this, and you need to get it right.
Make the writing process easier by starting to think about what you'll include and jotting down some bullet points in a notebook over the summer.
As you're making your notes, bear in mind that for 2026 entry UCAS are changing the way personal statements work.
Instead of having to condense all the things you want to say about your achievements and ambitions into a single essay, you'll be asked three questions:
- Why do you want to study this course or subject?
- How have you qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
- What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
The questions have been designed to give you a starting point to help build a standout statement, so use them to structure your notes.
Find out more about personal statements for 2026 entry here.
Book to attend Open Days
Students say visiting a campus is often the deciding factor in choosing a university.
An Open Day is an opportunity to really get a feel for a university campus and the vibe of the city or town. You'll get the chance to join specific subject sessions, go on a campus tour and visit undergraduate accommodation.
You'll also be able to explore facilties, find out more about the Students’ Union, and discover what sports and societies are on offer.
Get a summer job
Not only will taking on a part-time job over the summer give you some work experience for your personal statement, it’ll also help you develop personal skills for when you go to university next year.
Whether it's adapting to new challenges, spending time with new people, or building the confidence to make proactive decisions, a part-time job comes with the opportunity to learn lots of valuable life skills.
It’s also never too early to start saving for your life as a student. Working over the summer between Year 12 and Year 13 and banking your wages will help when it comes to funding all the exciting things you can get up to in a year’s time.
Making the most of the summer means you'll be in a great place to start Year 13. But, don’t forget to relax and see your friends too – you deserve it.
Discover the Newcastle experience: Our Undergraduate prospectus will guide you through our world-class degrees, the support you can benefit from, and our beautiful city-centre campus.