The first few weeks after graduation can sometimes feel like you're being sent out into the world and suddenly expected to be a fully fledged adult. Honestly, it's nowhere near as cut and dry as that, and I definitely view it as much more of a period of transition. With that being said theres definitely a few simple and practical steps you can take to get things rolling after graduation and feel like you have your life a little more together.


1. Refresh That Student Discount

Some people don't realise that you can hang onto your student discount often for a couple more months by refreshing your student status on UniDays while you still have access to your university email and portal. This gives you access to a whole host of amazing discounts and deals and it won't cost you a penny, rather it will end up saving you a few coins in the post graduation period.

If you've left it a little too late for this you could also trying purchasing in a NUS card (now renamed a Totum Card), this will mean an initial investment as these cards aren't free but this could be another simple way to ensure another year or two of student savings.


2. Rate Your Landlord

Now this isn't something that will benefit you directly, rather it's more a way of 'paying it forward' to future students and providing your expertise in an area which causes a lot of stress. The University of Birmingham has recently partnered with student focused property website Marks Out Of Tenancy (https://www.marksoutoftenancy.com) to create a platform which allows students to review their houses and landlords.

This wasn't a service which really existed when I was looking at houses for Second and Third year, and I can't help but think what a huge help this would have been at the time. A simple search on here is enough to show you which landlords to avoid like the plague and save you a whole years worth of stress. You can choose to leave an anonymous review if you wish, so there's no reason to worry about contributing to the database. So go on and do future students a favour by reviewing your past landlords, I'm sure we can all agree that this platform will be giving students a huge helping hand with future house hunts.

3. Sell, Donate and Ditch

By the time you've finished your third or fourth year of University its very likely that you'll be coming away with a completely different set of kitchen and housewares than you arrived during freshers with. It's easily done, picking up the wrong cutlery here and there, the random mugs you've collected at freshers fairs and the crockery that somehow got chipped. The end of university is just as much of a fresh start as starting university was, so what better time to spring clean your life and ditch the things you no longer want or need.

Bonus tip: Vacuum pack bags will be your best friend when you're moving between university and the next place you'll call home, bulky items like duvets, towels and winter clothes can be squashed down to a fraction of the size and stored away until you next need them. I only wish I had started doing this sooner as its honestly a game changer.

4. Get Financially Savvy

Now this will mean something different to everyone, for some it could mean clearing your student overdraft, while for others it could mean setting up a designated savings account or trying to improve your credit score. Whatever it means, leaving University and (most likely) entering into full time work is a golden opportunity to get your finances in order. Of course, things are bound to be a little different, after all you won't be receiving a student loan anymore and there may well be some new expenses you didn't have before such as Council Tax so its important to take these things into account before you go blowing your first graduate paycheck.

If all this leaves you feeling a little overwhelmed then there are plenty of free resources which break down the world of finance, my personal favourite being 'Go Fund Yourself' an Instagram page and blog which breaks down everything from debt to investments and home ownership in an engaging and easy to understand way. Best of all, it's completely FREE, what's not to love?

5. Save and Back Up Your Uni Files and Important Paperwork

I had never really given this much thought until I started receiving daily emails telling me that my university account was going to be deleted in 14 days. Every assignment I'd ever submitted along with the corresponding feedback, online lectures and supplementary reading were all soon to be deleted. So, if like me you're feeling a little precious about the last three years of hard work then take the chance to download and store all your important files before you lose access to them for good. This is especially important if you're thinking about further study as you may well need previous feedback for future assignments.

Similarly, make sure to collect and safely store your academic transcript and proof of your qualifications, from your degree right down to GCSE and A Level, along with your passport and birth certificate, as you may well be asked to provide original copies of these at job interviews.


So, there you have five simple things you can do after graduation to get your life together. These may not be the most riveting tasks in the world but I can assure you that your future self will thank you for it later. In the mean time, make sure you take time to savour the moments after graduation; travel, gain experience, spend time with family and friends before the realities of 'adult' life come knocking.