5 reasons to stay at AXO over the summer
For a lot of students, it’s not uncommon to stay in their student accommodation over the summer months. There are multiple reasons for this; it could be that they have exams or resits, they may have a summer job, they want to participate in the summer school programme or they want the opportunity to do the things they couldn’t do during term time and explore their uni town or city properly.
The latter has never been truer than this year due to COVID restrictions, as students simply have not been able to get out and about to enjoy their surroundings. If this sounds like you and you’ve considered extending your stay with AXO this summer vacation, then read on!
More free time
The term has ended, your essays are out of the way and you no longer need to stress about coursework or exams. You suddenly have all the time in the world and with the easing of lockdown restrictions, you can finally enjoy your time off!
You can make the most of the cafés, restaurants, landmarks and museums that you’ve been dying to visit. Time for exploring the city and making memories you didn’t have the chance to make before. The added bonus is that by doing so, you support the local economy!
If you’re unsure of where to start when it comes to exploring your university town or city, then we suggest checking out their area guides. This is not the only option though as sites such as YouTube, Google and apps like Instagram and TikTok can suggest so many places to visit!
To gain work experience
Another popular reason to stay over the summer is to gain work experience or to just take advantage of jobs coming available due to the students who are leaving the city that previously held them. The chances are you may have not found the time to work while you were studying. Now that you have a more relaxed calendar you can look for a full-time job, this can either be because you want to gain work experience or simply to make some extra pocket money.
Building your CV before the academic year starts is something that you’ll thank yourself for later. Once you start looking for graduate jobs, you’ll notice that employers really value experience. As someone who has spent the last three years studying hard, this may not sound fair.
However, the job market is so demanding that this is an extra metric employers use to select their candidates, on top of qualifications. Even if your job isn’t relevant to the role you are applying for, it gives a good impression if you are, or have been, in employment, especially if you’ve been in the same role for a long time (such as the duration of your university studies).
However, employers will also take into consideration any extracurricular activity you’ve completed during your course. Volunteering shows good character, commitment to work will also go a long way with a hiring manager – it may be easier to secure a position as a volunteer too if you are struggling to find a paid role. To make sure you’re well equipped and even ahead of your peers, we suggest applying for work and gaining experience at every opportunity.
Enrol in summer school
Summer school is a short academic programme that students can attend at universities. A lot of students are keen on summer school as they offer a short but intensive learning programme. You can gain extra credit, deepen your understanding in a certain field, boost your CV, master new skills, and even learn another language!
Prepare for the next academic year
It doesn’t have to be boring, we promise! If you’re someone who likes to be well prepared for the academic year ahead then this will give your highly organised mind a treat. Staying in your student accommodation over the summer months will give you the time, peace, quiet and space to read the following year’s course material.
You’ll be able to access your university library which means you can read more than just the required reading and get a real head start. When it comes to essay writing it’s no secret that the more sources you include, the more credible your work will be, so these are things you can bank in advance and make the next year’s assignments more manageable and less rushed.
You might make new friends
The people you meet over the summer may be a different group to the friends you’ve made during the academic year. The community that stays is likely to have a similar motive to you or it might be a group of international students who are there for a study abroad programme. This not only means that you’ll meet like-minded people, but you may also make friends from all over the world (which is always handy when embarking on that post-university travelling).
A good way to find out who’s staying over the summer is to join Facebook groups; your university may have sent email communications to you all encouraging you to connect with one another and your halls of residence will most definitely have its own Facebook group – if not, then why not start one? Make the most out of your staycation and meet as many people as you can!
Hopefully, this blog has given you a better idea of why staying in your student accommodation over the summer might be a good option for you. Your Students Union will have a summer events planner so get in touch with them to find out more. If you’d like to get more information about staying with us then check out our short-term stays page, or feel free to send us an email.
