OK, so school’s nearly out - at least, the A-Level season is coming to an end. And then what?
For some students, it's time to grab a backpack and go west, seeking fame and fortune. Or, more likely, fly south for the mating season.
All well and good, and probably much deserved, but heading to the right uni at the end of the summer requires a clearer head than many people will be having in the near future.
There are certain matters that have to be sorted out, such as ordinary applications through Ucas Track - deadline June 30th - when students can list five course choices and wait to receive offers. At which point they've got until July 25th to make their firm and insurance choices from the offers they receive.
A-Level results day is August 15th (a Thursday, if you haven't already checked), and if last year was anything to go by, pessimists amongst us will be expecting another Ucas system meltdown that afternoon as the Clearing process starts allocating students without offers to degree courses still with vacancies.
And then, of course, there's the small matter of finding somewhere to live. This year, the government has made colleges and universities list local accommodation options - and their prices - to make that decision a lot easier to make than having to traipse round the area and hope for the best.
There's also Adjustment, where students with great grades (or who've done better than predicted) have the option of switching to other courses.
But let's not forget an essential part of the whole university scenario: student finance. We're long past the main application deadline for loans and grants, but it's still possible for students to fill in the appropriate forms and send them in because they can do so up to nine months after the start of term.
So even though school may well be out, there could still be a lot of prep work to be done before relaxing on a beach somewhere with some mates and a bucket of the local brew.
But on the other hand, to those students who've got everything sorted out for their start at uni ... bon voyage!
