Before You Go...to University (or College): Your own 'personal' survival guide to leaving home and starting University (or College)

This book idea came about as our daughter was flying the nest and heading off to University. We wanted to give her a ‘Personal Survival Guide’ to leaving home for the first time and going to University. We spent ages trying to find a lovely designed, template type book that family and friends could fill with Love, Wishes, Practical Advice and even Recipes. We wanted a guide that would fill her heart (and tummy) with joy. But we couldn’t find one. The only University Guides we could find weren’t personal or designed based. They were general rough guides, telling you what to expect etc. They were written by people who had no idea who our daughter ‘was’ (like the fact she likes Cheese, but generally only when it’s melted over nachos)! So, we set about creating a brightly designed, templated type book with various headings and subjects to be filled in by loved ones, creating an individual (and also helpful) guide to leaving home and starting University. Our daughter’s book was filled in by lots of family and friends and handed to her as she was getting everything ready to head off on her big adventure. With other friends children heading off to University this year, we decided to publish this book and we hope they enjoy filling it in as much as we did (beware, it can get quite emotional….but in a good way). To the Fill – er – Outers… Mostly this book/journal should be filled in by you with anything you think will help them settle in, whether that’s Love, Advice, Recipes or what they could do if they’re feeling a little down. We’ve also put in a few useful general guides to help your loved one pack and get ready to go. There’s also pages for finance, important addresses, birthdays you may want them to remember and of course a space for an envelope to be stuffed full with wonderful photographs, so they can put them up all around their room. But mostly this book is about your loved one and let’s face it you know them best. Your love, advice and help will get them through that first year. We hope this book will be practical, helpful and of course individual, but also that it will be a wonderful gift and keepsake for years to come (I still have and use my student cookbook that I hastily copied from my mums recipe book many years ago). To the Leaver / University Starter…. We hope you love your book and find it not only helpful but comforting as well. Good Luck on your big adventure, you’ll be awesome x