Every year at around this time, thousands of international students who had applied for a place to study at a UK university some months ago finally start to get their heads around the idea that in a few months they’ll be getting on a plane and setting out to start a new life–and get a great education–in a completely different country.

Now is generally the time when international students start to book their plane tickets, and sort out the necessary visa paperwork that’ll get them into the country. Many international students also make their final decisions about accommodation around now. With studying in the UK having for so many months seemed like a distant dot on the horizon and manifesting itself only in the form of UCAS statements and university websites, things now start to get real.

And with so much to be done, it’s no wonder that many international students start to feel a bit overwhelmed by what before had just made them feel excited. With so much to do in so little time, many international students only just manage to get the absolute essentials done to prepare for their arrival, such as the aforementioned tickets, visas and accommodation.

But although it’s tempting just to settle for getting yourself over to this island, like so many things in life your experience as an international student will be much improved–not just in terms of how your studies go, but also how much you enjoy life in the UK–if you get yourself organized and put in a bit of prep work.

So, if you’re an international student who’s just starting to get to grips with the big move, here are some tips we’ve put together to help you hit the ground running when you arrive, rather than just stumbling through your first months here.

Today’s tip: Brush up on your English and your subject at the same time

The majority of international students who come to the UK are native speakers, and many of these have also never studied in English before (as opposed to just taking English language classes). If you’re in this group, ask yourself this question: Do you feel ready for the challenge of listening to lectures, participating in seminars and writing complex coursework, all in English?

Actually, whether you answered yes or no to this question doesn’t matter. The fact is that whether you feel ready or not, you’ve really got nothing to lose–and a lot to gain–by spending the time between now and when you leave getting your English up to scratch. Because even if you aced the IELTS exams, if you haven’t been using English regularly before your arrival you’re going to be a bit rusty to start with, and probably also not prepared for the difference between how people speak English in a language classroom and how they speak it in real life.

So get onto Youtube and start watching videos in English; and get reading English-language websites and magazines right now. And what sort of things should you be listening to and reading? Well things about the subject you’ll be studying, of course! Not only will this help you to learn a lot of 100% relevant vocabulary, but it’ll also get you engaging with the subject you’ll be immersing yourself in later. Think of it as a virtual trial run for what’ll be thrown at you in a couple of months.