AS and A-Level results were published on Thursday , hopefully turning the majority of conditional university offers into guaranteed places and, as a result, heralding new chapters in school leavers' lives.
Whereas before their September plans were rooted in uncertainty, they now stand fixed and official: in just a few short weeks, they will be leaving the family nest – most likely, for the first time ever – and while excitement is palpable, so are the nerves.
Cooking, cleaning and coping with heavy deadlines all loom, not to mention the added question that troubles many Jewish pupils, as well as their parents: how will I uphold my religious identity in such unfamiliar surroundings?
With these and more experiences just around the corner, it can be useful for 18-year-olds to get a taster of what university life is all about. Step in Unifest 2015.
Listen:The JC Podcast - A Level results day 2015
For the second year running, the Pears Foundation has partnered with JW3 to offer Year 13 students the chance to get together with their peers – as well as first year university students – on September 10 for a busy day of undergraduate life.
With the help of UJS and UJIA, participants will join sessions that range from "Maximising time and minimising stress at university" to learning krav maga techniques as a way of "Keeping safe on campus".
Meanwhile, tips to help pupils tackle difficult conversations with their peers on the Middle East, as well as how to broaden their social action, will all be on offer at the Finchley Road community centre. And if they fancy themselves as cooking supremos, they can head to JW3's industrial kitchen for a presentation from Masterchef finalist Emma Spitzer. She will be on hand throughout the day to offer money-saving tips and tricks for culinary success.
"The aim of Unifest is to provide a fun and creative space that will help students to explore and prepare for all aspects of student life," said Trevor Pears, executive chair of the Pears Foundation. "From cooking on a budget through to being confident Jewish ambassadors on campus."
The "ambassadorial" side is important. This year, Unifest 2015 has selected five Jewish students from Jewish and non-Jewish schools to take an active role in the day as 'ambassadors' – they have been working with organisers to ensure the day is perfectly tailored to the needs of this year's cohort of freshers.
Natalie Roberts, 18 from Radlett, said she had signed up as an ambassador as "I thought it would be a great opportunity to get prepared for university and also help me address all my fears and worries".
The former JFS student, who is hoping to go to Nottingham University in September to study music, said that "while school prepared us for the workload", she is still lacking "some basic domestic skills" – confessing that "I still don't know how to work the washing machine."
She added she was "most nervous about making new friends, especially as I have been in the 'Jewish bubble' for so long".
Rob Angel, 18, from Pinner, has just finished his final year at Watford Grammar School for Boys. He will hopefully be taking up his place to study either economics or history at Bristol University in September.
He said he was most looking forward to "meeting new people and living in area", but added that "serious preparation is needed for budgeting, as well as the obvious preparation needed to deal with the extra workload at university".
His co-ambassador, Emily Barnett, who has just left JFS, said she did not think students were well-equipped to leave for university.
The 18-year-old from Edgware, who will hopefully be going to Sheffield University to study biochemistry, said: "I think that coping with stress, time management, balancing school and life and also being able to study independently are the areas that school doesn't help to prepare you for."
Tickets for Unifest 2015 can be bought online at www.jw3.org.uk/unifest. To claim your discount, use the promo code "JCnews" at checkout.
