Moving in August, planning suggestions?

I'm still in a bit of disbelief that I have this chance, but here I am. I'll be moving to the UK in August on a student Visa, just received my visa approval today and will be studying at Uni of Surrey (for an msc/business analytics). I am 37 and in many ways putting my life on hold to attempt to rebuild my life in the UK. I have been made very aware that there are no guarantees of finding a job to stay long term via the SWV route, but I'm going to try.

All that said, I'm trying to finalize what I need to do to be ready to move. Am I missing anything major? Anything else I should consider? My partner is English so I do have some local support to rely and help before I'm there.

1. Housing: I'm looking to rent a flat in Guildford or potentially Woking. I won't have a car and plan to find a place that is in walkable/public transport distance to get to and from campus relatively easily.

Woking as a whole seems cheaper to rent in and close enough for a quick train. I've already begun looking on Zoopla/Right move and plan to reach out to the places available starting in June for a move in date of August of September.

(Side note but I have visited both, not for extensive periods of time, but I am at least a little familiar with them).

2. Bank Accounts/Finances: I'm planning on maintaining a Chase checking/savings account + US HYSA. I will have a year's worth of rent/expenses in USD but...given how things are right now and probably will continue to go, I'm not sure if this is worth rethinking of actually converting this all to GBP and a normal UK savings account. I'm really not sure the best way to handle this or best places to find advice.

3. Phone: Is Google voice still the best option for maintaining my US number? I've used Vodafone esims when traveling in the past and assumed I could do something similar for my move.

4. US address: Another big I don't know what to do here. To put it simply, I don't really have family in the US. I have friends who would be happy to let me use their address as my US residence but I'm not sure if there's a better alternative.

5. Pet transport: Already reviewing best options for bringing my cat with me - cargo transport vs flying to Paris then train/pet taxi to the UK. (overwhelming still, but I've found a lot of sources for advice/options).

6. UK job: I know I can work a max of 20hrs/week on my visa. I already have many years of experience but I'm not sure that will count for much. I'm trying to determine if it's possible for a company I've worked with in the past (US based but has a UK office) to hire me for a limited contract, but need to do more research into the nuances of the work allowance on a student visa.

7. Owning and belongings: I've begun organizing sell, donate, move lists. Any recommendations for parcel shipping companies would be great. I'm not looking to move furniture but I have some non-clothing necessities that I will want to bring with my luggage and other things I'd rather ship.

What else should I consider/add to my planning lists?