Yes, Dick is right that the clock starts ticking with your first exam. So no problem having manuals sitting around... until your first exam, and after that you need to knuckle down and get the rest done. The only other problem with having manuals sitting around is that they go out of date as the syllabus changes or feedback is received.
Not sure about using uni notes for ATPLs or ATPL notes for uni. My degree was not aviation-related, but speaking to people who I did my brush-up course with who did have formal training in an aviation-related area, what they teach you for ATPLs is over-simplified in many cases, and plain wrong in others, and knowing the "real" way certain things work can be a disadvantage sometimes. So I'd keep the two separate, personally.
FFF
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