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Secondary education

2015 university open days

398 replies

hellsbells99 · 07/06/2015 17:37

So, following on from the year 12 thread, here is our open day visits thread!

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hellsbells99 · 07/06/2015 17:39

Where did you visit last weekend eatyourveg? You didn't sound like it would be one of the chosen ones.

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AtiaoftheJulii · 07/06/2015 18:19

Ok, here's dd2's for modern languages:

Went to Leeds last year with dd1. Loved it, great city, course very appealing but not perfect.

Went to a masterclass in Cambridge in February, included admission information. Briefest of looks round the city. Going for another two days for www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/outreach/experience-cambridge . Likes the course.

Going to Newcastle and Durham at the end of the month. Newcastle's course appeals more than Durham's.

Leaving any others until September I think. Possibly Cardiff, Exeter.

Leeds2 · 07/06/2015 18:19

My DD has only booked two so far; Bath on 18 June, accompanied by me, and Bristol on 20th, with her friend.

Dunlurking · 07/06/2015 19:37

Well done for starting the thread hellsbells. We have 3 involving a night away - Warwick (June), Surrey (July) and Exeter (sept). Then Newcastle (June) is with school, Durham (June) is a day trip. Also planning Bristol (probably another night away), Birmingham and Leeds in the autumn. Are we overdoing it?

bruffin · 07/06/2015 19:56

Went to Oxford Brookes yesterday. First one for dd and she loved it. Liverpool in two weeks and UEA in July.

MrsUltracrepidarian · 07/06/2015 20:06

Thanks for starting the thread!

Imperial 25th, Cambridge 2 July, UCL 3 July....

Katkat50 · 07/06/2015 21:15

We live in N Ireland so that does have its ups and downs....
DS's school used to do a 3 day trip to the Scottish Universities and a flying visit to Newcastle. This stopped the year before my ds would have gone, so I was a bit annoyed tbh. It just means that good old-fashioned prospectuses and the internet were his main research tools. He narrowed down his choices with some help from me for general information, and I told him we'd wait till he got offers and then make a few trips.
However, he got a Sutton Trust place in Durham and that is now his firm (Fingers crossed for August).
I would love to have done a bit of exploring with him, but obviously cost and time are big factors, so it just focuses the mind a little more sharply.
Apart from Queens in Belfast, he hasn't seen anywhere else, not even his second choice! But as far as dh is concerned, 'it will all be grand'

Coconutty · 07/06/2015 21:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Leeds2 · 07/06/2015 21:38

Could you send a begging email, Coconutty? Might be worth a shout if they aren't full.

Narvinectralonum · 07/06/2015 22:30

DD1 has already been to open days at the guildhall, RCM and Trinity Laban. And she's done an outreach day at Cambridge. Going back to Cambridge for the open day in July. She did have an open day at York booked but has to change that. May try and visit Cardiff (the uni and the conservatoire) and the RNCM. But may not.

hellsbells99 · 08/06/2015 00:08

We looked at universities last year with DD1, so DD2 has been to Nottingham, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, UEA, and then DD1 and I also did Bath & Cardiff. This year, DD2 will probably be going to Oxford, Cambridge masterclass, Durham, Leeds, Sheffield, York and possibly Bristol. Gosh that sounds a lot! DD2 is also saying she cannot really remember last year's visits as they all seem to roll into 1.....

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Dunlurking · 08/06/2015 08:20

Narvinectralonum I am hoping we don't end up going down conservatoire route for dance or musical theatre/drama. I am following your progress with interest, having no idea of the process. Were the conservatoire open days alot earlier in the year?

We are going to Surrey open day to see GSA's musical theatre and actor musician degree courses, which are at least UCAS, but ds would definitely have to have a year off if he wanted to go for drama school auditions.

jeanne16 · 08/06/2015 08:22

My DD missed most of the university open days and just went up to visit the relevant university towns on other days. This actually worked quite well because you get a feel for the place that way and you can read up about the course online. In fact, in some ways it is better as you don't get the massive crowds.

horsemadmom · 08/06/2015 08:42

Went to Exeter on Saturday to look at English. Nice campus. Expensive accommodation . Underwhelming (!) course.

Narvinectralonum · 08/06/2015 09:25

Dunlurking well, the ones she has been to have happened, yes. The Guildhall one was last autumn. The next one for her instruments won't be till after deadline day.

Narvinectralonum · 08/06/2015 09:28

Horsemad - is it underwhelming? The people I know who read english there (admittedly a while ago) have done VERY well for themselves. But it was quite some while ago.

Millymollymama · 08/06/2015 10:29

Employers will not worry too much about the content of an English course, Narvinectralonum. This is why your friends have done well. I think course content satisfies the student, rather then an employer when it comes to English. Will an employer ever ask "Tell me about your study of contemporary Amercian literature"? Exeter was a total bunfight when we went. A waste of time and more parents than students!

If anyone cannot fit in all the Open Days (our school limited it to 3 days off school), then you can visit privately. There are advantages to this. There are no hoardes of people queing up to see things.

I think prospective students should be able to reduce the list to about 5 universities. 6 or 7 sounds too many. If your DC wants a particular course content, go with that. If they are more flexible about the course but want a city university, and not a campus, go with that. Also, courses change. Lecturers go on maternity leave, change jobs, take a sabattical, go abroad, retire etc. You cannot assume a course will stay as it is at the moment, especially with options.

Narvinectralonum · 08/06/2015 10:42

Milly - the people I am thinking of do not have 'employers' as such. They have become successful writers/theatre practitioners (and no I'm not thinking about JK. I don't think she read English, actually).

TheWoollybacksWife · 08/06/2015 10:53

Would any of you advise booking open days for September/October for a new year 12 pupil? DD2 has a medical condition that means she should try to minimise stress and pressure and she was thinking that she should do open days in early year 12, so that she could avoid trying to make choices from a wide range of options and fill in her UCAS form at the same time. The possible disadvantage being that unis may not yet be geared up for 2017 courses yet, I suppose. Can you think of any other reasons why this may not be a good idea?

hellsbells99 · 08/06/2015 11:52

Hello Woolly. DD2 looked round a few at the end of year 11 and start of year 12 (as she went with DD1). I actually took her to look at a localish university of my own at the end of Gcses just to try and introduce the fact that she will be leaving home.
A lot of the open days clash so any early visits you can do are good particularly if it will then help to focus them on what they want to do.

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hellsbells99 · 08/06/2015 11:54

But she says she has forgotten some of the universities as they all roll into one ... And know wants to visit a couple. She has also changed her mind about the course she wants to do which again changes which universities are relevant.

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hellsbells99 · 08/06/2015 12:01

"And know wants to visit a couple" ....should say: "and now wants to revisit a couple again"

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Nonotthatagain · 08/06/2015 12:27

Have booked for DD2 to go Lincoln & Leeds college of Art as they seem to be the only ones that do the course she wants to do, apart from Falmouth & we missed their open day. Guess she'll have to look for alternatives.

TranquilityofSolitude · 08/06/2015 12:42

We've booked to go to Durham, Lancaster and Nottingham in a couple of weeks.

I am getting really worried about this because I think DD1 is feeling a lot of pressure to go to Durham. I went to Durham, as did my parents and in fact my Mum's parents went there too. My Dad loved his time there and has taken both of my DDs there to look around a couple of times. Sadly my Dad died last year. He and DD1 were very close and she has really struggled without him. I know if he were still here he'd be playing down the Durham thing now in case she doesn't get the grades (or offer) or likes somewhere else better. However, he isn't here and I'm worried that she feels she'll let him down. I've tried to talk about it but I don't think it's helping. I suppose we'll have to wait for August and see how she's done so far.

eatyourveg · 08/06/2015 12:57

ds opted for subject ranking over prestige/uni affiliation. It was/is a bottom tier institution hellsbells which is consistently in top 15-20 for his subject but which I felt didn't offer anything more than a medium/big secondary school with good facilities.

He's not an RG type so we are looking at middle ranking places which sadly don't often get a mention on here. I'm hoping there are others heading for Hull, Brunel, Sheffield Hallam and Northumbria who will post here after they've visited.

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