How critical are University Open days?

I think it has to "feel" right.

Yup, I agree with you two there. Being able to imagine yourself there is a big thing.

Dd1 was all about the ambience, lol. Dd2 was more concerned with the details of the course, narrowed it down to 2, and picked the city she liked best.

Oh, could be mums - I remember my dd putting a course down. But surely if you put an open day on there you'd just be laughed at!

To my mind, it's comparable to buying your first home.
Yes, you can read the Estate agent's blurb, you can ask for opinions of people who live near by, you can do a virtual tour on-line, but, I'd never buy a house without going to visit it and looking round. It's not necessarily clinically logical, but, if you are going to spend the next 3(+?) years of your life somewhere, then I think it has to "feel" right.

I've got 1 dc just finishing this year and 1 just starting this year, so have done the rounds twice so far, and it was fascinating to see how differently they responded to the places they visited. Obviously, they'd used the internet and prospectus, and sites such as push.co.uk and student reviews etc to narrow down where they wanted to look, but there is no substitute for going yourself to an open day, in choosing where you are going to live and study for the next few years of your life.
Don't forget, many others from the same 6th form, or from other friendship groups will be visiting the same open days - you can offer lifts to friends if you are driving, or your dc can get a lift of other friends if you aren't able - it all helps with the costs.

And in answer to the OP I think open days are pretty important. To see the different accommodation (some is lovely, some rivals a prison cell) and to understand the differences between the courses. Also to see the Uni and where you will potentially be working for the next several years. I personally could move into Bristol's library and never leave

There is a section my daughter just filled in where she put things like Headstart and Taster days so wonder if that's what's being referred to ?

That's not good, if the reference doesn't refer to good punctuality, attendance and contributions, then the reader is going to assume there is nothing good to say about the candidates punctuality, attendance and contributions.

Well, actually it turned out really well for both of them Maybe if there really isn't much to say about a student's academic prowess then such padding is more necessary.

Like I said, some universities specify that they don't look at the "activities in preparation" section.

Like I said, this section does not exist in the applicant's part of the UCAS form - maybe (trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here) it's given to the school as a suggestion of something to put in a reference??? Still waiting for you to link to universities' comments about it, anyway.

How academic is your next school? I feel like you might have quite a steep learning curve there!

I write loads of these references every year. Spend hours on them. So bit galling to be told by Admissions Tutor that they don't even read it - for medicine 😳. Has only been one Uni so far but did make me groan

some do some don't. Like I said, some universities specify that they don't look at the "activities in preparation" section. Some read personal statements, some don't.

More than three quarters of the weight of any UCAS application is the predicted grades, plus attendance and punctuality data.

Sometimes that is ALL that is looked at. But in other cases, the whole thing is examined.

I write loads of these references every year. Spend hours on them. So bit galling to be told by Admissions Tutor that they don't even read it - for medicine 😳. Has only been one Uni so far but did make me groan

worst case scenario, can't say anything at all about attendance, punctuality, contributions, commitment, development or scholarship, and have to resort to describing the school! This has happened. It also happens that not all references are the maximum length. Sometimes simply not enough to say.

If this is what you're writing as an academic reference and on the off chance you're real this is a great example of what NOT to write no, this is what we are asked for, along with academic strengths etc, and other things.

I know my dds' references were almost entirely academic, with maybe a sentence about 'contributions'. Ds's will have to be entirely academic, lol!

That's not good, if the reference doesn't refer to good punctuality, attendance and contributions, then the reader is going to assume there is nothing good to say about the candidates punctuality, attendance and contributions.

Does a good university candidate really need to be a 'contributor to school life'? Some of us were just good at the work and then went home to have a life.

That's fine, that is why students are interviewed individually by their referee. Some students contribute nothing in school, but plenty outside, and as long as i can verify it, that is just as valuable. Its about how active the student is in society, rather than specifically about the school.

In the past I have taken contributions from vicars, venture scout leaders, sports coaches, etc, all outside of school but all able to speak about the contributions an individual has made.

Jane has shown her commitment for making daisy chains, visiting 3 University daisy chain departments in the past few months. She attended lectures on both selecting the daisies, and on making the slit in the stem, returning to school excited and enthused by what she has learnt. She was able to explain clearly explain the most recent developments in petal counting to me, and supported her classmates by applying her new understanding to a group task and stem length"

If this is what you're writing as an academic reference and on the off chance you're real this is a great example of what NOT to write. It is however a great example of a personal statement.

I know my dds' references were almost entirely academic, with maybe a sentence about 'contributions'. Ds's will have to be entirely academic, lol!

Do you mean there's a section on it for the referee, User?
There wasn't a section on it when ds1 applied - just for results, predictions and personal statement

If that fresh horror awaits for dd, we'll have a think about it early.

Does a good university candidate really need to be a 'contributor to school life'? Some of us were just good at the work and then went home to have a life.

well, there certainly was last year, and different university websites still have guidance about how they want that filled

Very odd it's not mentioned in the UCAS website then, in all their help about how to apply.

Could you link to one of these university websites then?

Anyway, Tis, sorry for derailing!

I look forward to September's y12 thread

Filling in your UCAS form is done in your own time.

after the initial UCAS week, yes, although the best students will have finished it by the end of the week.

Except you think there's a section for "activities undertaken in preparation for your application" on the UCAS form, which there isn't

well, there certainly was last year, and different university websites still have guidance about how they want that filled, including a couple of universities which say they disregard that section!

most schools I know have UCAS time in June or July, after the year 13s have left. This is typically 3-5 days off lessons,

No schools I know, or have heard about on mumsnet, do this. Filling in your UCAS form is done in your own time.

And it is precisely BECAUSE I am so knowledgeable, experienced and successful about the UCAS procedure that I have been appointed head of sixth form.

Except you think there's a section for "activities undertaken in preparation for your application" on the UCAS form, which there isn't.

Some schools get pupils thinking about the Personal statements before, but they don't need to be done until the first term of Yr13

most schools I know have UCAS time in June or July, after the year 13s have left.

This is typically 3-5 days off lessons, concentrating on completing UCAS statements. There will be little or no lesson time available for this after the start of term, and some applications will go off in Septemeber.

Don;t forget applications go in from September, and offers start being made straight away.

but I think you will find most schools have started reference writing, and are probably doing it right now

I mean really, people. How long do you think these references take to write! How many references or contributions to references do you think staff have to do! I always make an appointment to interview every individual I am writing a reference or reference contribution for. It is a MASSIVE job. it is INCREDIBLY hard to find enough good things to say about some pupils. Staff leave, you know, staff also forget pupils.

And it is precisely BECAUSE I am so knowledgeable, experienced and successful about the UCAS procedure that I have been appointed head of sixth form.

I have done very little this year, just preparing my reference contributions for the 10 sixth formers I support. My knowledge of the full form is a year old, and they do change every year, so it is possible that things may be slightly different. I will be undergoing further training in the summer, and every year thereafter.

Unless an interview is involved, there's no application need to attend an interview, and it's not worth mentioning in the UCAS form - find something better to say with those characters!

I've had four DCs go through the system and they've all had a full set of offers. DS1 didn't go to any realistic ones (he had a school trip to one, and I dragged him to the local place fed up with his passiveness), DS2 went to two post-offer days and ended up going to a third. DD1 went to the local pre-application, and two further away ones post-offer. DD2 went to 4 pre-application and her firm choice post-offer.

I think it is a good idea to go to a couple pre-application just to focus the mind, if nothing else. Even if it is your local university, there are plenty of things that all universities have in common that help the young person to start thinking about their future. They can come up with a list of pros and cons of that place and use that to help their online research of other places.

Personally, I think the main thing is to get the course right, and then compromise on all the non-academic things. But that's just me.

It's probably a good idea to at least go to the post offer day (if the pre application days were missed) for the place you are thinking about firming.