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Original poster

Parents of prospective 2028 uni starters - open days?

31 replies

Ironfloor269 · 05/09/2026 09:37

When do your YP start attending university open days? I’ve looked online and the last few open days for this year are September. They are also on week days. I understand DD can go on her own for some of them but for some she would like me to take her.

Do you as parents take time off work or are there more open days later on in the year, maybe during weekends?

DD just started Year 12. Is now too soon to start going to open days? There’s no way she could have gone to this summer’s open days as she was too busy having fun after the GCSE slog.

Please help, I’m totally clueless.

OP posts:
U53rName · 05/09/2026 18:05

milkeyway · 05/09/2026 17:55

but if DC has just started A levels surely it’s too early for lots to know what course they may want to apply for??

This is the flaw in the system. They DEFINITELY need to know what they’re applying for by Sept Y13, but ideally by spring Y12 if you want to be sure to go to open days for all 5 on the application.

My DC’s school requires UCAS applications done & dusted by late Nov, as they review them all before the official UCAS deadline. AFAIK, all schools do this.

U53rName · 05/09/2026 18:00

MeetMeOnTheCorner · 05/09/2026 17:43

A lot say look at a local uni but ours is crap so we biased that MN wisdom tip. They didn’t do DDs subjects either, so pointless.

We booked everything for end of y12. Except one, and that was spring term of Y12. Nothing in y13 as DDs too busy. Time off in y12 was after mocks. Y12 was mostly spent looking at uni websites and what type of uni would suit. If you need early entry, start early. If you don’t, summer term of y12 for visits is fine but make a short list. MN undulge dc by going to 10? I expected research and a shortlist of 3-4.

May I ask: did your DC apply to 3-4, or did they apply to some that they hadn’t visited?

milkeyway · 05/09/2026 17:55

but if DC has just started A levels surely it’s too early for lots to know what course they may want to apply for??

U53rName · 05/09/2026 17:52

Spring/Summer terms of Y12. If they wait until September/October of Y13, there is a high likelihood that a few of their choices will have their autumn open day on the same day. It also gives them time to pivot if they want to, ie, squeeze some more in in autumn of Y13.

MeetMeOnTheCorner · 05/09/2026 17:43

A lot say look at a local uni but ours is crap so we biased that MN wisdom tip. They didn’t do DDs subjects either, so pointless.

We booked everything for end of y12. Except one, and that was spring term of Y12. Nothing in y13 as DDs too busy. Time off in y12 was after mocks. Y12 was mostly spent looking at uni websites and what type of uni would suit. If you need early entry, start early. If you don’t, summer term of y12 for visits is fine but make a short list. MN undulge dc by going to 10? I expected research and a shortlist of 3-4.

Iseeyourattentionseekingwedontneedit · 05/09/2026 10:37

My dt are currently in y13.
We spent autumn term looking at which unis they'd like to visit. Also applying to access to university courses (if they are entitled to them well worth the experience).
We started physically looking last February (a lot of new dates became available after Christmas).
It really helped and dt1 decided they wanted to do a slightly different area of the subject so we then had time to check other unis. Did a couple in summer with the idea anything changes we could go this autumn (but actually both have come to some decisions ready for ucas).
So definitely try at least a couple early on (I got this advice from here last year).
We went to the second uni open day in March and on paper it should have been a good contender we both disliked it and it was removed from the long list.
Also dt realised that it was as much about deciding what they dont want as much as what they do want.