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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Am I too late for open days?

15 replies

SCANDEL0US · 31/05/2025 09:18

Just realised Childs friends are going to see unis and we haven’t started yet. This is all a bit of a minefield to me

OP posts:
TeenToTwenties · 31/05/2025 09:19

What year?

Lulu1919 · 31/05/2025 09:20

Your child will be able to answer that ...where are they looking ?

mrssquidink · 31/05/2025 09:25

DD’s first open day is 14 June, most seem to be late June and early July (ie once this term’s teaching and exams are done). So not too late, although many require you to book and I guess there could be no spaces left by now. There seems to be another round in November/early December in some places.

memememum · 31/05/2025 09:25

From what I've seen so far, most unis have open days in the summer term and in September/October.
For instance, just googling Southampton these are their dates and you can click to book.
Saturday 21 June
Sunday 22 June
Sunday 14 September
Sunday 5 October
Saturday 18 October

StripyHorse · 31/05/2025 09:33

If this is for 2026 admission you are not too late. We didn't know about them either and were able to go in September / October. There was just one DD liked that we couldn't go on a full open day but they did have a really thorough campus tour (so no taster lectures, but saw all round the campus).

BusyMum47 · 31/05/2025 09:38

Obviously way too late for Sept 2025 intake but fine for 2026! It IS a minefield but buckle up & get on it for your kid's sake.

SCANDEL0US · 31/05/2025 09:43

well its actually for 2027 as she will take a gap year but says she needs to apply for 2026. Is that right.

OP posts:
TeenToTwenties · 31/05/2025 10:03

SCANDEL0US · 31/05/2025 09:43

well its actually for 2027 as she will take a gap year but says she needs to apply for 2026. Is that right.

She can apply and then ask to defer.
Or she can apply with grades in hand.

BusyMum47 · 31/05/2025 10:03

Look into it! Don't ask random strangers on Mumsnet - ask the Universities!! I just googled it & got some info in 2 seconds flat. 🤷‍♀️

TeenToTwenties · 31/05/2025 10:03

There are Further Education (y12 & y13) and Higher Education boards here which you may find helpful.

Laserwho · 31/05/2025 10:05

Uni open days are in June, and Oct here. Well the ones my child wants to see. If you want to go you need to sign up for the dates you require.

chickletickle · 31/05/2025 11:25

there are open days in the autumn but really depends on how many they want to see. Some of them are on the same weekends so that’s why we have started now. I warn you though, the talks get fully booked fast. We booked for Bath and Bristol about a month ago - open days are in 2 weeks time- a lot of the talks were already fully booked. So best to be prepared!

Coasterfan · 31/05/2025 11:29

We have been to two so far and have another in a couple of weeks but we also have 3 booked for September/October as the earlier ones clashed with other things. So definitely not too late but I d look and get booked on as the course talks etc need to be booked.

Mine is also year 12 and planning a gap
year but will apply later this year with his peers and defer.

taxguru · 31/05/2025 11:43

Most have them in June/early July and then September/October.

Some get booked up quickly, but it's also worth going to "local" ones even if your child isn't interested in going to it, as a lot of the information and "talks" are generic, i.e. student loan finance and you can also gain "general" knowledge about the types of courses, structures, accommodation, etc.

Our first was a year "early" (i.e. a year ahead of the year before starting), at our nearest Uni, and DS found it enormously helpful in a kind of "toe in the water" way to get a feel of Unis, the open day structures, accommodation/lab tours, etc., and it actually ignited his interest in the whole Uni/Application process.

Then when you come to the "booked up early" Unis you can concentrate on what really matters and what is specific to that university and not waste part of your day in generic talks, so spend your time in the department, doing dept tours, doing specific subject talks, talking to existing subject teaching staff and students, etc.

It was a completely different Uni where my DS learned most, as one of his "third/fourth" choice uni dept "dept talks" did a really good overview of different "options" within his chosen subject that he'd not considered and didn't know even existed. He'd been blinkered into sole Maths degrees or "Maths with Physics" or "Maths with computing" etc., but this particular Uni's Math's lecturer also started talking about other "Maths" related options such as Natural Sciences and Financial Maths, which both were of far more interest to DS than either a pure Maths degree or a specific "Maths with x" degree. He was excited after that talk and did loads of research to find which Unis did Natural Sciences and which did Financial Maths, and then narrowed his search down to those which completely changed his Uni preferences so we had to cancel some open day bookings we had made and change our plans!

The whole process evolves and I think most students end up with completely different preferences as to subjects/Uni once they start doing open days when they finally get their heads out of Youtube and online gaming and actually start doing their own research, which is often ignited by that first Open Day.

TeenLifeMum · 31/05/2025 11:46

We’re booked in throughout June and the first was yesterday (Exeter). They’ve only just started. Dh and I are taking turns as we have other dc with commitments. Thankfully she’s not wanting to travel too far.

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