Uni open days

[Cantstopgrazing]

When going to open days, what sort of questions is it pertinent to ask, and what should we be looking for? It's over 20 years since I went and I'm struggling to remember what I needed to know.

I'm feeling out of my depth

Any advice very welcome.

Bump

DS went to several open days last year and this year. He did a similar thing each time:

Before the open day he had already read the information on the website, which had a lot about course and accommodation.

At the open day, he went to an admissions talk, which answered any other questions you could think of (and many you hadn't). There was one university where neither the website nor the admissions talk mentioned how they offer if 4 A-levels, so he asked at the end of the admissions talk.

He also looked around the department and labs (applying for science course).

Afterwards, when narrowing down his shortlist, he wanted to find out a specific question about adjustments for a disability, so he emailed the ones on the shortlist and compared the answers.

If there's time, it can be useful to find out where the accommodation is and how easy it is to get to from lectures, but don't base decisions on liking or disliking the room(s) you view on an open day. All universities have a whole range of rooms available from basic to luxury, from tired-looking to recently refurbished. If they choose the university as their firm choice (and occasionally if they choose it as their insurance choice) they can express a preference about which accommodation they'd like, but it doesn't mean they'll be allocated that one.

Thanks, that's really helpful .

Attend talks, and, when you are walking somewhere, or standing near a student, ask open ended questions like "Why should they come to {this} university. They tell you things you might not think of to ask.

Ask about how easy it is to get 2nd year accommodation too - remember they are there for 3 (or more) years, not just Yr1.
Maybe how easy it is to get jobs. Some campus universities might be difficult to get to and from in the evenings / late at night after shifts etc.
You'll get all the answers from the university through the talks.

We are looking for 2021 entry, is there any advice regarding scheduling dates for the open days? Have managed to get one open day booked for this October, but as lots in September/October seem to be on the same day it looks like next year we will have to prioritise and maybe only visit 2 for the full open day experience and just do a cursory visit at another time. Or have I missed a trick?

ps sorry, hope this isn't off topic - am new to posting

Lots happen in June/July too, some some at the end of this year and more at the beginning of next.

OP - we've only done a couple so far but DS has wanted to know things like:

How many on the course

Contact hours

Method of teaching

Method of assessment

What actually counts towards the degree classification

If there is a sandwich year option, and if so how much help can he expect with arranging placements.

AcanthusFlower - your dc should be narrowing down the places they want to visit by looking in detail at the courses, and at the University on-line, so you ought not need to be visiting that many.
The open days are also in the Summer Term.
The are also held on Fridays (and occasionally Wednesdays) and overwhelmingly the schools allow at least a couple of days for going to visit universities. If you or your dp can't go, they can often travel with a friend who wants to see the same university.

We've taken dcs' friends in the past and dd2 is going somewhere in a couple of weeks with one of her friends.

@Seeline @BackforGood
Thank you very much

Look around the city if you don’t know it. Check the accommodation brochure. Go to the talk for parents. Let DC go to the subject chats. They are not for you. Book sessions when booking opens if necessary. Look at travel and parking options. Check where food might be available. Listen to the questions others are asking. Probably the same as you would have asked!

Check the course is accredited for the educational element of 'Chartered' status where this is applicable eg Chartered Engineer

Sorry just thought of another - for courses with field trips eg geography, ask what costs are and if they are included with the tuition fees or extra.

Things like, 'How is the course assessed?' can be found on the university website in the individual module details and the student handbook for that course and are a non-negotiable. So if it says, 'this module will be assessed by three essays and a group presentation' and, 'to progress from second year to third, you must pass all modules and these will count for 25% of your final mark' or whatever, that is how it is for everyone. What isn't the same for everyone, is how they feel about spending 3, 4, or more years of their life at that institution, in that place. That is one of the advantages of attending open days, or at least campus tours (some universities hold these as frequently as once or twice a week for several months of the year and your DC can ask to speak to someone in their intended department, although this is never guaranteed).

Obviously, if the degree in question is very niche, it may be a question of like it or lump it, but with more widely available subjects why not suss out at least a shortlist of institutions before deciding which to apply to?

(Assuming that one can afford to, of course, but that is another issue. For rail travel, though, the new 16-17 Saver card will pay for itself in relatively few journeys).