Open days - does and don'ts

[balzamico]

So we're starting to think about visiting unis for application next year.
How do we get the most out of our visit?

Go to the most local uni for you first if you can to get a feel for what an open day is, what’s most important to you etc

Get your DC to think about what's important to them, get them to write a list of questions, get them to ask those questions on the day. You could prompt with an elbow nudge but potential students need to do the asking - there's little more depressing than doing an open day where the parents do all the talking and the teens stay silent, or worse, play on their phones.
By all means help compile the list, though.

ultimately it’s their choice where to go and what to study.

By all means take them then go for coffee and leave them to the Uni tour/course questions. Let them have the confidence to get the info they need. They are/ will be adults. Wild you sit in a job interview with them???

Bear in mind the Uni your DC ends up going to might be one you've never been to.

Though there are post clearing and adjustment open days!

My DD ended up in adjustment after she exceeded her predicted grades, so went to a Uni we had never been to.

Allow plenty of time.

Do a bit of research before you go - make sure your DC knows the basic details of the course so that they can ask sensible questions.

Existing students are very useful sources if info on all aspects of the uni life - accommodation, entertainment, societies , the location etc.

Have a look at the accommodation available.

Check out facilities that interest your DC - sports facilities, as well as the library, and facilities relevant to their course.

If you have time, have a look around the town/city - it will be home for at least 3 years.

Decide whether you want a city campus or one further our. Maybe visit both to help decide

They provide maps, other brochures etc on arrival, but it’s a good idea to have a look at the map and the timetable for the day in advance to get bearings a bit, make sure you don’t miss any particular sessions of interest (subject talks etc). I do agree that the future student should do most of the talking but if they lack a bit of confidence, especially at the first open day, there’s no harm in you asking a few questions on their behalf till their confidence grows, especially about the boring stuff like finance. My DS has SENs and we have needed to speak to the learning support departments in each university, I have taken the lead on that one to some extent but make sure he has his say too. It’s also a good idea to debrief afterwards and make a few notes (you, your DC, both of you) as after a few open days it can all start to blur into one.

Walk from campus/accommodation to the town centre /wherever they will socialise in the evening. How happy do you feel walking that route? ( bearing in mind they will be doing it late at night)

Wear comfortable shoes!

If your DC can book talks in advance, do that and get to the talks in plenty of time

Allow plenty travel time to get there especially if you’re going by car - travel times can be much longer than usual on an open day

Suggest to DC that they talk to the student ambassadors - they’ll be at open days to help you and will be able to talk about their experiences of teaching, accommodation etc.

I’m working at our first on-campus open days in nearly three years at the end of the week and I am so excited to welcome everyone 😊😊😊

Yes second this. When I was looking round unis as a mature student the parents totally dominated the question sessions. When I was 18 I wouldn't have been seen dead with my parents at a open day and I can't remember anyone having their parents with them but this has definitely changed .

Yes, most seem to have parents with them now.

I ended up taking DD to open days because she had no other way of getting there due to Northern Rail going on strike every Saturday for 4 months.

Also, she lacked the confidence to go on her own, and none of her friends were interested in going to the universities she was interested in. If I hadn't gone with her she wouldn't have gone.

And lastly, she wasn't old enough to stay in a Premier Inn on her own when we visited the further away ones. She didn't turn 18 until after she left school.

However, once we were there she attended subject talks on her own and did tours on her own.

Though there are post clearing and adjustment open days!
My DD ended up in adjustment after she exceeded her predicted grades, so went to a Uni we had never been to.

Sadly, UCAS Adjustment no longer exists.

Go to one or two in the lower six,, so you know what to expect when you do in the upper six.

Go to both campus and non- campus unis, so you can see what your dc prefers. Also, to city based and town universities.

Parents routinely go with their dc’s nowadays.

I think more parents go these days as they are expected to stump up a fair amount of cash to pay for the 3 years.

OP make sure you have looked in to the finances of a degree. Student loans are available, but depending on your home nation, they are allocated differently. If you live in England, look at Student Finance England etc.

@Seeline
As someone who worked in Grants and Awards at my LA, I can assure you a great many parents were assessed as being required to pay towards their DC’s maintenance costs. It’s not new for parents to pay.

Yes. Many parents attend and are over invested. We didn’t waste time going to a local uni. DDs were not going so no point. They did know what a university looked like. Many DC won’t ask questions but they absorb info. You cannot do everything in a day. Go gave if it’s a front runner snd look around at leisure.

Lastly: you will need to book. The day, talks etc. You must plan the day. Often an early start is needed. I took DDs. We did 3 visits for each. So make a short list. They often open bookings fairly early so keep looking. My DD1 had early entry so Sept in y13 was too late. We went in June.

! Aah! Go again if it’s a front runner…..

Parents, feel free to go with your child and ask questions if you have any.

I always think talk to the students themselves. Yes they are being paid to front the Uni nicely, but like your applicant, they recently considered attending at least 4 other Unis. The current students give the most honest reviews.

@TizerorFizz when I went in the 80s nearly all my friends got full grants. We all got housing benefit to help pay our rent and many signed on over the summer holidays. I actually worked all my holidays, but parents weren't involved at all.

I know that young people visited universities without their parents back in the day. I think that many more students just didn't visit universities at all, and only those who could get there under their own steam went. DH never went to any open days.

Firstly remember they are making the decision not you so let them take the lead. If anyone reading this has a child on year 11 I strongly advise going to your nearest university's open day this year so you both get an idea, even more important if you the parent didn't go to university.

Get dc to think about what they want to study, and the kind environment that suits them to live in (city, town, coast, country)

When you visit go to the department to get course specs, they vary a lot. Worry less about visiting accommodation, dc will think the university with halls with double beds or in house pizza takeaway is best - no the course matters more!