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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Uni open days- silly question

49 replies

homebythesea · 04/05/2015 13:28

If it says 0930-1630 do you have to be there that whole time or is it a drop in type situation between those times?

OP posts:
Littleham · 04/05/2015 13:35

You can choose how long you go for & leave early if you want, although some sessions may have to be booked in advance at certain universities.

Hullabalooey · 04/05/2015 13:36

Usually the university will have a published timetable of events and talks etc. and will probably be organised by subject and/or course departments and repeat throughout the day, so you probably don't need to be there for the whole day. However, if it's a popular course or uni, then the sessions can be quite crowded and sometimes a presentation about accommodation for e.g. may overlap with the one about a course your DC may be interested in. My DDs found it worked to make their own little timetable and map of where they needed to be and what time as some Unis can be very spread out campus-wise.

BackforGood · 04/05/2015 13:38

Drop in - although, as Littleham say, some (most?) places have talks at set times so it's worth checking the timetable for the day.

If you are travelling some time to get there though, you might as well allow as much time as you can, to try to get a real feel for the accommodation and surrounding areas and chat to students to see what they like / dislike about it, as well as the actual course / department you are looking at.

I also found it was nice to spend some rare time with ds on a couple of these days out Grin

SecretSquirrels · 04/05/2015 14:26

Some are more in demand than others but it's always worth booking the talks that matter.

Original poster
homebythesea · 04/05/2015 14:54

That's great info thank you- given we wil have to travel quite far I was having palpitations about how early we might have to leave home! Timetable hadn't been published for the first one yet bit will keep an eye out. Any other tips about how to get the most out of these visits much appreciated!

OP posts:
Littleham · 04/05/2015 15:20

It is sometimes easier to use public transport, or if you are driving use the park and ride for university open days as they are so busy. Which ones are you going to?

SecretSquirrels · 04/05/2015 15:56

DS1 did most of them on his own or on coach trips from college. In hindsight I wish I had gone to more with him. Now DS2 is in Y12 and he has drawn up a list of possible unis .visit. Problem is that so many clash. He will have to go on the college trips as they are often not official open days and I will take him to others.

Worth knowing that after they get (hopefully) their 5 offers they are invited to offer holder's open days in the spring. These visits are really valuable in crystallising the important things to look for.

Original poster
homebythesea · 04/05/2015 16:42

We are going to one this side of the holidays just as a feeler really, to set a benchmark. It's somewhere that DS should really be able to get into. We have pencilled in some others after summer but AS results will dictate whether they are aspirational or whether we can or need to set our sights higher/lower. A friend didn't bother to go to open days and just waited for offer days and I quite like that approach. But I think that we need to get a feel for the various places as location rather than course will I think be a deciding factor for my DS

OP posts:
BackforGood · 04/05/2015 17:49

I think location - or perhaps 'feel' of the place the University is, is crucial. More so than the course to some extent (that may be different if you are a "typical" MNer with a genius child of course Wink).

The young people I've known who have dropped out, have dropped out because they weren't happy at the place they'd gone to study, not because of the course itself.
3 years living in a place you hate - particularly when it's your first time away from home - is a long time if it's not the right place for you.

Hullabalooey · 04/05/2015 17:49

Definitely try and talk to the students who are around. They are usually very helpful and can be much more candid about life at the university and what's good (and bad). Certainly ask them if they are happy with their choice now they are there! My DD does tours for her course at uni when the students come for interview (her course interviews - so there is a chance for some applicants to look round then). The students do get paid for being an ambassador on Open Days/Interview Days but they are still usually 'brutally' honest about the University... Somewhere that looks great on paper, just may not have the right 'vibe' for your DS and most of the Uni's are good at doing a hard sell on the day.

Original poster
homebythesea · 04/05/2015 17:53

Backforgood- I'm so relieved to hear you say that! After reading so much about its all about the course bla bla, I am very much of the view that the courses for most subjects can't be all THAT different and as you say far better to be happy in the place whilst studying, even if that place is not top 10 for research or whatever!

OP posts:
MrsBartlet · 04/05/2015 18:06

I would caution against the waiting for offer holders day approach. We went to 3/5 open days for the places DD applied to and just popped in on another one when we were in the area before her application went in. The 5th uni was Warwick and we visited after she had her offer and she just didn't like it at all so it was a complete waste of a space on her application form.

MissMarpling · 04/05/2015 18:15

Important to get a feel for the location but otherwise the open days are all very similar-you'll be shown the best accommodation and bubbliest student will talk about their experience/social life. Subject specific sessions much more important because of differences in courses.

SecretSquirrels · 04/05/2015 18:25

I didn't mean don't visit at all before applying MrsB just that offer holder days can help make that final decision. DS1 went on an overnight thing at the uni he was planning to insure and absolutely hated it, crossed it off his list. So well worthwhile.

BackforGood that's really interesting. DS2 has a very clear idea of the kind of uni he wants to go to and has fallen in love with one in particular. Trouble is he doesn't know which course he wants. I have cautioned him, based on MN trend, that course is more important that location, perhaps not then?

Decorhate · 04/05/2015 18:53

SecretSquirrels, when I went to uni, back in the dark ages and not in UK, it was normal for people to just go to their local one so the course choice came after that. Different application system so I just listed several courses at the same uni in order of preference. I suspect that is not feasible in UK now as you have to tailor personal statement to the course not the university

Decorhate · 04/05/2015 18:57

However, conversely, some students (or perhaps their schools) decide they want to go to somewhere prestigious like Oxbridge & apply strategically to a course that is deemed "easier" to get in to, assuming (rightly or wrongly) that an Oxbridge degree in any subject is better (for them) than one from somewhere else.

SecretSquirrels · 04/05/2015 19:11

Decorate Back in the dark ages when I was at school very few people went to university and a degree of any kind was passport to a good job. Sadly not so now.
I think DS2 had hoped that by this point in Y12 he would have a clear idea of what he wants to study and it hasn't happened. He is torn between science subjects and so is now looking at Natural Sciences courses which seem to offer flexibility.

Millymollymama · 04/05/2015 19:26

I am another one that would suggest very strongly that the type and location of the university is just as important as the course, unless you must have one particular aspect of a degree that is not on offer elsewhere. I also think banking on the top professors in your subject actually teaching is also not a good idea. If your DS/DD likes a city environment then it is probably not a good idea to go to a rural university. Regarding open days: check the timetable, follow the parking instructions, take some food, book into the sessions you really need, check when your subject/department talks are and definitely meet the teaching staff. Drive around to get a feel of the place. Don't look at every hall of residence or worry too much about library provision. Every university has these. Plan your day and don't expect, as a parent, to go into every session. Some are for students only.

Molio · 04/05/2015 19:31

Another one in complete agreement with BackforGood - the 'feel' would be my number one priority, definitely not the minutiae of the course.

SauvignonBlanche · 04/05/2015 21:38

We only went on Applicant day visits, we never stayed the whole day as DS wasn't interested in looking at accomadation.
I agree that feel for the place is the most important.

MrsBartlet · 04/05/2015 22:12

secretsquirrels - my comment wasn't aimed at you - I was responding to the op who said that she liked her friend's approach of just applying without visiting and then going to offer holders days. We made that mistake with one of dd's places and I am hoping someone can learn from our mistake Grin

2rebecca · 04/05/2015 22:58

I agree with backforgood. My son refused to have either of us go with him as he wanted to "soak up the atmosphere" and imagine himself living there for 5 years (and not have bossy parents taking over). He went to 1 uni with the school and another with a friend but the other 3 he googled public transport options (all within Scotland) and sorted himself out although I was allowed to pick him up at the end of one of them.
As he had to book tours round engineering depts etc (where they didn't want parents taking up scarce student places) it was maybe as well he went alone. He seemed to end up chatting to lots of current students and other applicants that way too.

MarvinKMooney · 04/05/2015 23:14

I organise open days for a science department in a northern university.

Very much agree that these are primarily a way to get a feel for the university in question. Can your DC see themselves there? Do the facilities / accommodation / sports / societies seem attractive? It's just as much about what its like to live there as it is to study there (sounds obvious but so often forgotten).

Once your dc has registered for the open day, they should get a schedule for the day. You can drop into sessions that suit you, but some may need prebooking. Popular ones about finance, applying, accommodation will probably be run a few times during the day.

Check where / when the department talks / demos will be held, so that you have ample time to get from one to the other. If it's not a campus university, it could be further than you think!

Apart from that, enjoy it!! Staff and students are incredibly keen to show off what they offer. Feel free to ask tons of questions, however simple you fear your question may be. We're there to help. Smile

BackforGood · 05/05/2015 00:11

Blimey! Don't normally have so many people agree with me on a thread! Grin

MarvinKMooney · 05/05/2015 08:18
Grin

Oh and just to bear in mind about offer days: not all depts here in my uni do them, so another reason not to rely on them. If a dept does do them, it'll be more subject-centric and you might not get the chance to see accommodation, find out more about finance options, etc.

If your child is still weighing up potential subjects, then open days are the way to go as all the departments will probably be taking part. Individual departments may do offer days at different times, even within the same university.