Questions for uni visiting day

[yoyo1234]

Hi, was wondering what questions people would want their child to ask on a visit/offers day? For DS I'm suggesting he asks about:

1. room cleaning arrangements in halls.
2. what supplies he should bring with him (eg what do shared kitchens have).
3. Try to work out if he wants ensuite or shared bathroom accommodation.
4. Best(cheapest) way of securing travel to various parts of campus.
5. Bathroom/ensuite cleaning arrangements and laundry arrangements (if he has to wash his bedding he'll need to bring more linen than they provide etc).

My list is probably ridiculous so if anyone can come up with other things to add I would be very pleased.

My advice is don't overwhelm with questions. The most important thing is to get a good feel of the place if that makes sense. The only real questions are - would I enjoy this course and could I be happy here? There is plenty of time later to find out the details.

Room and kitchen cleaning in halls - roughly weekly until week 4 where there'll be a note in the kitchen telling the students if they don't empty the overflowing bin/fridge/sink, remove stuff off their floors there will be no more cleaning done. So don't ask!

Supplies - can ask, should be on accommodation website though.

En-suite or shared. Why would he ask - doesn't he know? You might have an opinion based on price though.

Travel - yes good idea to ask.

En-suite cleaning and bed changing - he'll be responsible for all that. Did he think the cleaners would be changing and washing his sheets?

Does he not have any questions about the course content? Option vs core modules? Placement opportunities? Careers service? They're far more important really.

He'll be told everything about the accommodation probably. Depending on the university he may not have much of a choice as to what type he gets (some are allocated randomly) but you'll probably be shown round some and questions can be asked then.
If it's a holder's day there are usually workshops and activities throughout the day which give any info about the course they don't already have.

What did the university do / how did it treat it's students during lockdown?

(This assuming that potential student is holding several offers and can afford to be choosy)

I think universities revealed a good deal about their priorities and how they actually regard their students at that time.

Are lectures all in person or is the University still operating a hybrid system of online/in person?
What is the supply and quality of accommodation beyond first year and how are transport links to private accommodation areas? Remember that they may only be in halls for a third or a quarter of their entire time at University as University accommodation is usually only guaranteed for the first year.

Most of your questions will be on the University website or accommodation providers website.

If he has a Disability I would ask about support, if you are from a low income household you could ask about bursaries (but this is likely to also be on the website). Just try and get a feel for the town/area, atmosphere of the Uni, how approachable the staff and current students you encounter are etc.

I think it’s also good to understand if the uni operates a two semester year rather than three traditional terms . The difference is that there is often a break of a couple of weeks post January exams before the new semester begins . It isn’t an issue in itself - it’s just been a bit surprise to a number of families I know that their student isn’t back at uni until the end of January with perhaps only one or two online exams in the meantime. (Not my DC unis - both traditional terms )

deadlines for paying fees/accommodation?

First/last day of year when accommodation is available, is it available over Xmas/Easter break?

Free bus from residence village to campus?

Places to lock up a bicycle out of rain?

Anything about year abroad or in industry?

I wouldn't ask any of those questions. Why would you need to know if you had to supply your own pans or whatever until you actually have a place and have been allocated accommodation?

He should ask about the course if anything. And see if he likes the campus and the town or city.

1) room cleaning arrangements in halls.

I think I'm most Unis the students clean their own rooms?

2) what supplies he should bring with him (eg what do shared kitchens have).

The Unis website are usually good at telling you what's in the flat, and then you can work out what you'll need. TSR is also good and there are threads on here with suggestions of what to take.

3) Try to work out if he wants ensuite or shared bathroom accommodation.

En-suite is more expensive and he'll have to clean his own bathroom.

4) Best(cheapest) way of securing travel to various parts of campus.

Where DS is thinking if going, there's a feee bus that does s circuit.

5) Bathroom/ensuite cleaning arrangements and laundry arrangements (if he has to wash his bedding he'll need to bring more linen than they provide etc

Like I said before, shared bathrooms usually are done by a cleaner, en-suite are usually done by the student.

He'll be responsible for his own bedding. You can usually find details of how the laundry operate from the website. Some, like Nottingham have an app that you can pay with and it also tells you when a washer is free.

I think he'd be better asking whether the lectures are virtual or in person and employment rates.

That's a very good point about the semesters, we were caught by surprise by that one.
The question about F2F or online was a question I asked at offer holder's day. Some universities last year were still operating more or less online, and DD wouldn't have gone anywhere near them.

If he has a Disability I would ask about support, if you are from a low income household you could ask about bursaries (but this is likely to also be on the website). Just try and get a feel for the town/area, atmosphere of the Uni, how approachable the staff and current students you encounter are etc.

This is very good advice as well. DN has a disability and De Montfort are doing a lot to support her, even before she starts.

You are jumping the gun I think. None of those things are really that relevant. He's not going to pick a university based on what the situation is with the laundry is he? Thinking about how many duvet covers he will need is frankly nonsense until the month he is actually going.

The only accommodation question I'd want know is
Do all first years get a place in halls?

Oh no, please don’t make him ask questions unless he come up with them himself in the moment. He will be so embarrassed.

Join the FB group What I Wish I Knew About University to ask the sort of questions you have in your OP x

The online or face to face learning is good to know.
other than that, - distance in yards to union bar

He will totally embarrass himself asking about cleaning and bed linen in front of other potential students - these questions are unnecessary anyway, so I think the list should be ditched. He could ask what the social side is like, hall events - stuff that actually is of interest to him!

Just as well I asked mumsnet before embarrassing him 😅. I loved the questions about virtual lectures etc. I've downloaded accommodation brochures/documents for the place to answer loads of my (ridiculous) questions . Loved tgd question about what happened during covid -those times myst have been a real eye opener for young adults 🤔.

The issues you raise are not the ones to raise on an open day, and can be found out on other sites such as The Student Room.

On an Open Day They need to find out more about the COURSE - content, how it’s taught, resources available, location of likely lecture halls/ labs/ library vis-a-vis accommodation. Sample lectures will give a sense of the vibe of the course and lecturers. Warn against being impressed by loads of freebies/ fairground rides / free food at Open Days 😉

Accommodation questions that are important are what is the system for application/allocation (this varies wildly between Uni’s) and the costs (to be compared against likely loan plus whatever you can afford to top up).

He doesn’t need to know your list at open day. All that is usually available on the Uni website.

I think best questions he can ask are of the student guides as to whether they feel supported & safe on campus and if they feel they are getting their money’s worth on their degree course.

I'd be asking more about the social aspects and the feel of the place - your questions are all very practical snd are likely to be covered in the website or in the info the university will provide anyway.
Do students tend to easily make friends with housemates or is it mainly from the course? Are there lots of parties? I'd the place noisy at night? Safe?

@mondaytosunday your questions are very subjective though and not necessarily reflective of what will happen with a completely different cohort. Having said that some Halls do tend to have the “party central” reputation year after year so worth asking about that (for avoidance or otherwise!)

Really depends on who he's talking to. Academic staff from his course aren't going to know the answers to any of the questions on your original list. And the answers will probably vary depending on which accommodation he's in, anyway.

If there's an accommodation talk, those questions might be answered in it. In any case, when he receives confirmation of his accommodation all of those details should be addressed.

The point of an applicant visit day should be to (a) get a feel for the university by walking around the campus (or the university location(s) if it's a city-centre university rather than a campus one), (b) talk to as many current students as possible to find out about their experience of living & studying there and (c) find out more about the course: what it covers, how it's delivered, how it's assessed, etc.

The most important stuff are things like exactly what his course covers, are there any optional modules, how to they get to choose options and chances of getting their choice, methods of teaching and assessment etc.

Talk to students currently on the course - how satisfied are they, is there a year out/placement option - was it useful, how much help in sorting it out did they get etc.

By all means have a good look at accommodation, and find out how/when it is allocated. But be aware, that many do not get their top choices.

Focus on the course. The topics, the options, what are you actually going to be studying. Compared to the syllabus at other unis.

Everyone gets absolutely paranoid about university accommodation, but the funny thing is, mostly as soon as you get there nearly always turns out ok. or you get moved if the worst comes to worst.

Ds1 in catered at Nottingham. So happy. I think you're focusing on the wrong things if you're worrying about how often they clean. And there's a very good list of what to take.

Focus on the University. better still focus on the course. and is it really a good fit for your child? .