Disappointing offer holders day?

[InMyRoom]

Anyone else been disappointed by the offer holders days? Would you see lack of effort as a red flag?

DS was set on Warwick, course impressive, open day welcoming.

Could not have had a more disappointing experience on the offer holders day. Hardly any reps showing people around, most accommodation closed, barely any students on campus (term time Saturday). The place felt abandoned and frankly depressing. There were no seats or benches on the whole campus, not sure if removed during the pandemic or they never existed.

Compare and contrast to his potential insurance day today. Was buzzing. Student reps everywhere, students all around, accommodation tours. Campus beautifully cared for.

DS is a social beast and reasonably is wobbling that there will be no one around and nothing to do. I think he’d drop it but the course is much higher at Warwick. I just can’t work out why they made such little effort and why no one was around.

we had an awful time at Glasgow , it came straight off the list.

Sorry to hear that @Nimbostratus100 what happened?

I wonder if some of them don’t think they need to make an effort.

We got this vibe at the open day at Edinburg. I’d listen to the message they are giving really. Some universities will be swamped with offers. So maybe the attitude is not to make an effort.
All depends what your DC wants I guess.

Felt the same at York, waste of time to be honest.

Most places are pretty lack lustre at the moment I would think.

Most students have gone home early for Easter after the 14th day of strikes. The lecturers, well they've been on strike for the last week so perhaps some haven't turned up?

If I had to advise my offspring again I'd probably say have a good think about university. It's all been very inconsistent.

Yet I'm probably weary now after the shit show of the last 3 yrs.

Fingers crossed the lecturers get their demands met, fair pay etc.
Fingers crossed things are on the up.

I went to Warwick. I can't speak for the organisation of the open day etc but will just say that nearly all students after the first year don't live on campus but in Leamington Spa or Coventry, so campus will be quiet during the day at the weekend.

6 hour journey and hotel overnight to sit in a crammed lecture theatre and watch a power point. They could have emailed us the power point. We withdrew

This was a week ago, the students should have all still been around. We went to the lakeside area and it felt completely abandoned. Even after lunch, was just tumbleweed. A few people playing sport but otherwise just offer holders shuffling around with parents. Leamington was also a pretty dead place- as far as student age people not being visible.

But no first years anywhere. Unless in their rooms all day (not good) or they all leave at weekends (not good). We got there at 10 and gave up by 2.30. It didn’t even have anywhere to sit outside, no benches or seating. Really odd vibe.

Funnily enough when I saw your thread title I thought “I wonder if that’s Warwick?”

Ds went to Warwick last Saturday and was really flat when he came back. It was his first choice but now I’m not so sure.

'we'

Sorry to hear that @SeaDee. DS was really looking forward to it too. He’s not sure what to do now. I’m trying to stay positive (to his face) about all his options, while realising he is lucky to have choices.

That’s good to hear.

He wasn’t really expecting bells and whistles or even many staff as per the open days. Just odd to be invited to visit a campus that felt almost completely abandoned. If you removed all the open day visitors (obvious as with parents in tow) I think we saw a dozen or so students over almost 5 hours. It was really weird.

What is the insurance?
The 3 offer days ds went to were different to the open days - fewer bells, whistles... Flags, etc... However, only real disappointment was Bath doing same taster lecture as the open day. Ds fed back on survey form.

To be honest we only went to see the accommodation as forgot to tour that at the open day. Was just a shocker to find it mostly closed and tumbleweed blowing around the campus like a Wild West town. It’s not like the students can easily walk into town to get away from it, Leamington must be a good 30 min by bus.

As a lecturer about to start to try and plan an offer holder day your comments really do sting. Offer holder and Open Days are unpaid extra Saturdays for us (I've done 6 this year) at a time of year when we've been teaching, doing admissions for next year, timetabling for next year, prepping students for assessments, managing the impact of strikes etc. So "no effort" - I'm already on my knees. That's why so many are striking. I get absolutely no extra support, help, budget for these days when I'm supposed to demonstrate how absolutely wonderful everything is when I just want to cry with exhaustion. Six day weeks are tough and no, I can't compel my students to come in just to make it look like all students come in at the weekend - they don't!

Shame about the bad feelings about Glasgow and Edinburgh. Great cities to be a student. Central areas are always quiet at the weekends. Were the open days during the reading week (skiing week for the rich)? I bet they struggled to get student reps with mid term work deadlines as well.

I suspect there are few empty rooms for accommodation tours. We found it useful just to walk around the locations of halls to get a feel for areas and assessing travel to central areas/gym etc. Room facilities including pictures are available online.

Wouldn't judge a course by a PowerPoint at an offers day.

It was a Saturday.

They were probably at work, going and doing things, sleeping in after a night out, studying, etc etc. they don't have to hang around campus

If it’s any consolation- I did a module at Warwick earlier in the year and the faculty couldn’t have been more helpful, everything was easy to negotiate etc. I think find out how it actually works in real life- like, Warwick Arts Centre is on campus, find out what clubs and socs run because ‘random students milling about everywhere’ is less useful than ‘they have thriving societies and lots actually going on’ but you won’t see that walking round on a Saturday as most stuff doesn’t happen at weekends in my experience.

thinking about it, I went to a uni with over 20,000 students and it wasn’t busy on a Saturday till the afternoon/evening when the bar opened!!

Are you going to the OHD for his other offers?
DS chose his firm based on loving his campus and enjoying the lecture on OHD and it was the right choice.

I did advise him of this, but contrast to today and a lovely, busy campus at one of his other offers. Lots of the students looking either hungover, sporty, purposeful, or just eating. But they were there!

@InMyRoom

Sounds like it's about what you want, not what he wants

I’m sorry you’re upset by this. He wasn’t expecting any bells and whistles or even to see any staff representatives on a Saturday. He only wanted to see a glimpse of the accommodation, other students going about their usual weekend stuff, to see if he’d fit in or whatever teens want to see. But to find an almost completely abandoned campus on an invited visit seems a bit off. It also all looked a bit neglected to be honest. Compared with the other option today where some effort was made to be welcoming. It makes you wonder about the culture of the place and why no one wants to hang around.

Seeing as my whole thread is about how he felt that’s not true. You think it’s ok to attend an offer holder day in what appeared to be an abandoned campus?