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Higher education

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

Original poster

Disappointing offer holders day?

213 replies

InMyRoom · 18/03/2023 20:31

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.

OP posts:
Original poster
InMyRoom · 19/03/2023 07:59

maranella · 19/03/2023 07:54

This^

Honestly, I thinking what I'd have been doing on a normal Saturday during term-time when I was at uni - and I wouldn't have been hanging around the campus. The library is the only place I might possibly have gone, but I was a student in the 90s and so much is online now and all students have laptops that they don't even need to leave their accommodation to access books/papers, etc. I'd expect any uni campus to be pretty deserted at the weekends and most of the buildings closed.

As for the accommodation - students live there and I can't think of anything more invasive than having hundreds of prospective students and their parents traipsing through our housing. If you want to know what the study bedrooms look like I'm sure there are pictures online!

Show quote history

Why have an offer holders day then? If nothing to see? There weren’t hundreds traipsing through either. That happens at open days when students aren’t on campus.

Anyway, it’s put him off going there but to be sure he’ll go for another visit mid week in term time to see what the place looks like then.

OP posts:
Youdoyoubabe · 19/03/2023 07:59

Well on a Saturday most students would be sleeping or hanging in their rooms I would think as no lectures.

our daughter took us on a tour of her university on a Sunday when we visited for her birthday. It was eerie.

Original poster
InMyRoom · 19/03/2023 08:06

Youdoyoubabe · 19/03/2023 07:59

Well on a Saturday most students would be sleeping or hanging in their rooms I would think as no lectures.

our daughter took us on a tour of her university on a Sunday when we visited for her birthday. It was eerie.

Even after lunch? Was mid afternoon when we left. Still none. Got to alternative university yesterday very early expecting no one to be about but there were students jogging, playing sports, going to sports centre, in the cafes, walking to the town.

OP posts:
DinkyDaisy · 19/03/2023 08:07

Curious to know alternative university op!

Piggywaspushed · 19/03/2023 08:08

We had a dreadful one at Birmingham last year, after having enjoyed other visits. He had already, foolishly, firmed by then and the day confirmed and magnified some prior misgivings about the course. Honestly, it was a shambles and really really poorly organised. I totally get what the employee upthread says about workload as a teacher who has to do Open Evenings and taster days but this Birmingham one was dreadful!

Anyway, he went anyway. Loves Birmingham Uni but was right about the course and swapped after three miserable weeks.

I do think offer holder days can tell you a good deal and are useful. We shoukd have followed instincts.

I don't think whether the campus is busy or not on a Saturday is a valid concern though, really. Agree that many unis could do more to show accommodation range.

Zonder · 19/03/2023 08:10

I sympathise about the OHD but I wonder why you keep talking about how far it is from LSpa when Coventry is much closer and 3x the size?

Piggywaspushed · 19/03/2023 08:13

Students didn't all used to go home at weekends like this, did they? I went to York in the 90s. Students came from all over the UK and weekends had events and were as lively as any other day! I can't remember this weekend exodus.

RampantIvy · 19/03/2023 08:13

Dd went to Warwick expecting to enjoy the large campus. In fact it was the opposite. She hated it and felt lonely and isolated. Nothing around to walk to either

Those are the exact reasons why DD really disliked Warwick - and York and Lancaster. Although, we had approached York on the shuttle bus from the Air museum and didn't realise it was closer to town than we thought. It still felt isolated.

Piggywaspushed · 19/03/2023 08:16

On another note, the Hull one a couple of years before was brilliant.

Piggywaspushed · 19/03/2023 08:16

Oh, and Aberystwyth.

lightisnotwhite · 19/03/2023 08:16

Coventry is not an attractive city and has its own Uni. Warwick Uni therefore prefers L. Spa as it’s town of choice.

I don’t think DS really thought about the advantages of a city. I guess he thought a campus might be more his thing although I think he was just excited that a top 10 Uni with a leading course in his subject accepted him.

I’m hoping he’ll change unis but I think he’ll just plod on for two years.

Original poster
InMyRoom · 19/03/2023 08:17

Zonder · 19/03/2023 08:10

I sympathise about the OHD but I wonder why you keep talking about how far it is from LSpa when Coventry is much closer and 3x the size?

I’ve been told the majority live in Leamington year 2 onwards. I grant you, perhaps the freshers were all in Coventry.

OP posts:
JussathoB · 19/03/2023 08:17

Absolutely not every student wants a uni in a city. I wanted a city uni when I applied, or thought I did, but in hindsight I think I would have found a campus uni better for me. But it seems you have picked up a possible concern with Warwick.
I’m a bit surprised by all the posters saying they were off somewhere else from campus every weekend. That sounds like hard work /expensive. My adult DC all went to uni and during term time they perhaps came home one weekend or visited a friend in another location once a term, rest of the time they were there. Do you mean that in year two or three you weren’t living in uni accommodation on campus, so you weren’t there?
This should be factored into the decision. Does Warwick uni mean living in Coventry and how does that appeal?

JussathoB · 19/03/2023 08:18

Dying to know which was the other Uni Op visited, which gave a better impression on the day!

mellicauli · 19/03/2023 08:19

We visited our son at Warwick at the weekend in term time. We arrived at lunchtime. He said don't come into accommodation. No one is up yet. Everyone was out last night.

He's been really happy there. Met lots of new people, loves the sport, joined a few clubs and having a sociable time. He likes the course too. If your son is a big clubber it might not be the place for him as I understand opportunities are a bit limited (although club buses run to Coventry and Birmingham). But where thousands of young people are gathered together, social stuff is going to happen. How could it not?

PS - If it was this Saturday, Friday was end of term but train strike on Sat meant many went home earlier.

Zonder · 19/03/2023 08:19

lightisnotwhite · 19/03/2023 08:16

Coventry is not an attractive city and has its own Uni. Warwick Uni therefore prefers L. Spa as it’s town of choice.

I don’t think DS really thought about the advantages of a city. I guess he thought a campus might be more his thing although I think he was just excited that a top 10 Uni with a leading course in his subject accepted him.

I’m hoping he’ll change unis but I think he’ll just plod on for two years.

That's funny when this s written on the Warwick Uni website. Most cities have more than one uni so the city isn't exclusively used by one!

Canley, Earlsdon and Chaplefields are the main areas in Coventry our students choose to live. Earlsdon and Chaplefields are areas between the University of Warwick and Coventry City Centre and frequent bus services will bring you on to campus in around 15-20 minutes.

ThanksForYourHelp · 19/03/2023 08:20

We've visited the campuses of the unis our daughter is serious about (and decided that they meet basic expectations). Our daughter is currently drafting emails to send to admissions tutors so she can get detailed answers to questions about modules. Ultimately she'll decide based on which course best suits her purposes.

BlueHeelers · 19/03/2023 08:20

I think this is where parents need to use plain old common sense, and maybe suggest to your DC that one day is not a good representation of the quality of teaching & learning on a degree which is otherwise well-documented as being of high quality - eg look at TEF scores, look at REF scores, look at grades required for entry, look at graduate destinations.

Remind them of the "boring" Saturdays when they've had to study, or when they are racing around at sporting or cultural activities. Or working in their Saturday job. Or how long and exhausting the "Spring" Term is (it's mostly winter ...).

Why would one Saturday in March, at either the end of term, or very near it, outweigh all that about an excellent university such as Warwick? (I don't work there, have no skin in that game, but it's one of the leading universities in my discipline & I respect the education my colleagues offer there).

Are you all so easily swayed by a "quiet" campus?? Maybe it's a hard-working, achieving campus? You don't top your field as either a student or academic by partying - it's about studying hard and playing hard (love the description of the Climbing event - every time I've been on the Warwick campus, I'm envious of the Sports Centre there).

Maybe your DC won't enjoy a campus university? But what you don't see is the community and 'village-like' feel of such campuses -when I taught at Lancaster that's what I really loved about it. But pause, think, use your common sense, please.

Original poster
InMyRoom · 19/03/2023 08:21

Piggywaspushed · 19/03/2023 08:13

Students didn't all used to go home at weekends like this, did they? I went to York in the 90s. Students came from all over the UK and weekends had events and were as lively as any other day! I can't remember this weekend exodus.

Exactly. He doesn’t want to go somewhere everyone escapes for home at weekends. I think if they’re happy they don’t keep coming home. He has friends staying at home in London who he’ll want to see but not all the time.

OP posts:
Wotcha23 · 19/03/2023 08:26

Look it may well not be the place for him and that’s fine, but you’ve been told that term has finished. That’s why people have gone home.

PhotoDad · 19/03/2023 08:27

I do think it's more common for students to pop home at the weekend than it was in our day. There could be many reasons for that! DD is 3-4 hours away from home so wouldn't do that, and neither do her group of friends (who come from all over the UK and from overseas too). Which is why the city was so important to her; she's at art-school and likes nothing better than to potter around streets, parks, and museums with her sketchbook, either with or without friends. But everyone is different (thank goodness).

JussathoB · 19/03/2023 08:27

BlueHeelers · 19/03/2023 08:20

I think this is where parents need to use plain old common sense, and maybe suggest to your DC that one day is not a good representation of the quality of teaching & learning on a degree which is otherwise well-documented as being of high quality - eg look at TEF scores, look at REF scores, look at grades required for entry, look at graduate destinations.

Remind them of the "boring" Saturdays when they've had to study, or when they are racing around at sporting or cultural activities. Or working in their Saturday job. Or how long and exhausting the "Spring" Term is (it's mostly winter ...).

Why would one Saturday in March, at either the end of term, or very near it, outweigh all that about an excellent university such as Warwick? (I don't work there, have no skin in that game, but it's one of the leading universities in my discipline & I respect the education my colleagues offer there).

Are you all so easily swayed by a "quiet" campus?? Maybe it's a hard-working, achieving campus? You don't top your field as either a student or academic by partying - it's about studying hard and playing hard (love the description of the Climbing event - every time I've been on the Warwick campus, I'm envious of the Sports Centre there).

Maybe your DC won't enjoy a campus university? But what you don't see is the community and 'village-like' feel of such campuses -when I taught at Lancaster that's what I really loved about it. But pause, think, use your common sense, please.

It isn’t a choice between a big city and Warwick campus. There are other campus unis which might have more life /activities than Warwick. Also from some campus unis you can walk into town if you want to.
But Ofc there will be socialising and the post which mentioned end of term and train strike could also have been a factor.

Original poster
InMyRoom · 19/03/2023 08:28

BlueHeelers · 19/03/2023 08:20

I think this is where parents need to use plain old common sense, and maybe suggest to your DC that one day is not a good representation of the quality of teaching & learning on a degree which is otherwise well-documented as being of high quality - eg look at TEF scores, look at REF scores, look at grades required for entry, look at graduate destinations.

Remind them of the "boring" Saturdays when they've had to study, or when they are racing around at sporting or cultural activities. Or working in their Saturday job. Or how long and exhausting the "Spring" Term is (it's mostly winter ...).

Why would one Saturday in March, at either the end of term, or very near it, outweigh all that about an excellent university such as Warwick? (I don't work there, have no skin in that game, but it's one of the leading universities in my discipline & I respect the education my colleagues offer there).

Are you all so easily swayed by a "quiet" campus?? Maybe it's a hard-working, achieving campus? You don't top your field as either a student or academic by partying - it's about studying hard and playing hard (love the description of the Climbing event - every time I've been on the Warwick campus, I'm envious of the Sports Centre there).

Maybe your DC won't enjoy a campus university? But what you don't see is the community and 'village-like' feel of such campuses -when I taught at Lancaster that's what I really loved about it. But pause, think, use your common sense, please.

He’ll be an adult in a month and can use his own brain. My ‘common sense’ tells me he didn’t look happy in an abandoned campus. He works hard enough, hence 4 A star predictions in challenging subjects. But he’s also popular and likes to socialise. Working hard and and socialising are not mutually exclusive activities. I’m hopeful the place might look different mid week in term time so I’ll encourage him to take another look, as I’ve said upthread.

OP posts:
Original poster
InMyRoom · 19/03/2023 08:29

Wotcha23 · 19/03/2023 08:26

Look it may well not be the place for him and that’s fine, but you’ve been told that term has finished. That’s why people have gone home.

It has finished now, yes. It hadn’t finished when we visited, term was still ongoing.

OP posts:
Pourmeanotherwine · 19/03/2023 08:29

Dd is in second year at Warwick and is loving it. She lived in Roots accommodation first year, which was really sociable. She's in a couple of societies - a sport one and a music one, and has made loads of friends. She's living in a student house in south Leam this year, along with most of her friends, but does sometimes go in to Coventry for ice skating, clubs, etc. She has been into Birmingham a few times for gigs and clubs.
She applied in Covid, so did offer holder days online. They did help her pick York over Lancaster for her insurance, as Lancaster seemed to put a lot of emphasis on statistics which isn't her favourite sort of maths.