Cambridge Open Day

[Maggiethecat]

Dd has open day on Friday for political sciences and wonder how others found their Cambridge open day?

She’s been to Edinburgh, St Andrews and Kings but doesn’t seem impressed by any of the talks so far. It was good to get a feel of the places though.

Probably worth curbing expectations but would be good to know what your dc found to be good about their visit.

My DS went to the Cambridge open day a few years ago and enjoyed it. He’d been planning to apply to Oxford but the open day there really put him off. The department (engineering) didn’t appeal to him.

It can be quite overwhelming as there are so many options in terms of colleges to visit. I’d recommend doing the subject talks and picking three or four colleges to visit - maybe more if time and energy permit.

@pantjog - I’m on plane heading down with her now.
one full day, returning home tomorrow morning so not loads of time.
will pace ourselves!

My son went yesterday with school, he said Cambridge was absolutely rammed and the footpaths were so full you could barely move.

He was quite pleased he was able to see so many colleges however, as they are all close in together. He also said a few of the "olde" ones were almost indistinguishable from each other (to him!) so maybe worth looking at a few modern colleges too for contrast.

He also said there were loads of parents in the sample lecture, and it was full, and lots of potential students could not get in. I am surprised Cambridge weren't on top of this.

So don't go in to the lectures, parents!

Plus he was thrilled to come home with some loot! Tote bags, pens, etc. So funny.

@PandaPacer - she has shortlisted a few but will suggest looking at contrasting ones.

will keep out of the seminars!!

Ignore the talks is my advice. Lectures are only one form of learning, DC may not be taught that specific topics or by that academic. Overall course content and the city/Uni vibe are much more important

As I have said on another thread we have just left the open day - driven away by 31C heat. So many people all filing from college to college practically in silence - presumably also enervated by the heat - but it made for a funny atmosphere and DD was not taken by it. Thought it was like a load of boarding schools in a ghost town. It is rather unnatural going to these days as the students aren’t there, the town keeps away because they know the open days overrun everything - and so you end up with something that appears to be exactly how she described it.
So I think that is off the list. You either love the Cambridge “thing” and go for it, or you don’t. She doesn’t.

Yes, the heat was actually the thing that put DS off applying to Oxford! The department was boiling and completely airless (as well as small and poorly equipped).

No doubt if it was cold and pouring rain she would have pronounced it “depressing” 🤣.
it is difficult for these kids who live in oxford. They are totally not impressed by the colleges/architecture and think Cambridge as a town is even more boring and smaller than oxford is (true)

Agree 100%!

We loved it! Taken my how passionate and friendly all the staff and student helpers were, much more so than at other open days, preferred the colleges away from town where it was all just too busy and stuffy!