Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Higher education

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

Original poster

Exeter uni open day fully booked…

77 replies

Fruitflylady · 02/10/2023 15:03

Would we be daft to turn up anyway for a general look around?
We’re visiting family nearby anyway so wouldn’t be going out of our way. I’m guessing we wouldn’t get into any of the talk etc but we could get a feel for the place at least. Are there staff ‘policing’ entry dues anyone know?

OP posts:
Dobbyismyabsolutefav · 02/10/2023 16:03

I think you will be fine. At the very least you will be able to walk around campus and get a feel for the uni and the area. We visited just before covid hit and all the ambassadors were very helpful. Some subject talks were over subscribed so they just asked that parents let students go in, whereas one subject welcomed parents as they had plenty of room. My DD is at Exeter and is very happy there.

WombatChocolate · 02/10/2023 16:41

You can ‘sign-in’ when you get to some open days, but it’s never compulsory. Clearly they need to manage it, probably for safety reasons. However, some people who booked won’t actually go and a number if people will certainly just turn up. It will be fine to be honest.

TizerorFizz · 02/10/2023 17:48

@Fruitflylady We went some years ago and it was a scrum. Yes parents were turned out of subject talks because possible applicants, who had booked, could not get in. Whole families came for a day out. DD couldn’t speak to anyone it was so crowded.

Then there’s parking. Where are you going to park? We did their park and ride from the show ground. 90 minutes later we got to the campus having arrived at 9.15 am. DD missed her first talk. Going from the station might be easier.

You probably can just turn up but only go if you enjoy a bunfight. Otherwise go on a non open day. You might actually see more. We had the worst possible day and dd dismissed it. As we had stayed in Devon overnight we didn’t have packed lunch. Huge queues at lunch venues and they ran out of food. Hopefully lessons learned but I would not go near if I had not booked.

Original poster
Fruitflylady · 02/10/2023 17:58

Yikes @TizerorFizz , that sounds like a nightmare! Thanks for the info though. If we do go, it will be useful to be pre-warned

OP posts:
mondaytosunday · 02/10/2023 18:25

We are going this Saturday and are taking the train (£200)! There just didn't seem anywhere to park and the university is running a shuttle bus from the station. She's booked on two talks snd I think they do campus tours throughout the day, though imagine no accommodation tours as the kids are already back.
We have visited unis not on open day but no guarantees you will be able to talk to anyone - dd did get tours but not from someone taking her course. Bath I think tries to have someone from the faculty available if you call ahead.
Could family drop you off then collect? Or there's another open day at the end of the month.

TizerorFizz · 02/10/2023 19:04

@Fruitflylady Parking was not allowed on the campus. You might be able to park in the city and walk up. Or go by train and get the shuttle. I’m not sure if they still use the show ground for parking but they had a severe shortage of busses. Hopefully it’s better now! Could not be worse.

Scampuss · 02/10/2023 19:15

It's a 15 minute walk from the train station, unless the weather is awful, should be fine for anyone without mobility difficulties.

mondaytosunday · 02/10/2023 20:14

Prebooked parking in the city was sold out when I looked, but the shuttle busses are running between the campuses and St David's every 20 minutes. Or walk.

Em2ds1dd · 02/10/2023 22:07

In my experience of accompanying 3xDC to different unis, and I work at a campus uni, open days are always chaotic, noisy, crowded and food outlets have huge queues.
It’s not helped when whole family groups come along for a day out, or when the weather is either cold and wet or really hot.

Offer holders days are much better, more focussed, sample lectures etc. but of course it’s difficult making your 5 choices unless you’ve visited at least a few.

Its worth knowing that while the residential streets that are 10-15 mins walk from the main campus are residents parking, many are Mon-Fri only, so if you can identify these then you could park and walk up.

There are quite a few of us with DC at Exeter both on these boards and the FB WIWIKAU site if you have any specific queries.

Dancingdreamer · 03/10/2023 00:15

My suggestion would be to watch some of the subject content and advice on the online open day pages of the Exeter Uni site and then go visit the campus on Sunday or in the holidays. That’s what we did. The departments will usually answer any specific questions you may have afterwards as well by email.

TizerorFizz · 03/10/2023 09:51

I don’t think it is necessary to go to loads of open days. Both my DDs didn’t get to all possibles. Some are weekdays and it’s difficult with school. So they went to top 3 choices and then an offer day. When offers are so late though, offer days are missed! We visited a couple in the holidays.

UsherBobble · 03/10/2023 10:00

Yes I'd still go. When we looked at Bath they had a line for registered and unregistered for the talks and you were let in as there became space. It's so important to get the feel of the uni.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 03/10/2023 10:03

Dancingdreamer · 03/10/2023 00:15

My suggestion would be to watch some of the subject content and advice on the online open day pages of the Exeter Uni site and then go visit the campus on Sunday or in the holidays. That’s what we did. The departments will usually answer any specific questions you may have afterwards as well by email.

I agree with this, I cannot stress how limited parking is! Just go another time.

Bigfatsquirrel · 03/10/2023 10:11

I've been to the Exeter open day 3 times with my 3 DC over the years. Managed to park on campus each time - but you do need to book it early. Friends did the park and ride and that worked well. Agree with others about offer holders days being much better. Good luck.

mondaytosunday · 03/10/2023 11:33

I agree with @TizerorFizz - it's hard to get to all especially if spread out. My daughter has had a radical change of direction so the first three we went to are irrelevant now - we even trekked down to Falmouth University in the summer, making it a mini break.
We missed Bath as went to Bristol, though attending Bristol crossed it off her list. But Bath we'll visit on another day, or offer holding day if she gets one (she has her grades so hope some will offer sooner rather than later). We aren't going to bother going up to Durham. We did go to Cambridge, but mainly to confirm college choice. So really we will have visited just three (including Exeter) before her application goes in next week.
While there is no substitute for visiting, open days are not the best representation of the university.

TizerorFizz · 03/10/2023 12:04

@mondaytosunday We found Bristol so much easier on their open day than Exeter. DD liked it and went there. Somehow it didn’t feel like a family day out there. Far fewer earnest parents. In the end she didn’t want a campus. She liked a bigger city. Loads of her friends were at Exeter though and they all met up. Plus the ones at Bath.

Exeter said, very clearly, you were not to park on campus. I am amazed anyone even tried.

Bigfatsquirrel · 03/10/2023 14:24

@TizerorFizz they clearly have an option for the spaces available on campus on their booking form. When they're gone, they're gone. I think your DC are older aren't they, so things might have changed more recently. The last time I went to the Exeter Open Day with a child was in the last academic year, so recently. I have an older DC currently at Bristol and have done Open Day and Offer holders day there too. Lots of families - I agree with you that it just doesn't feel so much like a family day out because of the city vibe vs campus

TizerorFizz · 03/10/2023 14:28

They have changed it then. I think they had disabled at uni only but no one else could book it. Maybe they cannot get enough buses? It was a total shambles when we went but it’s a while ago! Interesting that’s it’s still a family day out. Lots of DDs friends went on their own but with mates.

mondaytosunday · 03/10/2023 15:05

Gosh hope no families! It's train for us (though I'm worried as day after strike and we are train/tube/train). Two taster sessions booked and a visit to a couple of the stands. We won't have much time to look around Exeter itself though.

Em2ds1dd · 03/10/2023 19:28

Fyi

Exeter uni open day fully booked…
Original poster
Fruitflylady · 04/10/2023 06:50

Thanks for all the experiences and advice. We will probably drop by for a quick look around as we’re in the area anyway this weekend.
I’ve also been in touch with the University and they told me about the extra open day, but it’s half term and we’ll be away. They also said the run ‘light touch’ tours run by students during term time that you can book so we may consider that at a later date.

OP posts:
mondaytosunday · 08/10/2023 01:08

Did you go @Fruitflylady? What did you think? I thought that's one hell of a workout walking up to campus from the train (no shuttle as promised by admissions), certainly for this 60 plus bod! My daughter did not get a good vibe (I thought it was fine), didn't like the anthropology talk at all, and she said there was a stunned silence when someone asked how much did the PS count and the woman said 'not at all'! Now I'm sure every sixth form head tells their kids that half the unis don't bother with them but it felt like a slap in the face.
The sociology talk was much better (I didn't go to the first as they said students only but my daughter said she felt like an orphan as plenty of space and parents in attendance so went to the second one) with a very engaging professor and having a student talk as well was very insightful. He (the teacher) also pretty much said 'if you have the grades you're in', without referring to the PS.
We couldn't be bothered looking at the accommodation after all the hills and it might be her fourth choice anyway.
Everyone was super nice though. The two hours sitting outside Reading on the train due to point failure we will gloss over.

TizerorFizz · 08/10/2023 05:30

@mondaytosunday So they still don’t have the shuttles sorted! We waited for well over an hour at the park snd ride years ago along with hundreds of others. DD missed first talk and it was downhill (so to speak) after that.

Exeter is recruiting for your DDs subjects then. They just take who they can get but it takes the pressure off for A levels! I’m not really sure why you and DD thought the PS would matter. Not all courses are competitive and Bristol, for example, often uses them as tie breakers on many courses.

Interesting they had room for parents and students. When DD went they asked parents to leave as students could not get in! That also might tell you it’s a recruiting subject. You might have had a different experience for Law or History.

Unexpecteddrivinginstructor · 08/10/2023 05:41

Many universities don't look at the personal statement, it is often written by parents or a third party and they cannot check whether it is true except by interview, so unless there are contextual flags there it is fairly useless. As an applicant this is useful information because it means that you can tailor the PS to the universities which will look at it.

TizerorFizz · 08/10/2023 05:45

Exeter do say on Soc/Anth that achieved and predicted exam results are the most important aspect of an application. Where a PS is considered, they give guidance on what they want to see. So it’s likely to be tie break. They say they tier applicants on exam results/predictions so PS might be read to bump someone up to the top tier who has just missed the cut, if there’s spaces. So write the ps along their guidelines (which are good for any uni) and it might be read elsewhere. It’s not read routinely.