Uni Open Days - Where to start

[reluctantbrit]

Full disclaimer, we aren't from the UK and have absolutely no idea and no friends with uni age kids. Hence we are absolutely clueless.

DD started Y12 in September and while talking to some people I know I was asked how many unis we already visited. I was kind of "Huh, she won't go. until 2025".

She wants to do history but I think she doesn't really know in what direction, she is torn between medival and social/criminal history,

We know the school takes them to a university fair in London next Spring and I did mention to DD that she needs to start looking at the courses and put down some names she can then look at more closely.

But were can she look? Is there some central website where you can search which unis are offering courses.

We took DS to look at some at the end of yr 12 just to narrow the choice down between city centre and campus. They weren't open days but you got a feel for the place. We agreed a geographical boundary of not south of London as that would be expensive travel and wasn't necessary as he wanted a subject that almost every university offers. Then he went to a few open days in the September which ruled some in and some out.

Let her settle into her sixth form. Remember if she isn't applying for Oxbridge or medicine then there is a whole year to go!

Course content for history matters more to the student than any employer. Don’t go somewhere very low in league tables if you can get much higher. When getting a job, a history grad competes against vast numbers of similar grads. Uni matters more. Few employers will worry about whether you studied the crusades or Victorian industrial policy. They will expect many other skills and often the transferable skills learnt are the ones that really matter. But don’t go to Chichester if you can get to Cambridge.

Summer open days usually come after school exams. Autumn can be a rush if you are doing ps as well and full on homework.

We planned on starting to look the summer after GCSE's but covid prevented it. If you leave it too late you run out of time and you also find that open days clash with one another.

I would definitely start next year, you have probably missed most of the autumn ones by now but look at courses, here is a good place to start https://www.whatuni.com/ and make a shortlist, then get onto mailing lists so you are informed of open days.

@SiouxsieSiouxStiletto I think the op referred to SEN. For that reason I mentioned distance.

I agree, re the SN. if she's totally overwhelmed already. How bad is her ASD. Does she also have anxiety aswell. In which case which Uni offers the best support might also be a factor. Disability Support Services should be your first port of call, actually you could even look now, to see what sort of support plan they offer.

I studied History; every degree course is slightly different and offers different modules, so it's a mammoth task to work through them all! I would use other factors to narrow the list down first - we used distance (and I'm glad we did - dd is 1.25 hours away and it's been so handy) and then league tables for dd's subject. Obviously you also need to consider what predicted grades you're working with. Dd was looking at A star, A, A so the whole range of options was open to her. If your grades were slightly lower, that would rule out the top few and you can work down from there. Also consider campus/small town/city etc. Although in our case dd put down 3 big city unis and 2 campus unis in small historic cities. It was only when she had offers and went to the offer holder days, that she decided she wanted a big city. Which was fine as she had 3 to choose from.

Plus there's another good thread about open days atm.

Not true, @KnittedCardi. St Andrews at least has a UG degree in Medieval History.

So do chichester and Edinburgh and Sheffield and Bangor and Winchester and Birmingham and Swansea and Cambridge (and others)

@Kelta I knew there were others but you did the legwork - thank you!

Wow, thanks all. Lots of things I will note down and look into.

DD has "High Functioning Autism" but she is a creature of habit, hates surprises and has to be prepared. We will definitely take SEN into account when checking out unis. I think the idea of a dorm with 10 people sharing is her idea of hell but we will see how we approach this particular problem. She can be social if she wants but is also someone who needs space and quite. Hm.

@NoNotHimTheOtherOne Do you that for history? Isn’t the thread about history?
@reluctantbrit There are no communal dorms. Uni is not boarding school! You get your own room and can have an en suite bathroom. Or not. You can get catered accommodation or self catered. Self catered can mean messy fellow students using the kitchen! My DD1 found catered easier so unis that have that might appeal.

The list of unis offering medieval history is still quite small.

DD has "High Functioning Autism" but she is a creature of habit, hates surprises and has to be prepared. We will definitely take SEN into account when checking out unis. I think the idea of a dorm with 10 people sharing is her idea of hell but we will see how we approach this particular problem. She can be social if she wants but is also someone who needs space and quite. Hm

I think it's definitely worth asking what accommodation the Unis have for students with ASD and what support she'll receive.

Hello @reluctantbrit two of mine have done history degrees - Cambridge and UEA. A number of excellent points and links already been made by many pps. I would suggest not getting too obsessed, if possible, on particular periods or topics at this early stage, but go in with an open mind. From school one of mine was very interested in Ancient Rome; the other would have liked to have ideally avoided anything pre 20th century. At uni however they both took very different tracks. Dissertation for the previously Uber modernist was on an early medieval topic of all things!

whilst league tables need a pinch of salt they provide a general starting point. Although CUG or ST probably preferable to Graun. If your DD just picked at handful and looked at the range of periods and type of modules available; or indeed not available; it may pique her interest yet further.

I would add that a number of the unis cited in terms of medieval history are offering a degree in Ancient and Medieval History; as opposed to specifically Medieval History. Of course with an A&M degree there is likely opportunity, perhaps not in the first year, to select primarily If not exclusively medieval modules.

Good luck to your DD in her research.

Same. Nottingham had a fantastic studio flat, literally kitchen, bathroom and bedroom in one. We haven't visited very many but I'm sure there's similar elsewhere. Most have various options re what you share.

@boys3. I agree with having an open mind. My DD1 also didn’t want to consider medieval French. Whilst doing the degree she became far more open to unexplored topics and found she was really good at French literature of the crusades! University options can be surprising nuggets of learning.