My son wants to go to open days alone/with friends

[Mathsmother]

My son in year 12 wants to go to uni open days alone and not with me or my husband. He may go with friends to a couple where they also interested in applying.

We are totally fine about it and rather admire his initiative but when I posted such on Facebook I was told that most students take parents along with them to open days and I really should go. I just wondered why? Surely it is the student’s choice not the parent’s and it is much cheaper for one train ticket (on a young person’s railcard) than two or three tix? The only downside I can see of my son travelling alone at age 17 is that he won’t be able to book a hotel room for the one far-flung uni he had on his list (Edinburgh). Thoughts and experiences welcome xx

lol it's hilarious how aerated the helicopter parents are getting on here. God forbid a 17 year old assert a bit of independence must mean they are from chaotic uncaring Families

Even if this is true it's NORMAL at 17. Maybe your kids are a bit strange

Cumulative travel costs associated with Open Days can be high and that can be a barrier for those on tight budgets but we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of assuming it has to be a costly exercise.

Many prospective students attend a limited and more targeted number of Open Days (eg 3-4 rather than, say, 6+);

Going solo reduces overall costs, particularly if accompanying parents were also intending to travel by rail;

16-17 railcards offer 50% discounts;

Savvy purchase of fixed tickets as they are released can help;

Being willing to arrive late morning and attend later sessions can overcome the need for overnight accommodation (my DC did this for a number of 500 mile plus round trips);

There are additional ways to build up a picture of individual unis eg one of my DC attended an afternoon campus tour of a more distance uni in the holidays and aligned that to a cheap train ticket deal.

For my DC, the challenge of minimising travel costs whilst still gathering the requisite info was actually part of the learning experience and one that stood them in good stead in other situations.