Bath Uni open day fully booked

[KeepOnCleaning]

We've had it in the calendar for months, but when I told my dd earlier this week to book the subject talks, we realised it now says the open day is fully booked and not to turn up if you haven't already booked. Putting aside the actual subject talks, does anyone know if we'll be ok just turning up anyway, walking around the campus and communal areas, without pre-booking?

We did just that - didn’t bother with open days but just turned up and wandered around (not on open days though). You won’t get access to buildings but you do get a good feel of the campus and the city.

Thanks all. I don't want to risk the 2 hour drive to not be allowed to go anywhere. I figured they can't close the campus down to visitors.

We did quite a few open days with DS (9 in total between UK and Ireland) and while we did book in for them, there was not a single one where they were checking you had booked - even for specific talks. I admit that we didn’t do Bath, but the ones we did also said they were fully booked and yet there was no way of knowing when you were there who had officially booked and who had just rocked up on the day.

When we did Bath, they were checking bookings for the talks, but had two queues - for those who had booked and for those who hadn’t got a booking but were hoping others who did book hadn’t turned up. You could get an open day bus up to the campus from near the railway station (doing regular to and fros), so didn’t have to worry about so many people turning up that the car parks would be full. So, I would probably risk it, tbh, but accept you might not get to hear any of the lectures. There were lots of stands, though, with info, and people to talk to. Queues for food were v long, so bring your own refreshments.

Ps had you not even registered to say you were intending to attend?

There won't be any parking available on site, but you can get a bus up from town.

Bath runs a nice open day. My dd will be there (new graduate)... always ask the students any questions... they've been through it.

The important thing to know for Bath is that second year onwards accomodation is pricey for what you can get. Start saving...

Unfortunately not. I had put it in the calendar, but DD had said all along that she didn't want to go to Bath - partly snobbery over it being non-RG, and partly having heard the accommodation issues with Bath. I mentioned last week that it was in the calendar, and she suddenly decided that actually she did want to visit, because friends who had visited had liked it and it's ranked very highly for the course she wants to do. But it seems she has left it too late.

I will bear in mind what you have said about parking and check the trains instead.

We've got the same issue as very annoyingly my DS forgot to book. I tried to book the park and ride from Landsdown but can't as we don't have a code. Does anyone who's been before know if people are sent a code to park on the campus of if we might be get in there if we arrive really early?

You have to register for the code - it explains how to on the Bath website

But the Park and Ride is commercial - if you are there early you should still get a space, all the code means is that you don’t have to pay for the space. It doesn’t reserve you a space.

I may be doing something wrong here but I registered on the parking link given on the University website and used those log in details on the second link to reserve the permit. Then when I tried to get the permit I was asked for a code issued by the University, which we don't have because my DS didn't register, unless there's another way of getting it which I've missed?

When I looked at the park and ride website it seemed like you pay on the bus for the normal services, not pay for parking. At the Cardiff open day it was special buses for the University and you paid as you got on, so I was thinking it would be like that tomorrow but checking that we had a permit to get on the bus.

Hmmm ok..: let me go and check my email!

I just used the 'OpenDay7' code:

To park for free, register online or download the MiPermit app from:

• Google Play
• Apple App Store

You should download the app and arrange your free parking in advance. When you've registered:

1. Go to www.wanttopark.com/bathnes.
2. Log in using the account details you used to register.
3. Select 'Buy Digital Permits' from the menu.
4. Scroll down to 'University Open Day Permits' and click on that.

On the 'Purchase University Permits' page:

1. Choose the date you want to use the park and ride.
2. Add your vehicle registration.
3. Add the code Openday7 where it says 'Token Number'.
4. Click 'Finish'.

We are registered for the Open Day and waitlisted for various talks.

When we went a couple of years ago we just parked in a multi storey near Bath station - I think the Southgate car park? - and then DS and I got the free open day buses up to the campus and back while DS2 and DH had a wander around Bath.

Obviously you have to pay the standard rates for the car park, but it was easy and convenient for us.

That's brilliant thank you. I've booked now

DS is also waitlisted (and has been since July). I'm going up with him but I'm really hoping parents will be asked to stay outside while the prospective students actually go to the talks!

Those of you considering attendance without booking may not be aware that a section of A36 is closed, just south of Bath, for long term repairs. This will have the effect of diverting traffic from the south into Bath via the A4 and so affect those of you travelling from the M4/A46 direction (typical route in from London) where the two routes meet to the north-east of the city; so expect delays.

More generally, my DC's experience is that the U of Bath Open Days attract enormous parental interest and consequently are very crowded. They found the example lectures slightly staged and the subject talks generally reprised what is available on the U of Bath website (which is very detailed). They found the department stands, in the main hall, the most useful element and staff and students very helpful. They said the hall thinned out a bit in the afternoon.

My DC had been unable to attend an earlier Bath Open Day and booked themselves onto a guided campus tour at another time. Whilst you do not access labs etc, you do get a tour of the sports facilities and a general orientation around the campus; they said the student guides were great and the absence of masses of visitors meant you could take in all in.

As others say, walking or catching the bus up the hill helps prospective students understand that hill is a material fact of life at Bath, certainly for second and subsequent year students but also for the 20% of first years allocated city v campus accommodation; best to be aware of that at the outset.

We did this. It was really annoying not to be able to see anything. The subject talks were strictly controlled and we couldn't get in. We thought the town was depressing and expensive- consequently she didn't apply!

That was the case everywhere we went apart from Durham, where parents actually ASKED QUESTIONS

Ha! @Ghilliegums That was our experience at Durham too - only heard prospective students asking questions a couple of times throughout the day, but parents were asking multiple questions in every single talk/event.

My DC was one of only a handful of prospective students (as far as they could see) who attended the U of Bath Open Day unaccompanied. Most attended with a parent and a very large minority with two parents; adding in a section of people turning up without prior registration, you end up with an experience that is very parent-centric and very crowded.

My DC, who was a fairly seasoned solo attendee by the time they attended the Bath Open Day, said it did have a noticeably detrimental effect, which is a pity. They still thought the staff and student helpers were great, but were also having to battle the press of parents to an extent.

My advice to those who have not been able to register to attend is to read the website carefully and book onto a guided campus tour on another day. If you must attend, consider doing so in the afternoon and focus on encouraging your DC to go into the main hall and engage directly with the subject-specific staff and students in there.

I took my dds to all their uni stuff because - and this is very unmumsnet - it was a nice day out just the two of us and they like to talk to me about things.

However, we walked around together but they went to all the talks on their own while I sat in a usually nice campus coffee shop.