Uni visits

[mrsnjw]

Did anyone not go to any uni open days but their son daughter still went to uni? How did they decided which unis to apply to? My son works every weekend and we can't take him. Worried how he will select. One friend has already been to about six!

He needs to commit to going to at least one, the one he likes the most.

We only went to one Open Day for one of my two DCs, and none for the other, because they were really hard to arrange with their other commitments. We did manage a few short trips during holidays to see what cities and campuses look/feel like, and that was helpful, it doesn't have to be on official open days.

They did a lot of research into what the courses and the accommodation prices were like, and then made their shortlist. Nearly every university also has "offer-holder" days once the offers have gone out, and they are worth attending if possible to decide on final choice.

When doing research, the league tables are a very rough guide. More detailed stats can be found on discoveruni.gov.uk

I do think it is useful to go. Each uni has a different feel and he needs to know if he likes big city or smaller environment. It is a long time and a lot of money to spend in a place he does not like.

Some universities have open days on a Friday, although I appreciate that means missing a day of school. I do think it is worth going as you get a real feel about the university and the mini lectures also give you an idea of the standard of teaching. If you really can’t go then a lot of universities give tours online and have interviews with students etc… although these are always going to show the uni in a positive light.

We only went to the one she had chosen ages ago. She also did a taster move up day in April and changed her course on the back of it. They are useful but he will manage if you can't, just do your research.

Does your son get annual leave as part of his work contract? If so, could he consider reserving some of that for one or two Saturday Open Days, book on those well in advance and secure those days as annual leave well in advance also?

Even if that is not possible, or not possible for all the Open Days he would like attend, there are other ways of gathering useful info, including visiting informally on other days (eg school half term weekdays), online chat with students doing the intended course, webinars with subject admission tutors, official campus tours etc.

We arranged a private visit with the admissions tutor for his first choice.
Personally thought it was better than an open day as we saw the uni in proper working mode. And the town on a dull winter day when it was flooded.
Loved it do much he didn't bother with any others

Getting a sense of the campus and environs is important, I think, but that doesn't have to be on open days.

Narrow down choices by online research then pick a few to visit, maybe either Sundays or at half-term.

Alternatively, take your time and apply next year with grades in hand.

It would be helpful for him to see a couple of places to get a feel for them - or even for the type of uni he likes eg city v campus, north v south?

My son really liked Lancaster after doing his research and it's high in the league tables- but having visited its not a favourite any more! He's realised he likes the city campus type uni better. Glad he realised this before submitting his ucas form!

I know Liverpool did Friday open days this year so that could be an option. DS's school allow them 2 days off to do uni visits.

He really needs to make time to do the open days...

We made decisions which open days to go to based on the following criteria

Which unis do actually run the degree they're interested in?
Which ones out of those do they have a chance of getting into with their grade predictions?
How do these unis rate in the league tables? (Don't need to get too bogged down in this but if you're an A* student you're unlikely to have a very low ranking uni on your list)
How far would they want to be from home, if at all?
How easy is the journey home in terms of transport?
How expensive is the accommodation/living costs?
Do they fancy city life/uni by the sea/campus uni?

All of this info is out there on ucas/uni websites. You then make a shortlist of places to visit.

If there is no way he can make a Saturday open day, contact the school or department he is interested in and see if you can arrange a visit during the week. I would recommend doing it during the university term time if possible.

is he currently year 12 or year 13?

My eldest didn't because of covid there were no open days! Everyone just looked on line that year and unis still do virtual open days. We did take him to visit the city before hand though and there was eventually a campus tour not long before but to be fair that's was pointless when you couldn't go inside anywhere. Having since gone to lots of uni visits with my younger sons I do think they are worth going to if you can make any though. Another option would be to wait for the offer holder days to make a final decision then.

Neither of mine visited the unis before hand, ds chose his uni as it was rated number 1 in the uk for his course and dd chose it as the uni had a good name.

This is spot on. And the intangible 'feel' of a place is a factor too. And you only get that from a visit.

We are going to 3. 2 she has taken a day off her weekend job and the others she took a day off school (which was authorised)

I think the visits have been important.

She realised she liked the campus near a city setup
She realised she likes green space around her (we are in a London suburb so quite built up)
Seeing the halls was also interesting - they are quite different and one set we saw at York she just loved. They seemed like they would be a really friendly setup.

You can often visit universities without going to open days. I would do that. You may not be able to see halls of residence but you'll get a good idea of the university usually. Contact the outreach team in advance of going as sometimes they can arrange tours.