How many university Open Days did your dc attend?

[wildfellhall]

I am interested to know what parents think is an ideal number which will, of course, vary from family to family.

Also how much & what way did the open days impact the dc's first choice?

I did two with ds which, on reflection, was not enough really. I think even just one more visit would have helped him.

dd is in gcse year now.

My niece's experience of horrible and extortionately expensive accomodation is making me wonder about finding out more about accomodation. It's made her uni experience fairly grim.

DD2 most recently - 3 plus visited one other uni plus one uni abroad (not on open days)
DS2 - 2, plus visited two more not on open days
dS1 - 3 I think
DD1 - 2 (but only applied to 3- very niche course)

Probably 8 or 9 as DD changed her mind about what to study. They were incredibly important as her 1st choice ended up being one we almost didn’t consider, she loved it based on the open day and it’s where she ended up.

When did you do all these @Summerbay23 ?

first year of sixth form or second? Are there lots in spring/summer or just once a year in autumn. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.
where we live we can’t really do any contenders in a day so would be lots of overnight trips and I’m worried about money and childcare for my other dc

There are quite a few in June @User364837 We did two then and one in early September. So late year 12, beginning of 13.

It’s easier if your DC has an idea of what they want to study and in what kind of setting. They can always see ones that are close to home and that they can go to alone or with friends just to get an idea of what studying the course is like and if they would like, for eg, a campus. Schools often run a few as well.

The ideal number doesn't exist. You/your child need to draw up a shortlist of universities/courses based on the criteria that are important to you. I agree that researching the accommodation situation is vital, though universities do unfortunately make changes to their accommodation offer after submission of UCAS applications.

On an open day how can you visit all accommodation? It’s impossible. Some of it won’t be near the uni faculty either. You cdn see videos and lots of pictures. Plus subsequent years are down to being discerning. And usually money. Students often want to roll out of bed and into lectures. Going a bit further away usually saves money. Always try and speak to existing students in the accommodation. Or fork out for newish build.

Ceramic
Of course there is no ideal number - I just wondered what number had worked for others and why, there a huge amount of variety in these answers so it's really useful to read how people made these judgments.
I wish we had done more for my ds as I think it would have made a significant difference to his choice.

We went to 7. We did 4 with two overnight stays thanks to lucky timings, two were day trips, and one involved a flight to Northern Ireland and a two night stay - they did offer a modest bursary to UK students for flights. That was her first choice and it was worth it because she got a really good feel for the university and the city. She started there two weeks ago

Re accommodation, the booking systems can vary between unis so don’t set your heart on one particular hall.

First time around DS could apply for accommodation at his firm choice as soon as the booking window opened, was able to select his favourite three from the full list and was offered his first choice.

Ended up taking a year out and taking a place at a different uni - this time he was allocated a booking slot by email (about 3 hours notice) and out of his accommodation shortlist of five or six halls only one was available.