2015 university open days

[hellsbells99]

So, following on from the year 12 thread, here is our open day visits thread!

Ds said that no parents could go into the subject talks at Exeter when he booked.

dunlurking not entirely surprised about that re Exeter. We pre registered and I was on tenterhooks for the access email yesterday morning! Extraordinary that it's already full before it opens to a wider audience! However all is not lost for others. Exeter is extremely aspirational for my DS and depending on results on 13/08 may be unrealistic. In which case we will cancel going all that way (Cornwall campus) and I'm sure we won't be alone in that strategy, so additional places may become available closer to the day

Total newbie to all this. Does everyone go with their dc? My gut feeling is ones where she is familiar with the city (newcastle, durham, sheffield,York) she can go alone. Ones that involve overnight stays I go with(but not on tour/talks) (this may be because I fancy a night in a hotel and a mooch round unfamiliar places ) She says some she can go with friends-that's fine with me.

fuckery there was a whole thread about this recent,y. IME about 99% had parents (if not grannies, siblings!) with them. My DS has said that those very few of his classmates who have been on their own said they basically farted about all day and didn't ask the important questions etc. given the choice my DS asked me to come with him. Horses for courses obviously but my personal view is that unless you can be sure your DD will get the most out of the day and speak to the right people without prompting it's worth tagging along!

homebythesea we too may cancel if the ASs don't support an Exeter application. Sadly I have had to book and pay for Premier Inn's for Exeter and Bristol in advance, as ds insists he will get appropriate predictions. We will see!

We live hundreds of miles from most of the universities that do ds's favoured course so driving and accommodation and a Mum or Dad are needed. I tried to persuade him to take a train and a friend to Bristol and stay at the YHA but he wasn't having it! Actually I'm enjoying seeing his journey as he attends the talks and inspects the campuses. I suspect dd won't get the same enthusiasm when I have to do it for a second time. As he's an arts person and she's science/engineering maybe we will be looking at different unis.

Exeter full? Drat.

DD finally got to two London open days, but neither impressed. She felt she was the only one at Barts who went alone, others came with several family members. She was depressed that there was no mention of any extra curricular, whether it be Student Union, sport or music, and the only questions asked during the tour of accommodation were about the availability of ensuites. She asked the guide about the opportunity for meeting non-medics. He seemed surprised by the question and said there weren't any. Instead lots on how academic it was, apparently just as good as Oxbridge (which left DD thinking why would you not go to Oxbridge). She was also surprised how little diversity there was both amongst current students and would be applicants. Given how diverse her current friendship group is, with parents if not children, coming from the four corners of the world, this was a turn off.

St Georges was better, but quite small, and, oddly, seemingly not academic enough.

It helps. I think she now sees that she wants a medical school linked with a University that offers things like sports and the scope for a mixed friendship group. After growing up in central London she probably wants somewhere reasonably cosmopolitan, including a good mixed patient body. She does not want something out and out academic as she wants to be a hands on doctor (Surgeon, GP) rather than a research type person, yet would enjoy somewhere reasonably rigourous and a hospital with some strong departments or specialisations. She is hoping to avoid taking BMAT as there will be lots going on at school (prefect etc) and she does not want the distraction.

Suggestions please. Bristol would seem obvious however no one seems to know what they are looking for, and so it now comes with warnings that this may be a wasted line on the UCAS form. Exeter would be worth a look, in part to work out whether this is somewhere she would be happy living for five years. Belfast is apparently great for surgery, but again would she enjoy living there. Birmingham? Nottingham? Sheffield? KCL, but do the students get to mix with students from other faculties? Her friends liked Durham as a University. I tried to get her to the Southampton open day earlier, but she was not keen, probably because at that point she could only see as far as the end of term, UKCAT and work experience. I think she can be quite ambitious as she is happy taking a gap year.

Is it worth trying to do some campus tours during the summer? I can see a grand road trip trying to fit in as many campuses and cities as possible. If nothing else it will help both her, and my, geography.

What about Hull York medical school Needmoresleep?
I have a friend with a DS there. I don't know how cosmopolitan the whole place is but certainly the med students are very international. Nottingham is a lovely campus, very close to the city. DS has it in his top three. As to med students mixing with other faculties, I suspect that in the first year this will be true in most places because students in halls are not allocated by subject. As time goes by the med students tend to live together because they are often hospital based rather than uni.
Sheffield is also a favourite of DS (although he is looking at different things to your DD). My friend's DD is hoping to go there, partly because she had major surgery at Sheffield children's hospital. The uni is very close to the hospital and right in the city centre.

I took DS to the Exeter open day in June and though they said on the literature no parents in talks, in fact they just waited till all the students were seated and then let parents in. I went into both history and classics no problem. They did not check tickets as we went into the presentations either.

There was a family with a whining toddler and crying baby in the talk I went to . I only went on 2 of the 6 open days with DS but on those I reckon 99.9% of students had a parent in tow. I still felt guilty 'cos of Mumsnet.

I went to Bath with DD, and she went to Bristol with school friends. Based on my experience at Bath (limited, I know!), most people had at least one parent with them.

Needmoresleep how about Manchester? Recently rated the best city for graduates in terms of affordable lifestyles/good housing after graduation. (I forget who by - must google )The university area is slightly grotty but there is a real buzz to the city these days as it prospers - it feels more comsmopolitan every time I visit and the diversity is there. The medical school has always been good, although over large in its intake IMHO.

dunlurking I've not booked accom for Exeter yet. Of course Sod's law dictates that if/when we decide to go to the open day all vaguely reasonable options will have gone. But to be honest if his AS grades point to the ability to even dream I'd happily pay for the Ritz His GCSE predictions and the actualité have made me a bit

homebythesea at paying for the Ritz. Fingers crossed you have that lovely surprise 13th August!

Anyone been on any sport and exercise science open days? Interested to hear views.

My son is doing BTEC so will be slightly restricted although he should get DDD*. The other issue is that due to laziness did not do as well as could have done in GCSEs so has a C in maths and notice that some want a B. He failed his English so had to do functional skills this year. He has passed this and will be able to now take GCSE but will be applying to universities without a confirmed grade.

His first choice is Cardiff Metropolitan although not done the open day yet. His choice of course there is Sport Performance Analysis (am a bit concerned this is too restrictive but am being shot down).

We have done Nottingham Trent, Worcester and Gloucester. He likes Gloucester.

**Needsmoresleep

Why not come over to the "mum of a medical applicant" thread in Higher Education - although we are all a year ahead of you we won't mind sharing any useful info we have gathered.
My dd decided against any London medical schools (we live just outside) but still wanted a biggish city. It's hard to make shortlist until you know the UKCAT score (some of the places mentioned have very high cut-offs). My dd's shortlist included Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Cardiff. All were vibrant enough for her. She would have liked Liverpool or Manchester too but didn't like the focus on PBL at those.
I wouldn't worry too much about the BMAT taking up too much time - it didn't for my dd and it was over & done with relatively early in the school year. I think more & more unis are changing over to that. Leeds has. Not sure if Birmingham have opted for either yet?

Thanks Bruffin, Decorhate and Millymolly.
We have looked at Birmingham which DD2 liked. We looked at Nottingham last year with DD1 and I think we will go back in September for another look.
So far, the favourite is Leeds - she liked the course and the university. We have also looked at Durham (didn't like), Sheffield (liked but only if in the City accommodation), Manchester (liked - but I think she would be better suited to a campus) and Cambridge (liked).
Needmore - I know students doing medicine at Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and Cambridge and non of them regret their choice and all are part of university life.

Yes GasLIghtShining ds has done S&ES open days. He is the same boat as your ds doing a BTEC and on course for triple D*. We went to Nottingham Trent too and Cardiff Met. He too likes the performance analysis bits best which is why the CM course appealed but I'm with you and latterly ds, in that it is too restrictive. Also didn't like CM campus at all, very small and far too school like. Very different from all the other open days we went to. Did your ds like NT? pm is you want more feedback on the other places we visited (Hull, Northumbria, Sheffield Hallam)

PA modules seem to be available on all the S&ES courses ds is looking at. The B requirement in maths is because the performance analysis involves a lot of stats.

As for the current favourite, best course is somewhere different to best facilities which is somewhere different to best employability which is different to best campus which is different to most friendly staff - Nightmare!

eatyourveg What did you and DS think of Sheffield Hallam? One of Ds's friends went on the open day and didn't like it - if remember rightly they has a issue with the accommodation.

Hull and Northumbria are too far away. We are in the Midlands and he is keen to be far enough away but not too far to make it too expensive to get home.

I was very impressed with the way they ran the open day and the campus was great. The big down side for my DS was that it is stuck out of the city. A student was telling us that once he learnt the short cuts the walk was cut down to 45 mins. The other issue at the moment is that because he is set on Cardiff Met it is hard for him to consider anything else. That may change once he does the open day.

Worcester - the course talk was about the whole sport department not just the course DS was interested in. It seemed a bit corporate for my liking. Accommodation seemed good and main campus is not far from the centre. One of the talks was specifically for BTEC students - to be honest it was a waste of time, we would have been better off going to the personal statement talk

Gloucester has nice feel to the campus and I liked the course talk. They also have (cheaper) university accommodation in the centre and a girl said it was only a short walk to campus. The young lady who did the personal statement talk was very good. An ex-student of the uni and managed to make it interesting.

I am nagging DS to come up with one or two more places to have a look at in the autumn as well as Cardiff Met

Are you looking anywhere else? I keep going on websites but am struggling to focus!

Regarding medicine, I know that Bristol medics get mixed into all the halls for first year and, in second year, live with friends they have made from all disciplines. DD lived with a medic both first and second year. When placements come around, they are not necessarily in Bristol so often medics end up living together because they are temporarily in Gloucester for example. It may be that it was students nearing the end of the course that showed prospective students around in London. I would guess Bristol are looking for what every one else is looking for in a medic - academics, total desire to be a Dr and relevant "work" experience! What medical course is not academic, or tough or demanding? My DD's friend was very happy with Bristol and it has loads of extra curricular - if you have time!

Regarding Exeter, the Cornwall campus is not the scrum of Exeter, so I have heard. When we visited Exeter, parents were being asked not to go into talks but still went in. They had to be removed. It was truly awful and clearly a family day out. Very few students seemed to be on their own (including my DD but at least I did what I was told). However, loads at Bristol were on their own and DD went off with them because I was just the taxi and the provider of the overnight accommodation because we combined the visit with Exeter. I went to the talk for parents but that was it! Mooched around Clifton - had a great day!

GasLight - honestly don't choose a University because of "coming home". If they enjoy university, they don't keep coming home. Just at the end of term. Choose the best University your DS can get into for his chosenfield, taking into account he appears to want a city university. Sheffield is a great city for a student and so are Leeds, Bristol, Nottingham, Newcastle and Manchester. Accommodation is always gong to be OK if you pay enough money. However, DD had the cheapest catered room at Bristol and loved it. No ensuite, (very aged bathroom shared by 6), tiny shared "kitchen" area, really old furniture in keeping with the age of the hall and another girl had to go through DD's room to get to hers, but they had a great time. It is not the roomthat makes the experience, it is the people they meet.

Also don't base the decision on what you, as a parent, like. Many universities are recruiting universities. They need to fill their courses. They know the students may not choose them so they go all out to entice the students to make them their firm choice. It is a business to them, so they sound corporate. Look past that. It is not relevant.

Gas ds wasn't keen on sheffield hallam - it was a tiny campus away from the rest of the uni - the talks were just sales pitches about famous people and the english institute of sport's facilities which they apparently made use of but talking to the students none of the first years had been there! Also all the other sports courts and pitches were a bus ride away (£££) and the labs were ridiculously tiny compared to everywhere else.

Birmingham was too theory based and not applied/practical enough. Leeds and Bath discounted either on btec grounds or for being too theory based. Loughborough are starting a new course in 2016 which does accept btec but involves psychology. Leeds Becket is highly reputed within the industry but its overall ranking put ds off. Brunel, Portsmouth, Bournemouth Liverpool JM and Hertfordshire were all contenders for visits but got relegated to the only if nothing else appeals category. Chichester is the only other place he is looking at and only going because his former school's head of dept said the course was a good one.

Meant to add Nottingham tram system is being extended and will reach the Clifton campus by the time our dc go so don't discount it. Accommodation there looks great - CM is much less accessible and most of the accommodation there is catered.

My DS wants me to go into the talks with him. I'm not sure if it is an age thing as in he's not 17 until the end of August. I'm not a pushy parent but sometimes it helps to have a second pair of ears.

Milly - Locations has been his choice. Some of his choices mean he could actually live at home but I wouldn't even suggest that and he has said he wants to live out which ever uni he chooses. I would never insist on him going somewhere based on my view - I was giving my view on here but the final decision will be his.

One of the reasons he is looking at city based unis is that he will need to get a job and being city based will make it easier. I looked at one of the Manchester websites and the sport degrees are actually on a campus in Crewe.

Accommodation wise I am trying to persuade him to go with a cheaper option of shared bathrooms. Seriously our bathroom is not in the best of conditions and is in desperate need of a refurb so it's not like he is used to show home standards.

eatyourveg there is still some snobbery about BTEC so it is good that Loughborough are are at least accepting for one course. DS is not keen on too much psychology. I did google it and see that they would prefer a B in maths although will consider a C. They want a B in english.

I cane home from work today and he's says he wants to go to the open days at Portsmouth and Lincoln so we will look at those.

I feel a spreadsheet coming on!!!

eatyourveg - Surely a degree course is theoretical otherwise it would not be a degree! There has to be some academic rigour even in the practical subjects.

I agree being in Crewe is not the experience of Manchester but lots of universities have second campuses , eg Falmouth for Exeter, Stockton on Tees for Durham. Brunel and Hertfordshire would be seriously off my list as not exciting enough. Bournemouth, Portsmouth and Liverpool would be better places to live. Bournemouth is great for students. Chichester is pretty but not really a university city in the true sense of the word - genteel.

The problem may be with Loughborough that they get overwhelmed with highly qualified A level students and for sport, it is the place to go, so competition is fierce.

Veg and Gas, I don't know much about the course though DD flirted with the idea of taking sports science at A level and has several friends who have gone onto to degrees. However Bournemouth is a great University town, and the University is climbing the rankings, albeit from a low initial position. It is especially well regarded for digital media/marketing type courses and has plenty of local jobs for finance grads. Its a town with good employment (tourism/care/finance and lots of light industry in Poole) and ready availability of winter accomodation. Plus a good beach and a half decent football team!

Milly yes of course all degrees are theoretical - what I meant was that there is a more scientific approach in some and a higher applied aspect in others.

Loughborough has 22 sports courses in clearing including straight S&ES which doesn't indicate to me that competition is actually that fierce which I admit is odd especially as the courses require lab time. I wouldn't say though that it is necessarily the place to go

Choosing a uni really does depend on what sort of personality the student has, what they want from the whole experience and if the aim is to go on to research or take advantage of the year in industry/placement abroad etc etc. Checking for the links with industry and employability I think is crucial for this subject. Everyone looks for something different. Whilst ds is on track to get triple distinction star and students are encouraged to aim for the very best possible, it doesn't mean a really competitive place asking for 400+ points would suit. Portsmouth, Chichester and Bournemouth are too near both sets of gp who would want to be popping in for tea every Sunday so dismissed almost on those grounds alone. Ds seems happy with the 3 or 4 places he's now chosen, all in traditional uni cities, its now just a case of whittling the courses down to 5