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2015 university open days

398 replies

hellsbells99 · 07/06/2015 17:37

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

OP posts:
Dunlurking · 17/06/2015 14:44

Thanks for info on scarves everyone. Think I will have to settle for one with ducks - does that sound suitable? Not sure if it is ducks actually, I can't find my glasses. Maybe I will have to stay incognito!

Leeds2 will update you on Liberal Arts talks as we go.

I'm only going with ds as he needs driving everywhere from this part of the country (depths of England's most rural county). Actually he's pretty shy so I want to do everything possible to ensure he will actually leave home one day needs the support to make sure he will go.

SecretSquirrels · 17/06/2015 15:23

Dunlurking In the event that is is even scarf weather I shall look out for ducks on Saturday Grin

Leeds2 · 17/06/2015 16:58

Thanks, Dunlurking. All info gratefully received!

LIZS · 17/06/2015 17:04

ds did a taster day yesterday which seemed positive and is now looking at open days mainly for Autumn now.

Oblique27 · 17/06/2015 17:31

This is all new to me, so pardon dense question.....how many universities does the UCAS form allow you to select? It must be lots by the number of visits some people have planned......Confused

LIZS · 17/06/2015 17:35

5 I think, we don't plan to do that many visits.

SecretSquirrels · 17/06/2015 17:46

You can choose up to 5, then you can accept two offers one as firm and one as insurance.
DS is looking at six, really only to have some information to compare. He is looking at a mix of city and campus which is a factor to consider as well as subject.
I think he will struggle to find five that fit the bill.

dottygamekeeper · 17/06/2015 17:51

Please can I join this thread - I've been lurking on the Year 12 and 13 threads as have a DS in Yr 13 who is going on to Art Foundation so will be applying to Uni this year (but doesn't want to do open days til September), and DD in Yr 12.

She is off to Manchester on Friday and then from there to Warwick on Saturday, travelling with a friend. The following week we were off to York on the Friday followed by Durham on the Saturday, but we have now discovered that York are having a taster day in her subject 2 weeks later, so she is going to that instead and then to Sheffield from York. We will just do the Durham trip together for Sat 26. We have already done a subject day at Cambridge, and she would like to look at Bath.

Apart from Cambridge, nowhere that she wants to go to is anywhere near home!

hellsbells99 · 17/06/2015 18:04

Dotty - Leeds is also on Friday (and en-route to Durham) if your DD fancies it.

OP posts:
Oblique27 · 17/06/2015 19:09

Thank you LIZS and SecretSquirrels, we will need to get planning!

exexpat · 17/06/2015 19:43

Thanks for the replies on the issue of parents going to open days. I think I may have missed the boat anyway with the ones DS has already booked to go on, and there are logistical issues as a single parent with a younger DD, but maybe if he does any of the later summer/September ones I will go for a nosey around.

He'd like to look at some places further up north (Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh) but won't make it in this round of open days. Some of them seem to offer student-guided visits over some of the summer - has anyone done one of these, and do they make a good alternative to open days? Obviously you don't get to talk to faculty members, but I guess you can get a lot of the course info from websites/prospectuses, the idea is more to get a feel for the place.

TheWombat · 17/06/2015 20:06

Hello Smile I'm finding this so interesting - as an academic I sit on the other side of the fence on Open Days, so will look forward to meeting some of you later on. Will also bring my MN scarf!
Happy to answer Open Day questions if I can.
One thing I would say is to encourage your son/daughter to bring a list of questions and get them to ask them, rather than asking questions on their behalf. If they build up a rapport with an academic on an Open Day, it can help later on, especially if they drop a couple of points.

As for spending the first year learning how to write an essay- don't knock that (and I very much doubt it would take up the whole year!). I work at a high ranking RG university, known for attracting students from 'academic backgrounds' - and the vast majority of students I teach (usually with 3-4 As) aren't versed in how to reference properly or structure an essay in a scholarly way. I would be wary of a course (in the arts/social sciences) that neglects to teach students the key techniques of University scholarship.

TheWombat · 17/06/2015 20:24

For exexpat and others interested in parents' attendance: it's interesting that the trend for parents to attend with their sons/daughters seems to have started about the same time as the increase in tuition fees. Previously, I don't recall that it was the norm at all, but now it's usual to see whole families come and explore together. That has its pros and cons, and I'm sure that like all things, it comes down to what works for each family.

Perhaps in an ideal world the family could visit together on one day, and the applicant would then get another chance to visit alone or with a friend at a different point. I must admit I am slightly wary of parents who ask all the questions and tend to make an effort to bring the student into the conversation when I see that happening. But generally it's great to see parents who are engaged and knowledgeable and supportive - not least because it helps me in my role as personal tutor. I guess I feel like, if I have met their family, I have a little bit of insight into where the student is coming from and (I hope) can do a better job of supporting them later on..

horsemadmom · 17/06/2015 21:56

Some very good advice! DS was the last potential applicant still with the admissions tutor for his firm (fingers crossed) on the open day. The others had listened to the talk, toured the main building and disappeared to look at other things. DS wanted to see every nook, cranny and cupboard in the department, asked good questions and was genuinely interested in the answers. Result....much lower than published offer.

As for spending a chunk of 1st year learning to write an essay, DD's school teaches that skill from very early on. Attribution, footnoting, structure etc. The standard demanded is incredibly high in all subjects. The thought of sitting around while the rest of the year catches up wasn't attractive. Granted, it is an unusual school.

MrsUltracrepidarian · 18/06/2015 07:19

Interesting about parents on the Open Days. I had assumed DS would want to go on his own or with friends, but he actually asked me to go. Surprising, as he is very independent, used to travelling alone etc. But I can see that if everyone else is in families, there wouldn't be others students to chat to etc.
Don't have a suitable scarf ( will have a look today in Primarni Grin) - we are going to Imperial on 25th, Cambridge 2nd, UCL 3rd.

TealFanClub · 18/06/2015 07:26

i didnt take my parents to ANY open days

Son only getting us in Manchester

FreshsatsumaforDd · 18/06/2015 07:45

Ds went to the open days alone or with friends. However, he asked me to travel with him to three post offer days/ interviews, two of which required an overnight stay. Although very independent, he wanted some extra input when it came to firming his final two choices. (I enjoyed them!). He is now at Bristol and almost every student at their post offer day had a parent with them and provision was made for the accompanying parents..

SecretSquirrels · 18/06/2015 10:54

exexpat We went on a student guided tour in Edinburgh. Useful to get a feel of the place, especially if you haven't been around any other universities but you don't get any information about your course or subject or admissions.

TealFanClub I don't think there is anything wrong with taking an interest in where your child is going to live and study for 3 or 4 years and acquire £40k+ in debt. Many of the parents of the current lot of students would have been the first generation to go to university and not only did they not pay tuition fees they went to university on a full grant.

Needmoresleep · 18/06/2015 12:25

I agree with Squirrels. I did not have a strong view but it made sense to drive to Warwick plus we did a few campus tours during the summer half term, and I went with him to the Cambridge Open Day. .

Choosing a University is a big decision, and then there are lots of variables, like getting the grades and how good is the competition. So its not just about choosing course and University, but also about considering approach (tactics?) and having a Plan B.

It is also useful to bring a different perspective. Our central London DS went on his own to LSE, indeed he was already attending public lectures, so had no problem seeing himself there. Part of my role as parent should be to raise aspiration and this perhaps involves suggesting he consider places outside his comfort zone and not necessarily settle for the nearest and most familiar. Though he could not see himself at a campus University, I think, once there, he would have enjoyed it. If this had been his only offer I could have reminded him of the plus points. Others might find the same in reverse as they look at London.

Something similar happened at Cambridge. Though he had not bought into the idea of Oxbridge per se, and we were agnostic, he absolutely loved Cambridge on the Open Day. I'm glad I saw this as it helped understand his disappointment when he was not offered a place.

He ended up with a very poor result in one AS paper, which made his four aspirational choices even more aspirational. I am pleased we were able to support him in deciding to apply to the same Universities, with the fallback of a resit, and a reapplication if needed. Being with him and seeing what he was interested in (he was overwhelmingly interested in the course, not the sports facilities or the student bar, but others will be different) helped a lot in what can be a difficult year.

I would recommend splitting up, and perhaps going to some of the peripheral talks whilst DC go to the main ones. This gives you a chance to swap impressions, and gives DC a chance to speak to people on their own. It is also worth listening to what they say about Personal Statements, so you can ensure that any summer holiday nagging about getting them done is constructive and informed.

I also found it really interesting. I realised I had never visited a campus University before. Oddly places that DS did not like would probably suit DD, so I have some ideas of where I might encourage her to visit (who again seems happy to restrict interest to places she can reach by bus.)

I have found myself looking out for animal print scarves. None spotted so far. Perhaps I will go up to UCL and lurk.

zazas · 18/06/2015 13:24

I am also accompanying my DD on her Open Days as frankly because of where we live there is no other way to get her there! She has seemed to have chosen universities that are off the main travelling routes (for us anyway) and I can see years of shlepping up and down various motorways! She is traveling by train to a course day at Oxford - but with a 4 hour journey and 2 changes and a £67 ticket (with railcard) it is definitely a one off rather than the norm for us.

As she is also the eldest and it has been a great big eye opener visiting the universities we have so far. I will be far more aware when it comes to the younger siblings making decisions - although by the 5th child I am not sure I will still muster the enthusiasm :)

However the couple that we have been to the students went to the subject lecturers on their own which was great for my DD's confidence and also meant that she had to really take note of what was said rather than rely on me to keep track which was helpful.

We are at Bath tomorrow (missed the actual Open day due to DofE) and Bristol on Saturday - neither places I know at all, so will be interesting across the board.

MorvahRising · 18/06/2015 23:15

MrsUltra we may cross paths at Imperial, but we're going to Cambridge the day after you - and zazas we're at Bristol on Saturday too.

We were at Bath today in the brilliant sunshine. DS loved it and I must say I was very impressed. I could definitely see him there. He really enjoyed the engineering department tour (I gave that one a miss) and they seem to be very hot on securing good placements for the industry year.

Some of the newer residential blocks not only have en suite bathrooms but mood lighting in the bedrooms as well! Crikey! I felt very lucky when I arrived in my third year university room and had a washbasin . . . .

Leeds2 · 19/06/2015 10:16

DD and I were very impressed with Bath too, Morvah. Very impressed with what they had to say about spending the third year abroad/in industry which I am keen to encourage DD to do.

Loved the mood lighting/double bed rooms. Did you see the basic accommodation? We didn't have time, and I wondered what the comparison was like.

DD gone by herself (with friends, not me!) to Bristol today.

Dunlurking · 19/06/2015 10:42

Morvah my brother did the MEng at Bath and had no trouble getting very good industrial placements and all his jobs ever since, and he loved it. He's a very quiet shy unambitious person and it all just worked fantastically as a place for him.

MyVisionsComeFromSoup · 19/06/2015 10:47

the basic accommodation at Bath was perfectly OK four years ago. DD was in a house of 11, room with a sink, sharing a shower and loo with four others on her floor. Kitchen was quite small, one fridge freezer and one oven/hob between the 11, but she had a whole cupboard to herself. It's as clean and tidy as the rest of your housemates are - her BF was in more expensive halls (ensuite) and his kitchen was disgusting.

Majority of students move out to Oldfield Park after first year, buses from there are OK, worth checking where the end of the line is in relation to your nearest stop though as the buses fill up pretty quickly.

Year in industry is invaluable - majority of DDs friends who took that option have jobs after graduation. As a side note, the Maths (and Physics) graduates are finding that despite what they were told at school that a Maths/Physics degree would get them an engineering job if they wanted, the employers are looking for specifically engineering degrees. Do some research in advance if you think you might be heading that way.

MorvahRising · 19/06/2015 13:12

Leeds2 we did see the more basic accommodation and it was absolutely fine. They had washbasins and single beds, and a shared loo and shower. A friend whose daughter was there said not to consider the catered accommodation, as the best way of making friends is hanging out in the shared kitchens together, and the catered accommodation only has tiny kitchens. I thought that was a good point.

Dunlurking that sounds good - DS is also a bit tentative socially when out of his usual gang of mates. He is fairly ambitious though!

MyVisions thank you for your tip about turning up Brassknocker Hill! As there were four way traffic lights at the bottom of the valley and heavy traffic it was very useful to be able to turn off.

We're driving to Bristol tomorrow - I'd be interested to hear if anyone drove today and where they parked. Leeds2 I'll also be interested to see what your DD thinks. What subject is she looking at?

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