Cambridge/Oxford university tours

[Tiredpanda]

I'd like to take my year 7 daughter to see Cambridge or Oxford university. Do they have open days where we can see what life at university is like for inspiration? Or any other university?

From a quick google:https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/events/cambridge-open-days but a lot of the events will be aimed at/restricted to 6th formers.

Oxford and Cambridge are made up of individual colleges and departments so you may want look on the relevant websites to see what they are doing eg
https://www.jesus.cam.ac.uk/college/undergraduate/visiting-and-open-days

You can also have a nosey round the colleges as a tourist but some colleges charge you, sometimes they are shut (eg during revision time) and you probably won’t be able to look inside many of the buildings as you’d need a swipe card.

They haven't announced the programme yet but the Cambridge Science Festival is on in March and has lots of events around the city, sometimes in lecture theatres and departments. https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/

Colleges are often open to tourists (not during exam term!) though some do charge. (Sometimes you can get in for free if you say she is a prospective student, not sure that would work with a year 7 though!) Lots of information here https://www.cam.ac.uk/files/visitor_guide.pdf

For her age I would suggest just day trips to both, just to get a feel, and enjoy the atmosphere and lovely buildings. Open days are very much for prospective students, and at this point you and your DD won't have much idea of the details of what she wants to study and where.

I agree with @knitted, Wait til Spring as Cambridge is freezing at this time of year and Oxford can be damp. On a lovely sunny day she can go punting with you, look around some pretty colleges, do a library tour.

If she is at a state school, look into the state school summer schools they do, later on (I think you need to be 6th form age), to try and encourage more state school pupils to feel like Oxford belongs to them. There are also some specialist taster days and symposium weekends for children who excel in a specific subject but again that is for older pupils.

For now, let her explore some colleges, take her for tea, maybe a Harry Potter tour etc, so she is familiarised with them. Then just encourage wide reading and study if she thinks she might want to apply.

FWIW, there are studies that show children who are exposed to the possibility of applying at a young age have a much higher chance of giving it a go than thinking it's not for me.