Invicta Vlogs
What to consider when it comes to University Open Days
By Emily Bolton
(former Invicta student, currently studying History at Warwick University)
Dear All,
It is approaching the time of year when universities hold open days, with these events taking place mainly in June and September. This involves the universities opening their doors to prospective students and holding special events to showcase the best features of their university. This blog post is aimed mostly at Year 12 students, who will be starting to think about which universities they will apply to in September on UCAS.
• Look through any prospectuses that you have ordered from universities, as well as university websites, and narrow down the list of universities you would like to visit to a maximum of 8 to 10. I would say that most people realistically visit 5 or 6 universities, as some open days are on weekdays and these can be tricky to attend.
• Check on your shortlisted universities websites to see whether you need to book your attendance at any talks or tours on the open days. Going on tours of accommodation and the department buildings will give an accurate feel of whether you will enjoy studying at this university for the next few years.
• Visit a mixture of both campus and city universities if you haven’t decided what location of university you will prefer to attend. By looking at an example of each, you will understand the pro’s and con’s of both, and this will help to inform your choice.
• Talk to members of staff, students and tour guides. These people work and/or live at the university and will give you different insights into what the university is really like. These are also the people to talk to if you have any questions or concerns that you want answering before you decide on your choices.
• Bring snacks and water. The open days will always bring in large crowds, resulting in busy cafes and shops on the university site. To avoid having to queue for long periods of time for food and water, bring some along with you. This means you will have longer to look around the site and attend talks.
• Attend the talk for your course. This will outline what modules you will be able to choose from, the structure of your course, how you will be examined and whether you will have the opportunity to complete a placement year or a year abroad. These are all important factors to take into consideration when choosing your course.
I hope this will help any Year 12 students (and maybe some keen Year 11 students too)! I would recommend making the most of these days and try to see as much of the university life as you can in one day.
