When are university open days?

If you’re considering going to university, but aren’t sure of exactly what you want to do yet, it can be pretty daunting to have to decide what you want to study, and where you want to go. Do you want to stay at home? Move away? These are pretty huge decisions to have to make.

Although ultimately, many would argue that the location you choose is by far the most important thing, as it’s where you’ll be spending the next three years (at a minimum) of your life. Therefore it is absolutely essential that you try to visit universities you’re considering applying to, to see if you actually like the area, lecturers, teaching style, etc!

A good way to get a feel of a university is to attend its open day when all its buildings are open, tours are running and you can have a proper look around. You’ll be able to get a feel of typical accommodation, the Students’ Union, and will be able to speak to current students. However, remember that this is a day that the university fabricates to make the university look as good as it can, usually when it’s sunny, students have finished their exams and campus is busy. But what about the quieter and more stressful times? Although university is a lot of fun most of the time, you will need to study too.

To add a personal anecdote to this advice, when I was looking at universities I was considering applying to, a lecturer told me to use the “Wednesday rule” to see if I really wanted to study there. This basically means that you should get a feel of the area, location and your chosen subject, and see if you’d still feel happy studying that subject in that place on a wet Wednesday morning in November. If you’re not sure you get that kind of vibe from a place then it may not be the right university for you – and if you’re really not sure, why not try visiting on that wet Wednesday morning in November to check again?

Check out the video below from UCAS on how to make the most out of an open day: