It’s your last year of college or sixth form. Your teachers, parents and friends are putting pressure on you to “decide what you want to do with your life”.
So far it’s going well. You’ve ruled out busking and your part-time retail job as lifelong careers, and decided you’re clearly an all-round-fantastic-straight-A*-super-student by day, but quite like getting drunk on your retail wages by night. It’s clear. University is calling your name.
But your mountain of prospectuses in the corner of your room is terrifying. You can’t decide on a course, let alone the city you want to live in for three years. You’ve tried everything; organising them alphabetically… Which campus looks the prettiest… Let’s not even get started on how you’re subconsciously colour-coordinating them.
Stop right there. Put down the Dulex Colour Chart. You need to go and visit these universities and find out the truth! But do open days really provide you with the best understanding of what it is like to be there?
Do open days give a realistic representation of a course?
On a course open day, you will be shown the area in which you will work and are likely to attend a lecture with a handful of students and lecturers. These are great opportunities to ask upfront questions about the realities of the course from those who know the most about it. Also ask for a breakdown of modules and units, as similar courses vary between universities.
Some universities also provide taster days later on in the year which are well worth looking out for because they are really beneficial in helping you make final UCAS decisions.
Do open days give a realistic representation of a campus?
It’s probably true that universities will show off the “best bits” on an open day to grab your attention.
The best facilities, lecture halls and dining areas will be in the public eye, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you will use these on your course. Ask to see the faculty buildings specific to your studies. Open days are great though to assess for yourself whether you like the feel of the university landscape and what it has to offer compared to others you have seen.
Do open days give a realistic representation of a halls of residence?
On an open day, halls of residences usually open one or two flats to prospective students to get a feel for what the halls life is like. These flats can be handpicked by the halls staff because they are known to be tidy students.
Most halls rooms are identical, so it is a great chance to see whether you can visualise yourself living there. It probably won’t look that tidy during Freshers’ Week though…
Anything else?
If you are unable to attend an open day, universities often let you wander around during the week. Call them first and they may be able to give you a self-tour guide pack.
This allows you to experience exactly daily life is like as a “proper” student, so don’t rule it out!
Do you think open days give a realistic representation of a university? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo: Anastas Tarpanov / Flickr
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