Making the most out of Open Days
Chris Ebbs
This week we’re focusing on Open Days. Today our Education Support Officer, Chris, will give us some insights into her own Open Day experiences just a few years ago.
I attended Open Days in both year 11 and 12. I would definitely recommend spreading out the Open Day madness across two, or even three, years. August of year 12 is a busy time, and you probably don’t want to spend every weekend travelling to a different Open Day.
If your parents will be driving you to Open Days, you might want to ease the strain on them by carpooling with your friends. I attended a couple of Open Days with a friend who was interested in studying a similar course. We attended information sessions together and asked questions of the same faculty members. Taking a friend is a great way to hear a question you might not have thought of or see a part of campus you might not have visited. It also meant that our parents only had to drive us every second weekend!
If you think you’ll be living at home or in a similar area while you attend uni, it’s a great idea to take the public transport or bike route you would take. (You could also drive, depending on whether you think you’ll be driving to uni and whether there is adequate and affordable parking on campus.) This will help familiarise you with the route and remove one small piece of stress from your first week of class.
I lived in a residential college for my first couple of years of uni. This meant that on Open Day, I had to tour all the colleges as well as the university campus. This will take a lot longer than you expect, so narrow it down to your top choices and just visit those ones. If you won’t be able to live at home and don’t know about the housing options for the particular uni, there will be people at Open Day who can help. They will tell you about university accommodation or provide advice and contacts if you’re going to be renting privately.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. University is unfamiliar, and there will definitely be some things you don’t expect or understand. The people helping on Open Day are there to assist and will definitely be friendly. They’ve also heard it all before, so don’t be embarrassed to ask something that feels silly or trivial, whether it’s “How many people do I have to share a room with?” (Zero) or “Can I take maths in my Arts degree?” (Yes, but I didn’t end up doing it).
Go into Open Day with an open mind. This is something I wish I’d done. I went to Open Days even though I felt like I’d already decided where I wanted to go. This meant I didn’t keep an open mind at some of the other universities, which I know would have been equally as good in different ways. Attend every Open Day like it’s the uni you will be attending.
Take notes at the end of the day. I also wish I’d done this, as once I’d visited a number of universities, all I could remember was some vague impressions rather than solid facts. Write down what you liked, what you didn’t like, what your housing and transport situation would be, and which courses you’re most interested in.
You don’t need to take every piece of paper you’re offered. I finished year 12 with about three trees worth of Open Day brochures. Most of this information is online anyway, so only take the brochures for the things you’re really interested in or things that you can’t find online.
It’s also a good idea to listen to what your parents thought. If you attend an Open Day with them, ask their opinion and really listen. They were at all the same events and casual chats as you, but they might have come out of it with different impressions. They know you really well, so they might have some good advice. But remember that in the end, it is your decision.
Stay hydrated and well-fed. You’ll collapse if you try to walk around all day without sustenance in a new environment where you’re constantly meeting new people and having to concentrate on a huge amount of information. There will most likely be free or cheap food on campus, or you could take a break and find a café nearby. My mum and I almost couldn’t keep going by the end of one Open Day – but it was lucky we did, because the last place we dragged ourselves to ended up being the residential college I stayed at for two years! You never know what you’ll miss out on if you let yourself get tired too early in the day.
Don’t be afraid to follow up if you missed something on Open Day. If you forgot to ask a burning question or have had a sudden change of mind about courses, there will always be someone you can email or call to find out what you need to know. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, as it’s important to make a well-informed choice about your future university!