Preparing for Open Days : What to expect and how to prepare?
One of the best ways to help students consolidate their decision making in choosing the right University and course is attending an open day. Typically, students would attend an open day before finalising their choices on their UCAS application so they can make a decision as to which five choices to apply for.
Open Days often take place at weekends (usually on Saturdays) so that students and their families are able to attend. However, sometimes they are held in the evenings (usually on Wednesdays) or they may be during the week in school holidays. Attendees are usually required to book onto an Open Day in advance and you can do this on University websites, by selecting the date you wish to attend and completing a short registration form.
Planning which open days to attend
Unfortunately, many Universities hold their Open Days on the same date, which means students will need to plan in advance which universities they wish to visit, and when, to maximise the number of institutions they are able to visit.
As students are able to choose 5 choices on UCAS, a good number of Open Days to visit is between 3-5 to really gain a flavour of the different student experiences out there at Universities.
Travelling to an Open Day
Once you have decided which University open days you want to visit, you next need to plan out how you are going to get there to ensure you arrive in good time, and that you attend the right location or campus.
If you are travelling by public transport:
Ensure to book any train tickets in advance where you can as it is makes your journey cheaper, but be aware of clauses such as only being able to travel after 9:30am etc…
Also check if the route you are planning to travel doesn’t have any engineering works, industrial action affecting your journey.
If you are travelling by car:
Plan Parking in advance – Most Universities in London and other metropolitan cities will not have car parking available, so it is advisable to travel by public transport. For campus universities, check University websites in advance to find out where they suggest to park, as it may be in a different location on an Open Day compared to a non-event day.
What to expect when you arrive at an Open Day
You have made it! When you first arrive at an Open Day expect to be greeted by lots of friendly Student Ambassadors wearing brightly coloured T-shirts who will guide you to reception to sign in or get registered. Once you have signed in, it is up to you how to spend your day, but to maximise your time, we recommend attending one of each of the following:
- A taster session of your preferred subject
- A welcome talk (usually delivered by the Vice Chancellor or President)
- Student life talk (usually delivered by student ambassadors)
- Going on a tour of campus and facilities including accommodation
- Student finance talk
To make the most of your experience, we advise students to ask in depth questions about the course content, structure, modules, placement opportunities and more. It can help inform their decision making and allows them another chance to get to know the universities and whether they can see themselves studying their undergraduate degree there. They can also take the opportunity to ask questions to current students.
Also, try to give yourself time to explore freely, and if you can, try and explore the local area whether that be venturing into the City Centre or just walking to the local supermarket, to gain a real feel for what the whole experience of being a student at that University might be like.
Post Open Day decision making
Hopefully, you will come away from an open day feeling enthused, optimistic and excited about what the future holds, but even if that is not the case that is still useful in helping you to consolidate your decision making process. Some universities (and courses) will be for you and others won’t be for a variety of reasons, and that is great!
The most important consideration for next steps should be the course, rather than the specific institution, as your end goal should be to work out is that course something you can envisage yourself studying for 3-4 or more years.
We hope that you have found this advice useful. Please do always reach out to us at schoolsliaison@city.ac.uk if you want to talk about booking an open day and expectations – we are always happy to help!