[Lacus]

Hi

I just wondered if you could walk into a university and ask for some information without it being an official open day?

[Maxxi]

Yes, I went to Sheffield just this Thursday, I actually thought it was better than going to an open day as you see what it's really like, they haven't made any attempt to gloss it over, although you might not get to see accommodation etc. I was also lucky enough to literally bump into the admissions tutor for my course! Wow, I extended my answer, which could have been one word, yes

[boba]

yes but theres the risk that the people you need to ask could be busy.

[Lacus]

Thanks

I wanted to visit and get a feel for it so I hope that won't be a problem.

[Popppppy]

(Original post by Lacus)
Hi

I just wondered if you could walk into a university and ask for some information without it being an official open day?

Better to phone in advance, and they can organise someone to show you around, but it's definitely doable.
(I'm a student ambassador so we sometimes get asked to show people around)

[Lacus]

(Original post by Popppppy)
Better to phone in advance, and they can organise someone to show you around, but it's definitely doable.
(I'm a student ambassador so we sometimes get asked to show people around)

Thanks I'll phone and see if it's possible.

[AndyBoughton]

yeah, I went to visit Lancaster University last Saturday. Someone couldnt show me around because it was a Saturday and they had their Roses 2012 University Battle against York. However you can walk around and look at the different aspects. Mainly the accomodation will be a no, but the sports, studentys union and library should be okay. I would email or phone the university in advance, stating what course you are potentially looking at and the date of your visit and ask if they can show you around, possibly someone from that course. This way it shows the University you are interesterd and they are more likely to arrange this for you. A draft email is below:

To whom it may concern,

My name is .......... and I am a student at ................. currently in year ... For my AS-Levels, I am taking ...................... and ..................with a view to carrying on .....................to A2 level.

I am interested in visiting the University of ............. on ................. 2012 and were wondering if you would be able to arrange for a student, preferably from Business Management (Finance) (UCAS code: N1N3) and from the Mathematics (BSc) (UCAS code: G100) to show us around the campus and the two departments as these are of a keen interest to us and we would like to know more about the course and the accomodation.

I look forward to hearing from you

Many Thanks





Hope this helps

Andy Boughton

[zaliack]

Yeah, nothing would stop you. You could even sneak into one of the lectures (if you have a friend doing the course you want to do at the same university )

[Origami Bullets]

There is usually very little to stop you wandering around a whole university campus, if you just want to see the buildings. Indeed, I'm only aware of the medical building and libraries at Manchester having anything to stop randomers wandering in. There's also a visitor centre up here, where you can wander in and collect prospectuses etc.

However, it can be difficult to understand what goes on in a particular department when it's not an open day. I visited Loughborough when it wasn't an open day (I was already in the area) and tbh I got very little out of it - just an idea of what the campus looked like. I found the post-offer open day much more helpful - but only to confirm that I really didn't want to go there!

A lot of universities also do guided tours, run by students, on Wednesday afternoons, which may or may not be department-specific. Perhaps this would be a good option?