[hrbrox]

I want to study Physics with Astrophysics but I'm already certain of my first choice and have been for a while. I've picked out a few other options but everyone else is talking about open days and I don't particularly want to go to any. My parents have been hassling me about going to some because the daughter of someone my dad works for has started looking. For me, it's the content of the course that matters, whether the compulsory modules sound interesting and how many options there are for others eg if I could do particle physics modules/lectures as extras not where the uni is or the nightlife etc. Plus I don't travel well, tend to get travel sick on journeys longer than an hour and all my options are at least 90 minutes away. Will the unis know I haven't been to their open days and not consider my application because of it? Having looked on their websites, they all seem to offer department open days once you have an offer which I would go to and obviously you have to visit them if they want an interview so I'll be going to visit any with offers twice. I am doing other uni things, I'm going to a Physics taster day at Southampton and doing a week's summer school at St Andrews doing physics and maths, just not too interested in open days at this point, is that a bad idea?

[False Utopia]

simply, no.

[sinfonietta]

They're not mandatory, no.

Why don't you at least go to the open day for the one your certain for? An open day isn't just about seeing the campus - you get to hear more about the course you want to take (and ask questions about it) too. So not only will it confirm your belief that it's the place you want to study at but at the same time it will get your parents off your back. Everybody wins.

[Freiheit]

(Original post by hrbrox)
just not too interested in open days at this point, is that a bad idea?

Not going is a very bad idea in my opinion. You get to see the lecturers, accommodation and fellow students.

[TurboCretin]

(Original post by hrbrox)
I want to study Physics with Astrophysics but I'm already certain of my first choice and have been for a while. I've picked out a few other options but everyone else is talking about open days and I don't particularly want to go to any. My parents have been hassling me about going to some because the daughter of someone my dad works for has started looking. For me, it's the content of the course that matters, whether the compulsory modules sound interesting and how many options there are for others eg if I could do particle physics modules/lectures as extras not where the uni is or the nightlife etc. Plus I don't travel well, tend to get travel sick on journeys longer than an hour and all my options are at least 90 minutes away. Will the unis know I haven't been to their open days and not consider my application because of it? Having looked on their websites, they all seem to offer department open days once you have an offer which I would go to and obviously you have to visit them if they want an interview so I'll be going to visit any with offers twice. I am doing other uni things, I'm going to a Physics taster day at Southampton and doing a week's summer school at St Andrews doing physics and maths, just not too interested in open days at this point, is that a bad idea?

They're not mandatory, but it's good to base your impression of your first choice (or any choice) on more than third party information, that's all.

[jesse111]

Depends if you can get home on the same day then definately, but if its halfway across the country and you dont have the money to pay for train tickets and Hotels for the night then I wouldnt reccomend it.

[OddworldInhabitant]

It's not an absolute necessity, but it can be very helpful. Other students will give you advice, the teachers will offer their assistance and you can just get a general feel for the place and what it'll be like when you go. Like i said, it's not mandatory, but it'll be very helpful indeed.

[Cherriesxo]

No but it helps you get a 'feel' for the University. Some Uni's may have a good reputation but you may not get a good vibe from the Uni when you visit the open day. This was definitely true for me and 1 Uni I got an offer from, I stupidly applied without visiting, when I did visit after I'd received an offer I didn't like the place at all.

[hrbrox]

Ok thanks everyone.

(Original post by sinfonietta)
They're not mandatory, no.

Why don't you at least go to the open day for the one your certain for? An open day isn't just about seeing the campus - you get to hear more about the course you want to take (and ask questions about it) too. So not only will it confirm your belief that it's the place you want to study at but at the same time it will get your parents off your back. Everybody wins.

^ I think I will book an open day at my first choice, that one's closest as well so not such a long journey.

[noma5]

(Original post by hrbrox)
Ok thanks everyone.



^ I think I will book an open day at my first choice, that one's closest as well so not such a long journey.

There's always google street view.

[natninja]

Some pre-offer/post-application 'visit days' are mandatory as they often include an 'informal interview' or 'informal test', however pre-application visits are not necessary at although it is likely that unis will keep a record of who went so they can tell that you went to their open day if you apply there.

[Antifazian]

I think you're being a bit naive; you may think that the course is all that matters to you right now, but if you start uni and absolutely hate the place that is going to affect your mental well-being and impact on your studies. You need to choose a place that suits you so you can have a social life, pursue your interests etc. and make the most of everything uni life has to offer.

You do have to LIVE at this place for three or so years, and uni is about more than just the degree you come out with.

At least go to look around your first choice.

[poony]

(Original post by hrbrox)
Plus I don't travel well, tend to get travel sick on journeys longer than an hour and all my options are at least 90 minutes away. Will the unis know I haven't been to their open days and not consider my application because of it?

You are going to spend 3 yr. + £30k at the uni. and with the excuse you mentioned above, good luck to you.

[ThumbsUp]

if you visit 1 uni and find its ****e all the others will look a lot better in comparison, thats what happened to me

[Spaz Man]

They're not essential but are very important to see whether you "get" the place and are willing to spend at least three ears of your life there.

[britchick]

I'd say yes - I visited 3 unis for my course, 2 of them didn't appeal to me at all, but the other one did. That one was the one lowest on the league tables for my course, so I would have otherwise not taken much interest in it, but when I visited I absolutely fell in love with it and it felt "right". Now I have it as my firm choice and am so happy I went to see it. I'd definitely recommend visiting

[edjunkie]

You say the course is what is important to you. Well you would be missing out on an opportunity to talk to the lecturers and see if the content of the module/option lives up to the title. Check if there are any plans to change the module in the near future. View all the department facilities (not just the best bits in the prospectus).

[nicatre]

technically no but I'd suggest you do.

For a uni you need to be happy on the course content, the people, the university environment and the local area.

If you're not comfortable with those things and at the very least 2/3 happy on each then you shouldn't go. You can learn a lot from actually visiting, you can imagine yourself attending.

[hyakushiki1234]

They aren't absolutely necessary but I highly, highly recommend going to them. In my personal experience, I applied to two Universities (since only two did the course that I want) - which were the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London and the University of Sheffield. I was initially ready to put SOAS down as my first choice since it seemed to have the more prestigious name attached.

And then I did the Open Days.

I ended up hating SOAS. It was dirty, dark, depressing, with buildings that looked like something from Soviet Poland and it had the poorest day organisation I've ever experienced. And it smelled funny. Literally. On the other hand, I loved everything about Sheffield - the people there were much friendlier, the facilities were more modern and more welcoming and they went out of their way to help me at every turn. It actually made me withdraw my application from SOAS.

Had I not done the two Open Days, I might have ended up going to SOAS in September and getting stuck there for four years. That's why you should do Open Days if you can - pictures are heavily, heavily biased and can only show so much. Even if reviews are good, you might not like the setting or the people there. They're worth doing to ensure that you don't go somewhere you really won't like.

(Sorry if there are any SOAS students on here, by the way! I don't mean to offend, but I didn't like your University )

[v2p]

(Original post by hrbrox)
I want to study Physics with Astrophysics but I'm already certain of my first choice and have been for a while. I've picked out a few other options but everyone else is talking about open days and I don't particularly want to go to any. My parents have been hassling me about going to some because the daughter of someone my dad works for has started looking. For me, it's the content of the course that matters, whether the compulsory modules sound interesting and how many options there are for others eg if I could do particle physics modules/lectures as extras not where the uni is or the nightlife etc. Plus I don't travel well, tend to get travel sick on journeys longer than an hour and all my options are at least 90 minutes away. Will the unis know I haven't been to their open days and not consider my application because of it? Having looked on their websites, they all seem to offer department open days once you have an offer which I would go to and obviously you have to visit them if they want an interview so I'll be going to visit any with offers twice. I am doing other uni things, I'm going to a Physics taster day at Southampton and doing a week's summer school at St Andrews doing physics and maths, just not too interested in open days at this point, is that a bad idea?

It depends on the individual really, whilst there are benefits of going to open days, I personally didn't go to any (which funnily enough for four of my unis I ended up going to them anyway for various other reasons, such as there was an astronomy event for the general public at ucl so I went there for that, or my orchestra was playing at the albert hall so I visited imperial). To me, I chose my five unis without visiting them, because I knew they were the five unis I liked and wanted to pick; though that's not to say I didn't consider other unis, I had like 7 or 8 that I thought about applying to. I know for some people, it really is a big deal to see where they will be living, and the typical responses you hear are things along the lines of "well it will be the next three years of your life", but for me, I picked my unis pretty much on the course, academic reputation and things like that. It really didn't bother me too much, oh well this has a better city, I like this campus better, the people here seemed friendlier, I liked the lecturers here better, the department has that certain feel to it. It just seemed like a lot of money for train tickets to be visiting various unis, which I didn't have, and I was happy with all five of my unis anyway.

In terms of your question, no the unis will not know whether or not you have attended an open day, and at none of my interviews did they ask any questions about my choice in them or things I liked about them, or basically anything involved with me going to an open day.

Open days are not necessary, but it does totally depend on the person. Some people must attend open days to get a feel for the uni, and I'm not saying that's a bad thing, its just the type of person they are. It sounds to me like you are similar to me, in that you do not need to bother with any open days to make your decisions about which unis to apply to. And that can only be a good thing as you'll save a ton of money