Applicant Days - opinions

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Hope things are going OK with you, just a follow up.

Nottingham, with a 3 hour drive in rush hour, with pouring rain, and parking at the far end of the campus to the physics department. Split up from the outset, but with barely time to breathe between sections for my daughter including a route march of a campus tour that lead her to start with her asthma.
A interviewing professor who clearly hadn't prepared, read her application or seemed that bothered with her (including not knowing what course she had applied for) leading to a "standard" offer of A*AA made her feel distinctly underwhelmed. Very similar to York, treated like a number rather than anyone treating her as an individual (I know they are busy and have a large number of students to deal with)
I think she is happy enough with her choices for Firm and Insurance and I hope your child is too now

All good here thanks Colin.

Our overall experience of returning for applicant days was very good and fortunately my son had no interviews to attend. I can't say we felt rushed ( sorry to hear that your daughter did) but it was tough of our own making. As I'd forked out for travel & hotels I insisted that we made the most of the day, so rather than just rocking up for the Departmental overview, we attended some of the 'softer' optional stuff which we weren't able to focus on during our initial Open Day visit e.g. building your career CV through Uni. My son initially resisted on that but came away very enlightened I think. We were split up at Cardiff and Leicester for a short period but I have no issue with that as we were given an opportunity to ask more adult questions of the staff.

The real value was again making the personal connection with some of the staff, particularly the Admissions tutor. Some of the information shared in the talks and followed up with some well aimed questions, allowed us to take a view on the 'odds' of getting a place if grades were missed by revealing typically the % that meet the grade asked ( it varies!) and how many got accepted / rejected last year on missed grades. Ok, it's not a direct read across but we found it invaluable in helping to assess his more aspirational choices.

One institution's Admissions Tutor even wrote a personalised email to my son post visit which was a nice touch. The same institution had read his Personal Statement and ensured he toured with a relevant lecturer who had been briefed. Cardiff however, was very business like and I felt that it was a bit 'take it or leave it' attitude to what is a very post grad research foccused institution.

He still hasn't firmed yet and weighing up things in his mind, which is fine, but my conscious is clear in that I've supported him as much as I can to help an otherwise intelligent but naive teenager towards making a life changing decision.

Good luck!

Reply 21

dirtmother

I had the problem of both husband and prospective student being reluctant to fit in as much as possible.

We only went to two offer holder days in the end. I suppose we'd've done more if anything had come up to put him off his prospective firm and insurance. We headed him off another that was seductive in some ways but expensive and I wondered if it was really the right course for him. Eventually when almost literally restrained in the room to make him listen to me reading out the content of the modules for the two prospective Firms, it was a no-brainer for him and that threat melted away.

The two we visited largely switched - one did a much better offer holder session than the open day and the other was a more personal open day than offer holder day. He feels much more comfortable with his Insurance than before - it was the one lower offer, so the 'obvious' choice (plus for various reasons, less stressful if he didn't get into university accommodation for the beginning of term which is the risk with insurance) I said to him that it wouldn't really be an 'insurance' if he really didn't want to go. His Firm were making very encouraging noises about dropped grades. Ironically I suspect that with his Insurance, they will be that for many other students so they might be less likely to accept a grade below their offer.

My problem (is it my problem?) now is getting him to update UCAS, apply for Finance (yes, that is our problem as we're the ones who have to produce documentation) and think about/apply for accommodation. He has a refreshingly pragmatic approach "I just need a room, and not too far from campus" but you do have to jump these hoops of selecting umpteen preferences of which you may get none....

Reply 22

Colinj451

Original post by dirtmother

I had the problem of both husband and prospective student being reluctant to fit in as much as possible.

My problem (is it my problem?) now is getting him to update UCAS, apply for Finance (yes, that is our problem as we're the ones who have to produce documentation) and think about/apply for accommodation. He has a refreshingly pragmatic approach "I just need a room, and not too far from campus" but you do have to jump these hoops of selecting umpteen preferences of which you may get none....

Sounds like my daughter and Sussex TBH. I would have rather too much than twiddling thumbs.
I am trying to get my daughter to do her finance, a bursary application and anything else that is none academic before the end of this holiday so its all sorted.
The feeling for the place can only go so far.... There were certainly a couple of other options that didn't run a Theoretical physics course (They are all slightly different anyway) but in the end that helped her to weed those out too.
Course, campus, accomodation, grades, finance, and all manner of other stuff to consider

Applicant Days - opinions

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