Why attend an open day?
I'm doing geology. It's the degree I want, so it can get me the job I want. Plus I enjoy science and it was my best subject at school. These are some of the reasons I've heard to go to an open day:
"an open day can give you the opportunity to speak to the lecturers and gain more information on what the course offers."
Why does what the course offer matter? They all teach geology. It's the same degree. Sure, some have trips abroad like places like cyprus and california. But I'm not going to choose a university over a another over it, and I doubt my employers are gonna care about something like that. They all seem to be offering trips abroad, but if I get into one that doesn't I'm not gonna be like oh damn i chose the wrong university
"Universities offer different courses, even for the same subjects, so find out exactly what you will be learning on each one, especially if you have a particular career path in mind."
Is it that important? I'm sure my future potential employers would ask for more than a BSc degree in geology if it was important. There is one thing I was interested though, how the course is assessed. It differs form uni to uni. I prefer exams over coursework, so I went for the ones with less assessment with coursework. I found that information on unistats. Didn't have to travel up and down the country to find out.
"Attending University is not just about choosing the right course to suit you, it is also important to find out about the facilities on offer to you. These include the library, the student union and the halls of residence."
Surely if things weren't up to standard, the course wouldn't be accredited. Have you ever heard of a university without a library? Maybe one has more books than the other. That's a pretty minor thing to choose a university over.
"If you are intending on relocating to attend University, take the time to find out more about the local area.
The Open Day is the perfect way to do this, and if you have any concerns, raise them with tutors and/or staff at the University.
They can tell you about the main attractions of the town or city, such as the shops and nightlife, and therefore see whether this is the right place for you."
Eh, kind of true. But I doubt what you find will be inconsistent with what you could have learnt doing internet research. Wikitravel, the universities page on its campus, google maps, google images, googling "what's this place like"....
"Ask if there are any scholarships, bursaries or other funding opportunities you can apply for to help ease the financial burden."
Yeah, travel 50 miles to ask about financial support.
Why go to an open day???
"an open day can give you the opportunity to speak to the lecturers and gain more information on what the course offers."
Why does what the course offer matter? They all teach geology. It's the same degree. Sure, some have trips abroad like places like cyprus and california. But I'm not going to choose a university over a another over it, and I doubt my employers are gonna care about something like that. They all seem to be offering trips abroad, but if I get into one that doesn't I'm not gonna be like oh damn i chose the wrong university
"Universities offer different courses, even for the same subjects, so find out exactly what you will be learning on each one, especially if you have a particular career path in mind."
Is it that important? I'm sure my future potential employers would ask for more than a BSc degree in geology if it was important. There is one thing I was interested though, how the course is assessed. It differs form uni to uni. I prefer exams over coursework, so I went for the ones with less assessment with coursework. I found that information on unistats. Didn't have to travel up and down the country to find out.
"Attending University is not just about choosing the right course to suit you, it is also important to find out about the facilities on offer to you. These include the library, the student union and the halls of residence."
Surely if things weren't up to standard, the course wouldn't be accredited. Have you ever heard of a university without a library? Maybe one has more books than the other. That's a pretty minor thing to choose a university over.
"If you are intending on relocating to attend University, take the time to find out more about the local area.
The Open Day is the perfect way to do this, and if you have any concerns, raise them with tutors and/or staff at the University.
They can tell you about the main attractions of the town or city, such as the shops and nightlife, and therefore see whether this is the right place for you."
Eh, kind of true. But I doubt what you find will be inconsistent with what you could have learnt doing internet research. Wikitravel, the universities page on its campus, google maps, google images, googling "what's this place like"....
"Ask if there are any scholarships, bursaries or other funding opportunities you can apply for to help ease the financial burden."
Yeah, travel 50 miles to ask about financial support.
Why go to an open day???
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by Dylann
Courses vary greatly at different universities. You should go to get a feel for the university, the people there etc
How do they vary? What's so important I need to travel there to find out? They offer the same qualification. All my future employers are asking for is that qualification.
Original post by itsmarcus
I'm doing geology. It's the degree I want, so it can get me the job I want. Plus I enjoy science and it was my best subject at school. These are some of the reasons I've heard to go to an open day:
"an open day can give you the opportunity to speak to the lecturers and gain more information on what the course offers."
Why does what the course offer matter? They all teach geology. It's the same degree. Sure, some have trips abroad like places like cyprus and california. But I'm not going to choose a university over a another over it, and I doubt my employers are gonna care about something like that. They all seem to be offering trips abroad, but if I get into one that doesn't I'm not gonna be like oh damn i chose the wrong university
"Universities offer different courses, even for the same subjects, so find out exactly what you will be learning on each one, especially if you have a particular career path in mind."
Is it that important? I'm sure my future potential employers would ask for more than a BSc degree in geology if it was important. There is one thing I was interested though, how the course is assessed. It differs form uni to uni. I prefer exams over coursework, so I went for the ones with less assessment with coursework. I found that information on unistats. Didn't have to travel up and down the country to find out.
"Attending University is not just about choosing the right course to suit you, it is also important to find out about the facilities on offer to you. These include the library, the student union and the halls of residence."
Surely if things weren't up to standard, the course wouldn't be accredited. Have you ever heard of a university without a library? Maybe one has more books than the other. That's a pretty minor thing to choose a university over.
"If you are intending on relocating to attend University, take the time to find out more about the local area.
The Open Day is the perfect way to do this, and if you have any concerns, raise them with tutors and/or staff at the University.
They can tell you about the main attractions of the town or city, such as the shops and nightlife, and therefore see whether this is the right place for you."
Eh, kind of true. But I doubt what you find will be inconsistent with what you could have learnt doing internet research. Wikitravel, the universities page on its campus, google maps, google images, googling "what's this place like"....
"Ask if there are any scholarships, bursaries or other funding opportunities you can apply for to help ease the financial burden."
Yeah, travel 50 miles to ask about financial support.
Why go to an open day???
"an open day can give you the opportunity to speak to the lecturers and gain more information on what the course offers."
Why does what the course offer matter? They all teach geology. It's the same degree. Sure, some have trips abroad like places like cyprus and california. But I'm not going to choose a university over a another over it, and I doubt my employers are gonna care about something like that. They all seem to be offering trips abroad, but if I get into one that doesn't I'm not gonna be like oh damn i chose the wrong university
"Universities offer different courses, even for the same subjects, so find out exactly what you will be learning on each one, especially if you have a particular career path in mind."
Is it that important? I'm sure my future potential employers would ask for more than a BSc degree in geology if it was important. There is one thing I was interested though, how the course is assessed. It differs form uni to uni. I prefer exams over coursework, so I went for the ones with less assessment with coursework. I found that information on unistats. Didn't have to travel up and down the country to find out.
"Attending University is not just about choosing the right course to suit you, it is also important to find out about the facilities on offer to you. These include the library, the student union and the halls of residence."
Surely if things weren't up to standard, the course wouldn't be accredited. Have you ever heard of a university without a library? Maybe one has more books than the other. That's a pretty minor thing to choose a university over.
"If you are intending on relocating to attend University, take the time to find out more about the local area.
The Open Day is the perfect way to do this, and if you have any concerns, raise them with tutors and/or staff at the University.
They can tell you about the main attractions of the town or city, such as the shops and nightlife, and therefore see whether this is the right place for you."
Eh, kind of true. But I doubt what you find will be inconsistent with what you could have learnt doing internet research. Wikitravel, the universities page on its campus, google maps, google images, googling "what's this place like"....
"Ask if there are any scholarships, bursaries or other funding opportunities you can apply for to help ease the financial burden."
Yeah, travel 50 miles to ask about financial support.
Why go to an open day???
True, you can find all the information on courses online. The course does matter, yes, it's a Bsc Geology degree at the end of the day, but some unis will offer modules that will interest you more than others. You'll get more out of it, and unique topics/knowledge learnt may impress/aide you in future. Side note: Sandwich years can be really beneficial. You shouldn't dismiss them so easily. You can build some relationships and connections, may even work to help pay off next year's fees, often, if you impress, they may give you a job by the end of it. You can find work abroad as well.
Pictures and videos are good, but they'll never be as good as seeing the real thing. Uni videos and pictures don't always show you the full picture, they dress it up and edit the videos and pictures to look really appealing, but when you visit the place you may find it run down. As you said, it's also good to have a feel for the city. Atmosphere is key for me, I don't like sleepy places, and it's a bit of a turn off especially if it's somewhere I will have to work in/go out. I'm not there to relax.
I go mainly to see the students. They'll often give you insight into things lecturers and videos can't. Some students give you the whole picture, they don't dress it up the way promo videos do. For example, I had a friend who went to a university open day to help her choose where to apply, she spoke to a number of students who revealed they hated it there. Also, speaking to people who have been through the same things as you is really beneficial. They can give you tips so you avoid making the same mistakes in the future, career advice etc.
Original post by itsmarcus
I'm doing geology. It's the degree I want, so it can get me the job I want. Plus I enjoy science and it was my best subject at school. These are some of the reasons I've heard to go to an open day:
"an open day can give you the opportunity to speak to the lecturers and gain more information on what the course offers."
Why does what the course offer matter? They all teach geology. It's the same degree. Sure, some have trips abroad like places like cyprus and california. But I'm not going to choose a university over a another over it, and I doubt my employers are gonna care about something like that. They all seem to be offering trips abroad, but if I get into one that doesn't I'm not gonna be like oh damn i chose the wrong university
"Universities offer different courses, even for the same subjects, so find out exactly what you will be learning on each one, especially if you have a particular career path in mind."
Is it that important? I'm sure my future potential employers would ask for more than a BSc degree in geology if it was important. There is one thing I was interested though, how the course is assessed. It differs form uni to uni. I prefer exams over coursework, so I went for the ones with less assessment with coursework. I found that information on unistats. Didn't have to travel up and down the country to find out.
"Attending University is not just about choosing the right course to suit you, it is also important to find out about the facilities on offer to you. These include the library, the student union and the halls of residence."
Surely if things weren't up to standard, the course wouldn't be accredited. Have you ever heard of a university without a library? Maybe one has more books than the other. That's a pretty minor thing to choose a university over.
"If you are intending on relocating to attend University, take the time to find out more about the local area.
The Open Day is the perfect way to do this, and if you have any concerns, raise them with tutors and/or staff at the University.
They can tell you about the main attractions of the town or city, such as the shops and nightlife, and therefore see whether this is the right place for you."
Eh, kind of true. But I doubt what you find will be inconsistent with what you could have learnt doing internet research. Wikitravel, the universities page on its campus, google maps, google images, googling "what's this place like"....
"Ask if there are any scholarships, bursaries or other funding opportunities you can apply for to help ease the financial burden."
Yeah, travel 50 miles to ask about financial support.
Why go to an open day???
"an open day can give you the opportunity to speak to the lecturers and gain more information on what the course offers."
Why does what the course offer matter? They all teach geology. It's the same degree. Sure, some have trips abroad like places like cyprus and california. But I'm not going to choose a university over a another over it, and I doubt my employers are gonna care about something like that. They all seem to be offering trips abroad, but if I get into one that doesn't I'm not gonna be like oh damn i chose the wrong university
"Universities offer different courses, even for the same subjects, so find out exactly what you will be learning on each one, especially if you have a particular career path in mind."
Is it that important? I'm sure my future potential employers would ask for more than a BSc degree in geology if it was important. There is one thing I was interested though, how the course is assessed. It differs form uni to uni. I prefer exams over coursework, so I went for the ones with less assessment with coursework. I found that information on unistats. Didn't have to travel up and down the country to find out.
"Attending University is not just about choosing the right course to suit you, it is also important to find out about the facilities on offer to you. These include the library, the student union and the halls of residence."
Surely if things weren't up to standard, the course wouldn't be accredited. Have you ever heard of a university without a library? Maybe one has more books than the other. That's a pretty minor thing to choose a university over.
"If you are intending on relocating to attend University, take the time to find out more about the local area.
The Open Day is the perfect way to do this, and if you have any concerns, raise them with tutors and/or staff at the University.
They can tell you about the main attractions of the town or city, such as the shops and nightlife, and therefore see whether this is the right place for you."
Eh, kind of true. But I doubt what you find will be inconsistent with what you could have learnt doing internet research. Wikitravel, the universities page on its campus, google maps, google images, googling "what's this place like"....
"Ask if there are any scholarships, bursaries or other funding opportunities you can apply for to help ease the financial burden."
Yeah, travel 50 miles to ask about financial support.
Why go to an open day???
Going to the open days showed & told me more than I could see from pictures/videos online & I was able to talk to current students and see the accommodation, gym and other facilities on campus and the atmosphere.
Unlike at A Level, all universities write their own courses and set their own exams. This means that courses with the same name can vary wildly in terms of content - they're simply not all the same degree. This can mean the difference between you loving the course and you being so miserable that you drop out.
Accreditation has nothing to do with the quality of the library, the SU or the halls. It's entirely related to minimum standards for course content. For instance, this is the criteria for accreditation by the Geological Society https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Education-and-Careers/Universities/Degree-Accreditation/First-Degree-Programmes-in-Geoscience/Requirements-for-Accreditation You won't know the value of a good library until you've struggled to find a seat at exam time, or not been able to get the books you need for an assignment.
You'll also get the chance to meet current students and academics, and to get a 'feel' for the place. Don't underestimate the importance of gut feeling - Loughborough felt like a dreadful place to me, but Manchester just felt right, and I've been very happy here. Lots of people I know report having an emotional (rather than logical) gut reaction to unis they visited.
Many of these things only become obvious when you go to an open day. For instance, before I went on open days I didn't realise that my course at Exeter was heavily focused on the middle east, and nor did I realise that Loughborough is in a dead little town that I didn't want to live in.
If you're going to invest three years and £35,000 in getting your degree, then I really don't understand why you don't think it's worth spending a day and £25 or so on train fares ensuring that you get the decision right.
Accreditation has nothing to do with the quality of the library, the SU or the halls. It's entirely related to minimum standards for course content. For instance, this is the criteria for accreditation by the Geological Society https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Education-and-Careers/Universities/Degree-Accreditation/First-Degree-Programmes-in-Geoscience/Requirements-for-Accreditation You won't know the value of a good library until you've struggled to find a seat at exam time, or not been able to get the books you need for an assignment.
You'll also get the chance to meet current students and academics, and to get a 'feel' for the place. Don't underestimate the importance of gut feeling - Loughborough felt like a dreadful place to me, but Manchester just felt right, and I've been very happy here. Lots of people I know report having an emotional (rather than logical) gut reaction to unis they visited.
Many of these things only become obvious when you go to an open day. For instance, before I went on open days I didn't realise that my course at Exeter was heavily focused on the middle east, and nor did I realise that Loughborough is in a dead little town that I didn't want to live in.
If you're going to invest three years and £35,000 in getting your degree, then I really don't understand why you don't think it's worth spending a day and £25 or so on train fares ensuring that you get the decision right.
Original post by Origami Bullets
If you're going to invest three years and £35,000 in getting your degree, then I really don't understand why you don't think it's worth spending a day and £25 or so on train fares ensuring that you get the decision right.
The student loans company pay that.
If you can afford to go to your choices then please please do - at least the ones you think you'd firm/insurance if you got an offer. One university was my first choice. I went, found out that the accommodation blocks felt like a prison and there didn't seem to be as much going on as I thought there would be socially on campus. As well, the campus was a LOT further out of the city than I had anticipated and indeed it claimed online, something I only saw by taking the bus on the open day.The lecture on course content made me rethink whether it was the place for me and in the end I haven't applied there, though if I hadn't went on the open day - if I got an offer- it would likely be a firm favourite. 
Original post by itsmarcus
The student loans company pay that.
And you have to pay it back, plus you only get funding for one degree. You're not going to get those three years back either.
Going to an open day is such a simple way of drastically reducing the chance of hating your time at uni and dropping out that I can't understand why you wouldn't take it. If you are determined that you know best and those of us who have been through UCAS and gone to university ourselves know nothing, then so be it. Just don't be one of those people who comes on TSR in September and October saying that they hate uni and want to drop out.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Origami Bullets
And you have to pay it back, plus you only get funding for one degree. You're not going to get those three years back either.
Going to an open day is such a simple way of drastically reducing the chance of hating your time at uni and dropping out that I can't understand why you wouldn't take it. If you are determined that you know best and those of us who have been through UCAS and gone to university ourselves know nothing, then so be it. Just don't be one of those people who comes on TSR in September and October saying that they hate uni and want to drop out.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Going to an open day is such a simple way of drastically reducing the chance of hating your time at uni and dropping out that I can't understand why you wouldn't take it. If you are determined that you know best and those of us who have been through UCAS and gone to university ourselves know nothing, then so be it. Just don't be one of those people who comes on TSR in September and October saying that they hate uni and want to drop out.
Posted from TSR Mobile
That's the second time you've said that. Yeah I've think we've established you don't understand, thanks for letting me know you don't understand. Anything else you don't understand? I didn't post here to explain myself. You've made some good points but you're making yourself any more convincing by telling me you don't understand.
In geology, is it ever advantageous to study a particular rock or formation in person, or is it always satisfactory to do so remotely - via images, or reading about it in a book?
Why you moaning about it?
Im sure 3/5 of people will go on an open day, whereas others will just stick with internet 'research'. Both have advantages and disadvantages, but if 3/5 want to see the university, town and accommodation in face value, then so be it.
If you dont see the point of an open day.... then ok.... but dont go trying to slam down every point, just because you dont agree....
Thousands of students WANT to see the university in person. Google images and prospectuses are limited and so far random comments on TSR.
Im sure 3/5 of people will go on an open day, whereas others will just stick with internet 'research'. Both have advantages and disadvantages, but if 3/5 want to see the university, town and accommodation in face value, then so be it.
If you dont see the point of an open day.... then ok.... but dont go trying to slam down every point, just because you dont agree....
Thousands of students WANT to see the university in person. Google images and prospectuses are limited and so far random comments on TSR.
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