How important are Uni open days?

I've just finished my AS courses so will be looking to apply for uni next year do booked myself on to a number of open days over the summer. But, I've also just got a new job and its clashing a bit with open days, just how important are they? I've ensured I've booked time off for the uni that will be my first choice but I can't afford to be booking too much time off, cheers!

Reply 1

InadequateJusticex

18

Quite important. You don't necessarily have to visit all of your choices but you should at least visit your top two choices. Visiting the uni will either motivate you or make you see that maybe it's not as good as it looked on the website or just make you downright hate it.

Reply 2

Nerd2

18

Original post by kylebutty

I've just finished my AS courses so will be looking to apply for uni next year do booked myself on to a number of open days over the summer. But, I've also just got a new job and its clashing a bit with open days, just how important are they? I've ensured I've booked time off for the uni that will be my first choice but I can't afford to be booking too much time off, cheers!

Not very important, but if you have interviews, you could talk about how you went to an open day and fell in love the uni and all that good stuff. When you come to do your UCAS application, there is a small section where you put down which open days you attended, the unis you applied for will be able to see this when they receive your application, but it won't have a huge bearing on their decision, but at least it lets them know you bothered to go to an open day.

But overall, it's not very important.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 3

NJam

2

Original post by Nerd2

Not very important, but if you have interviews, you could talk about how you went to an open day and fell in love the uni and all that good stuff, you could probably mention it on your personal statement as well. When you come to do your UCAS application, there is a small section where you put down which open days you attended, the unis you applied for will be able to see this when they receive your application, but it won't have a huge bearing on their decision, but at least it lets them know you bothered to go to an open day.

But overall, it's not very important.

there is?

I would say quite important, especially for your top choices. You will be spending the next 3/4 years of your life there, so it's advisable to take a look around for yourself. Take it all with a pinch of salt though. It's easy to prefer one place over another because the weather was particularly nice on the open day :P

Reply 4

GeorgiaRose

I think they're crucial, I went to visit Nottingham as it was my first choice. I expected to love it but something just didn't click for me at all! I'm so glad I went to the open day now because if I hadn't, I probably would have put it down as my first choice and been disappointed in September. I actually ended up liking the university that was my 5th choice the best and now it is my firm choice!

Reply 5

sliceofcake

15

Don't worry about missing any too much, a lot of universities hold 'applicant open days' which you are invited to after receiving an offer so if you have a choice that you didn't visit then you can go then. I didn't know about the UCAS open days section that Nerd2 mentioned, though I applied last year so maybe it's new. I'd say the biggest benefit to them is knowing how the place feels, an open day allows you to realise how comfortable you are in that place. I really liked the idea of going to Goldsmiths, it's a good university but when I went to the open day I immediately removed it from my choices altogether because the place didn't feel 'right' for me. On the other hand, I visited Nottingham university and fell in love with the place, which made it difficult for me to say no to the course because it wasn't that good for what I wanted. Also, they hold departmental talks so lecturers in your chosen course will give a brief description of what it's really like on the course and the things they look at in a much better way than any perspective will. So they aren't essential but they do have benefits.

Reply 6

Wired_In

Original post by kylebutty

I've just finished my AS courses so will be looking to apply for uni next year do booked myself on to a number of open days over the summer. But, I've also just got a new job and its clashing a bit with open days, just how important are they? I've ensured I've booked time off for the uni that will be my first choice but I can't afford to be booking too much time off, cheers!

Some universities have them online.

For example, Warwick the the iTour which is great for the campus. For living, it's best just to just google maps to what's around, as you wont get to do that on your open day.

A lot of universities have videos online to help you. So for the ones you missed you can check on YouTube.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Reply 7

King Hotpie

15

I'm not applying until October, but surely there can't be a box for Uni open days? They're not supposed to know which other universities you've applied to, but it would be pretty obvious if they see which open days you've been to.

Reply 8

clareramos

17

Open days are very important as often what is on a website and what the uni is actually like is very different, and look at ones you like before you submit your UCAS, that means you can always revisit. You should at least visit I'd say 2-3 before you submit your UCAS, as you can then either narrow down what ones you like, and then chuck 2 more in that look good, or totally change what you want to look at.

Reply 9

Nerd2

18

Original post by NJam

there is?

I would say quite important, especially for your top choices. You will be spending the next 3/4 years of your life there, so it's advisable to take a look around for yourself. Take it all with a pinch of salt though. It's easy to prefer one place over another because the weather was particularly nice on the open day :P

Yeah its the part where you can state the activities you've done over the summer.

Reply 10

NJam

2

Original post by Nerd2

Yeah its the part where you can state the activities you've done over the summer.

Ah ok, I thought it was reserved for stuff like summer schools.

Reply 11

K995

2

I live in Northern Ireland and I'm not really interested in going to Queens, Belfast so ill probably only get to one open day in September due to the cost of flights and what not :frown:

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Reply 12

TenOfThem

18

Leicester
Nottingham
Leeds
Liverpool
Sussex
Reading
Derby
UEA
Newcastle
Queen Mary
Lincoln
Royal Holloway

just recalling the universities that we visited with my teen last year
5 of those were very strong from the prospectus and were NO WAY on arrival

All 5 that went on the UCAS form are in the list :smile:

Reply 13

TenOfThem

18

Leicester
Nottingham
Leeds
Liverpool
Sussex
Reading
Derby
UEA
Newcastle
Queen Mary
Lincoln
Royal Holloway

just recalling the universities that we visited with my teen last year
5 of those were very strong from the prospectus and were NO WAY on arrival

All 5 that went on the UCAS form are in the list :smile:

She found the days invaluable

Reply 14

K995

2

Original post by TenOfThem

Leicester
Nottingham
Leeds
Liverpool
Sussex
Reading
Derby
UEA
Newcastle
Queen Mary
Lincoln
Royal Holloway

just recalling the universities that we visited with my teen last year
5 of those were very strong from the prospectus and were NO WAY on arrival

All 5 that went on the UCAS form are in the list :smile:

She found the days invaluable

How did you find Leeds?

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Reply 15

TenOfThem

18

Original post by K995

How did you find Leeds?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Just drove up the M1

:biggrin:

It is her firm

Reply 16

PINKFLEUR

11

Important enough to be a deciding factor about whether you want to be there for a couple of years of your life, depending on the degree you're considering.

Reply 17

TattyBoJangles

19

I'd say they're important.

I went to Nottingham's open day expecting to love it and hated the place. Same with UCL.

I've never actually been to a St Andrews open day, but I've been up there three times now and fell in love with the place on the first visit.

Reply 18

Meat is Murder

12

You have to visit the two unis you are putting as your firm and insurance. It is vital to get a feel of the place. When I visited Nottingham the city I loved it and the campus too, and although I loved Birmingham's campus Birmingham the city didn't do it for me, thus I chose Nottingham.