The Student Room Group

Open Days help?

I'm going to be going to a few open days soon and would like to know what I need to take. Do I need a confirmation email printed out? Do I have to be at the uni as soon as the open day starts, which is 9am? How long did your uni open days last? And please add any more information that you think I would find important about open days.
Reply 1
Original post by jasonhazard
I'm going to be going to a few open days soon and would like to know what I need to take. Do I need a confirmation email printed out? Do I have to be at the uni as soon as the open day starts, which is 9am? How long did your uni open days last? And please add any more information that you think I would find important about open days.


The 'information' I would add is that you should check what the uni you are visiting says you should bring as it is different for each one.

I've never known anyone need to print their email off though.
Reply 2
Original post by futbol
The 'information' I would add is that you should check what the uni you are visiting says you should bring as it is different for each one.

I've never known anyone need to print their email off though.


Okay, do they check if you've booked an open day thing though? And how do I check what my uni want me to bring?
Reply 3
Original post by jasonhazard
Okay, do they check if you've booked an open day thing though? And how do I check what my uni want me to bring?


Just see what they say in the confitmation email. They usually check your name and sign you in, just have your confirmation email on your smartphone if they need any confirmation.. Many use qr codes now as well.
Reply 4
Original post by futbol
Just see what they say in the confitmation email. They usually check your name and sign you in, just have your confirmation email on your smartphone if they need any confirmation.. Many use qr codes now as well.


Whats a QR code?
Reply 5
Usually you're asked to print off the confirmation email they send you which is sometimes on a barcode or show the electronic version on your phone so they can sign you in at the registration point. When you get there some students should be there to direct you where you need to go. You don't need to take anything really, sometimes lunch is provided if it runs throughout the day. Some people take a note pad and pen to make notes aswell. However they do sometimes give you a sort of goodie bag so take a little bag to take this home in. It's best to go there on time because it ruins the rest of the day when you go there later because you have no idea what's going on. Perhaps prepare a list of questions to ask the tutors because sometimes your mind goes blank there. Most last till about 3pm. This is usually stated on your email but you can go home earlier if you want.


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Reply 6
Original post by r-t
Usually you're asked to print off the confirmation email they send you which is sometimes on a barcode or show the electronic version on your phone so they can sign you in at the registration point. When you get there some students should be there to direct you where you need to go. You don't need to take anything really, sometimes lunch is provided if it runs throughout the day. Some people take a note pad and pen to make notes aswell. However they do sometimes give you a sort of goodie bag so take a little bag to take this home in. It's best to go there on time because it ruins the rest of the day when you go there later because you have no idea what's going on. Perhaps prepare a list of questions to ask the tutors because sometimes your mind goes blank there. Most last till about 3pm. This is usually stated on your email but you can go home earlier if you want.


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Thanks for the detailed reply! Would getting there for 10am when the actual open day starts at 9pm be too late, or would I be fine?
Reply 7
Original post by jasonhazard
Thanks for the detailed reply! Would getting there for 10am when the actual open day starts at 9pm be too late, or would I be fine?


It's fine whenever you go, lots of people go late even I did. But obviously you want to find out as much as you can about the uni and make it worth your while especially if you're travelling from far away. If you can go at 9 then do but 10 doesn't matter either. They usually run their welcome talks several times throughout the day so you can always make it to one.


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Reply 8
Original post by r-t
It's fine whenever you go, lots of people go late even I did. But obviously you want to find out as much as you can about the uni and make it worth your while especially if you're travelling from far away. If you can go at 9 then do but 10 doesn't matter either. They usually run their welcome talks several times throughout the day so you can always make it to one.


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Ah okay, thanks for the help!
Reply 9
Original post by jasonhazard
Ah okay, thanks for the help!


It's ok, just wish someone would have told me all of this before I went haha.


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Reply 10
Original post by jasonhazard
I'm going to be going to a few open days soon and would like to know what I need to take. Do I need a confirmation email printed out? Do I have to be at the uni as soon as the open day starts, which is 9am? How long did your uni open days last? And please add any more information that you think I would find important about open days.


They'll most likely have provided you with an open day timetable which tells you what is happening when (sometimes they only send these a week or two before, either by email or post, they usually also post them on their website somewhere). If there's a few things you particularly want to see (priorities are probably subject talks), plan in advance when you'll do what - first put in talks as these might only happen once or twice, then fit accommodation/campus/library or wherever tours into spare time because these usually run at regular intervals all day. Finance talks are usually incredibly similar wherever you go because they all run through the student finance basics.

Depending on where it is you might want to take some lunch - in a city centre you're fine because there's plenty of choice for food, but a separate campus university or a smaller town will have more limited options and be very very busy (waste a lot of time queuing) because of the open day. Take water, especially if it's likely to be hot.

You can leave open days at any time, but I found that by the time we'd done average of 2 departmental talks, 1-3 general talks, lunch, an accommodation tour and all the getting between places and annoying short gaps where there wasn't quite enough time to do anything else while waiting for a talk (travel to accommodation is often a short shuttle bus trip) we were there until the end of the day. It gets pretty tiring if you do a lot of open days close together. Make notes if you want them because you won't remember much/which one was which when it comes to applications or decisions, even if you think you will right now. Campus tours are often slightly unnecessary because you walk around the uni getting to everything anyway, so you're often better off just doing it yourself.

Think about how you're getting to or from the uni - unless the train literally drops you right there (Birmingham) or you can actually park anywhere near the uni (unlikely) you'll probably need a map once you're in the city. Screenshots of the route on google maps work wonders printed out, or use navigation on your phone.
Original post by jasonhazard
I'm going to be going to a few open days soon and would like to know what I need to take. Do I need a confirmation email printed out? Do I have to be at the uni as soon as the open day starts, which is 9am? How long did your uni open days last? And please add any more information that you think I would find important about open days.


Many unis won't check you on the day - they just get you to register so that they have an idea of numbers and can send you info. If you end up at one of the open days that does register people on the day, having a confirmation email printed may be helpful, but having it available on your phone will be fine unless it says otherwise.

You don't need to be there at 9am. You just need to be there for the talks you want to attend.

The open day will usually finish at 3-4 pm, but you can leave whenever you like.

Top tip: plan your day in advance, ensuring that you get to go to your subject talk and see anything else you're interested in (e.g. Campus tour, student finance talk, meet staff from accommodation office)

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Reply 12
Original post by Lau14
They'll most likely have provided you with an open day timetable which tells you what is happening when (sometimes they only send these a week or two before, either by email or post, they usually also post them on their website somewhere). If there's a few things you particularly want to see (priorities are probably subject talks), plan in advance when you'll do what - first put in talks as these might only happen once or twice, then fit accommodation/campus/library or wherever tours into spare time because these usually run at regular intervals all day. Finance talks are usually incredibly similar wherever you go because they all run through the student finance basics.

Depending on where it is you might want to take some lunch - in a city centre you're fine because there's plenty of choice for food, but a separate campus university or a smaller town will have more limited options and be very very busy (waste a lot of time queuing) because of the open day. Take water, especially if it's likely to be hot.

You can leave open days at any time, but I found that by the time we'd done average of 2 departmental talks, 1-3 general talks, lunch, an accommodation tour and all the getting between places and annoying short gaps where there wasn't quite enough time to do anything else while waiting for a talk (travel to accommodation is often a short shuttle bus trip) we were there until the end of the day. It gets pretty tiring if you do a lot of open days close together. Make notes if you want them because you won't remember much/which one was which when it comes to applications or decisions, even if you think you will right now. Campus tours are often slightly unnecessary because you walk around the uni getting to everything anyway, so you're often better off just doing it yourself.

Think about how you're getting to or from the uni - unless the train literally drops you right there (Birmingham) or you can actually park anywhere near the uni (unlikely) you'll probably need a map once you're in the city. Screenshots of the route on google maps work wonders printed out, or use navigation on your phone.


Thanks for the help
Reply 13
Original post by Origami Bullets
Many unis won't check you on the day - they just get you to register so that they have an idea of numbers and can send you info. If you end up at one of the open days that does register people on the day, having a confirmation email printed may be helpful, but having it available on your phone will be fine unless it says otherwise.

You don't need to be there at 9am. You just need to be there for the talks you want to attend.

The open day will usually finish at 3-4 pm, but you can leave whenever you like.

Top tip: plan your day in advance, ensuring that you get to go to your subject talk and see anything else you're interested in (e.g. Campus tour, student finance talk, meet staff from accommodation office)

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You know how you can usually find the talk times online, what if I can't find it, what time do I go then?
Take a bag - you WILL get given lots of reading material and having some way to carry it easily (and then keep it together when you get home) is worthwhile (often there will be bags available but they might be cheap plastic bags, they might only be available from certain stands and they will almost certainly be branded - pick one up if they look useful but having a rucksack to put everything in makes it a lot less annoying to carry around).

Take some food/drink (and some money for food drink while you're there) - open days are long, they can be very busy, if there are long queues for food at lunch time and you have a few snacks then you can keep your energy up without wasting time in queues.

Take maps to find your way there, find your way around the local area/between campuses and to find your way around uni buildings. Sometimes these are available sometimes they're not.

Take any booking details/timetables for things you have pre booked on. Some unis will restrict events to people who have prebooked, others will work on first come first served (usually means more queuing). Make sure if you've got it on your phone you can view it without mobile signal....not all campuses will have great signal for all networks.

Take your phone with charge and credit.

Take comfortable shoes, suncream if it looks hot, waterproofs/a brolly if it looks like it might rain.

Take your voice - noone there knows you, there are no stupid questions. Speak to anyone and everyone. Ask other people who are visiting if they'd recommend anything for the day, ask staff if it is really worth a 2 hour round trip to the halls for a tour and back again, ask students what their timetable is like, how they are finding halls, what the social life is like, ask staff what sort of support is available, whether you can study your favourite topic, how flexible options are etc etc.

Take a notepad and pen - on your way home or when you get home note down the things you liked, anything you didn't like, anything that stood out as interesting or important, anything you want to find out more about....if you go to a lot it is very easy to get things muddled so having some notes from the day will help when you look back at the end to decide if you want to apply to anywhere you've visited.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by jasonhazard
You know how you can usually find the talk times online, what if I can't find it, what time do I go then?


They will be published through one or more of the following ways
- by email, to registered attendees
- online, nearer the time
- in hard copy, handed out on the day

At this stage in the game, you may find that the programme still hasn't been finalised, which means that they can't start publishing times anyway.
Reply 16
Original post by Origami Bullets
They will be published through one or more of the following ways
- by email, to registered attendees
- online, nearer the time
- in hard copy, handed out on the day

At this stage in the game, you may find that the programme still hasn't been finalised, which means that they can't start publishing times anyway.


Okay, thanks for your help.

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