University open days

When is it too late to book uni open days? I'm in year 12 and I don't know what universities I want to go to yet, and I don't have a huge interest towards specific unis. Most universities I've looked at have open days at end of June, I have a meeting with my school university/future advisor just after half term (3rd June), should I start to book open days now, or should I wait till after I've talked to my school uni advisor?

Reply 1

Flamingo10

12

Original post

by Anonymous

When is it too late to book uni open days? I'm in year 12 and I don't know what universities I want to go to yet, and I don't have a huge interest towards specific unis. Most universities I've looked at have open days at end of June, I have a meeting with my school university/future advisor just after half term (3rd June), should I start to book open days now, or should I wait till after I've talked to my school uni advisor?

Have you considered any other options apart from going to university? I only ask because you don't really seem all that interested in going to university. You don't have to go to one if you don't want to. Even if your school is telling all A level students to go to university you still don't have to there are other options.

Reply 2

McGinger

20

June Open Days are the most popular and can 'book-out' very quickly - many Unis will also have another one in October/November. Remember that unless you are aiming at all 'early deadline' choices, you have until JANUARY to submit your application to UCAS, and most people in that situation will still not apply until Nov/Dec.

What sort of degree subject are you looking at?

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post

by Flamingo10

Have you considered any other options apart from going to university? I only ask because you don't really seem all that interested in going to university. You don't have to go to one if you don't want to. Even if your school is telling all A level students to go to university you still don't have to there are other options.

I have, and I've talked to my parents and school, and they've suggested a gap year, but I don't see myself taking a gap year, and moreover I want to move on to further education
Also I'm interested in going to uni, but I feel like I've started the uni research process way to late and now idk what to do and yeah I'm a bit stressed

Original post

by McGinger

June Open Days are the most popular and can 'book-out' very quickly - many Unis will also have another one in October/November. Remember that unless you are aiming at all 'early deadline' choices, you have until JANUARY to submit your application to UCAS, and most people in that situation will still not apply until Nov/Dec.
What sort of degree subject are you looking at?

I'm looking at doing psychology at uni
I'm not applying to Oxbridge, so that means I'm submitting my applications in January? i think

Reply 4

McGinger

20

I'm looking at doing psychology at uniI'm not applying to Oxbridge, so that means I'm submitting my applications in January?

Yes, you would just need to submit your UCAS application before the January deadline - an earlier application gives you no advantage, so you still have time to plan which Open Days to attend, and do these in the autumn. But - you do need to book a place on these as soon as the bookings open, as they always fill up fast. Many Unis will send you reminders about this if you have ordered a prospectus from them or have registered for updates - example Open Day interest | Undergraduate | University of Liverpool

Reply 5

Coventry University Student Ambassadors

Official Rep

18

Original post

by Anonymous

When is it too late to book uni open days? I'm in year 12 and I don't know what universities I want to go to yet, and I don't have a huge interest towards specific unis. Most universities I've looked at have open days at end of June, I have a meeting with my school university/future advisor just after half term (3rd June), should I start to book open days now, or should I wait till after I've talked to my school uni advisor?

Hi there,

Lots of universities run open days all year around, take a look on their website as they often run many so if you can't make the next one there are usually a few over the summer. There is no harm in booking some in advance though to guarantee you get a spot, they are free and not a problem to cancel.

hope this helps
Amber
Coventry University Student Ambassador

Reply 6

squashedpanda

7

Its a great idea to go to open days to get a feel for the different types of unis (campus/city/collegiate) as well as the different course offerings and see any favourites you may already have. You can cancel whenever and its free to book a place so yes, definitely book yourself on some.

Reply 7

PQ

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

21

If you’re not sure yet then just book onto the open days for your nearest universities. That way you’ll get an idea of what an open day involves and the sorts of things to prioritise and ask questions about when you go to open days further away.
It’s a really cheap and affordable way to get a baseline and also means that when you do go to other open days you make the most of your time

Reply 8

FiBox

12

Original post

by Anonymous

I have, and I've talked to my parents and school, and they've suggested a gap year, but I don't see myself taking a gap year, and moreover I want to move on to further education
Also I'm interested in going to uni, but I feel like I've started the uni research process way to late and now idk what to do and yeah I'm a bit stressed
I'm looking at doing psychology at uni
I'm not applying to Oxbridge, so that means I'm submitting my applications in January? i think

You submit BY January deadline. Most schools will want you application before Christmas as they have a lot of references to write. You can submit before then if you want too. You certainly haven’t missed open days. There are some in June but most of them are in August/September/October.

I would try and go to a couple of relatively local ones now. The first one doesn’t even need to be a uni you are particularly interested in if it is convenient and at the weekend - it is more about establishing a ‘baseline’ of what universities are like so start to you know what you are looking for at those you are more serious about. It will be hard to go to more than about five or so because you won’t be wanting to go to many in the week as that involves missing school, and weekend open days will clash.

There is no requirement to go to any open days. You can also look round a city and campus outside open days,

Reply 9

LancashireRep4

Official Rep

12

Original post

by Anonymous

When is it too late to book uni open days? I'm in year 12 and I don't know what universities I want to go to yet, and I don't have a huge interest towards specific unis. Most universities I've looked at have open days at end of June, I have a meeting with my school university/future advisor just after half term (3rd June), should I start to book open days now, or should I wait till after I've talked to my school uni advisor?

Hi Anom,

It's great to hear your interested in attending open days!

Universities host many open days throughout the year, alongside offer holder days. As others have stated, as long as your not applying early then you have until January. I would begin booking open days when you are able to as you can get a feel of what university will be like, even if you are uncertain about attending that university! It will give you an idea of what you love and what you may want to stay away from.

Additionally, if your unable to attend an open day, some universities allow you to book campus tours all year round, so this is also an option.

I hope this helps, please feel free to ask me any questions,
-Sophia (University of Central Lancashire)

University open days

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you

How The Student Room is moderated