How many open days did you attend? And what stood out?

Hi everyone,
I often find myself recommending open days as the best way to make a university decision, as I found it to be my most useful tool when I was researching. They are great as you get a good sense of what it is like to live and study somewhere, you can ask questions directly to students and staff and after each open day I felt I had learnt something new about what I was looking for from a uni and what was important to me.
I thought we could all share our open day research experience to help those starting their research.
How many open days did I attend?
9
This number also includes offer holder days and campus tours that I attended. Sometimes I would not be available on the open day dates, so having other options like offer holder days and just booking a campus tour is good to widen your options. You could even just visit the town/city to get an idea if the open day dates don’t work for you.
I was lucky enough to have extra time to attend open days as I did a art and design foundation year where it was encouraged to do so.
What stood out?
•Students/student ambassadors. Being able to meet and speak to students really helped me see if I could see myself being one of the students and fitting in.
•Facilities. Things like opening times and how good the facilities were stood out to me as I knew I would b be using them frequently and during weekends and at night.
•Staff. If staff were helpful and seemed like someone I could go to while on the course it stood out.
•Local area. As I was moving away from home the local area was also important to me which I have previously done a post on and will link. Why Location is Important When Choosing a University - The Student Room
I hope it is helpful to know how many open days I visited and what stood out. Feel free to share your experience
-Grace (Kingston Rep)

This is such a great idea !! Thank you for sharing.
I personally requested for about 10-15 prospectuses so that I could choose 3 uni open days to attend from those. I did apply during covid times though, so open days were a little harder to get to.
After I fell in love with Norwich Uni Arts, I attended 2 applicant events (one online and one in person) which was a great way to get to meet the tutors that I would be having in a creative environment (we had a workshop).
Norwich Uni stood out to me during the open day because of the insane amount of amazing facilities on offer that are available to anyone on any course. The buildings and design studios also felt clean, and spacious and bright with work on the walls and large open spaces. I remember loving that the buildings are in a really nice part of the city along the river. It was also fairly local to me. Far enough away that I did move into student accommodation but still a familiar city to me and no more than an hour's drive.
Charlotte, Y3 Graphic Design, Student Ambassador, Norwich Uni Arts 🙂

Hi everyone!
When I first started researching universities, I ordered prospectuses from the places I was interested in — I think I had around eight. From there, I narrowed it down to five options based on the course modules and whether I could see myself living in those cities.
I applied during Covid, so in-person events were limited. I managed to attend two campus tours for my top choices and joined online events for all of them, which still gave me a good sense of each university.
One thing I’d definitely recommend is checking public transport routes early on. I realised one of my options would have taken three trains to get home, which helped me rule it out — especially important if you don’t drive or don’t plan on taking your car to uni.
Across the universities I looked at, the facilities were quite similar, so what really helped me tell them apart were factors such as location, industry links, and work-experience opportunities. Most offered a placement or sandwich year, but some also built work experience directly into the modules, which really stood out.
Talking to staff and student ambassadors also made a big difference. The most helpful conversations were with people who gave honest, university-specific answers rather than vague comments. Their genuine enthusiasm helped me picture what studying there would be like.
Everyone prioritises different things — whether that’s study abroad, accommodation, or student life — and open days are a great way to explore these and figure out what matters most to you.
Hope this helps anyone just starting their research!
Megan (LJMU Rep)