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 RoomI 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)