It's that time of the year again; when universities all over the country open their doors to flocks of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed students. While this is all very exciting (and perhaps quite scary), it's easy to get caught up in the hype that undoubtedly surrounds university open days. Unless you have a very clear idea of the kind of thing you want, you'll probably just preferring the last place you went to. So, here are a few tips for making the most of your visit:
- Be aware of the fact that the university is trying to sell itself. If you go there, you're likely to be paying them £9,000 a year, meaning that they're going to put on their best performance to try and persuade you. Think of the uni as a business, with yourself as the prospective client. For example, if you go on a tour of the accommodation, you're probably being shown the newest and most appealing room or halls. It's fairly unlikely that they're going to take you round the crummy little box-room that looks out onto a brick wall, which may well be your new home in a couple of years time...
- Don't feel like a nuisance. You have every right to be there, so if you want to know something, don't be afraid to ask. The university is lucky to have your attention, so try not to think of the open day as them doing you a favour. Just because the lecturers and current students appear confident and seem to be right at home, remember that everyone started off as a spotty teenager, puzzling over the campus map with their parents.
- Don't be a passive spectator. If you just turn up to the talks and sit there, hoping your dad doesn't ask any embarrassing questions, then you might as well have just got the prospectus. Apart from the odd detail about the course, the majority of talks given at open days will bombard you with stats and then proceed to reel off the information that could otherwise be found online. In fact, the talk about Maths at Exeter, is unlikely to be dramatically different from the one about Maths at Warwick. What I'm trying to say, is that in order to make your visit worthwhile, you need to talk to the lecturers and current students one-to-one. Ask the first-years (doing the course you're interested in) why they chose this specific uni over all the others. Find out the drawbacks about the course/the accommodation/ the nightlife etc.
- Take meaningful notes. There isn't much point carefully copying down the ranking of the university, or the number of international students that attend. If you're going to take notes (which you probably should), they need to be on the things that particularly stand out to you, or things that are unlikely to be online. For example, you could write down your first impressions of the campus, or the Head of Bio-chemistry, or whatever. These details may seem small, but in the end, it's these things that will ultimately help you to choose the best place for you.
- Trust your instincts. It may feel a bit rash, but if you arrive at a university and immediately think, 'I don't like this, but it's top of the ranking list so it must be good', then this may be a sign that it's not the place for you. Out of all the unis I visited, the one that I ended up choosing was the only one that my instincts told me wasn't right. And guess what? I hated it and left after 5 weeks. So, even if you're not sure why it doesn't feel quite right, remember that you'll probably feel the same way when you arrive for Fresher's Week.
Hopefully you're now feeling a little more prepared for your university visits! Once you've got your shortlist of choices, don't forget to have a look at point 10 of my previous blog post (cheeky plug) to help you figure out which to go for!
(http://animalpictures00.blogspot.co.uk/)
Harriet x
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