I can't tell a lie: I love an Open Day I do. I visited 7 different universities during my A-Levels, and was so disappointed when my travels around the country came to an end. Add to that three applicant days, a choir audition and, more recently, two postgraduate open days, and you're looking at an open day pro. Along with the fact that I ended up choosing a university that I LOVE, I thought it's only right that I write a guide to open days to help you get the most out of them.

1) Research before you go!

I can't stress this enough - you will get so much more out of an open day if you have researched the University before you go. This is because you will be able to ask questions which you can't find the answers to online or in prospectuses, making travelling there so much more worth it.

Researching beforehand also allows you to plan your day to a tee. This means you know exactly where you are going, what's on, and which accommodation you want to visit, ensuring you don't miss anything you want to see, and you work your way around the university in the most efficient way.

2) Go to all the talks and stands

This ties in to your research, but make use of all the talks and stands available. The stands are great for answering any questions about specific accommodation that you weren't able to visit; qualms about finance; and general queries about your course that the talks didn't answer. Similarly, the talks are such a good introduction to the course you are enquiring about. If you aren't sure which course you want to do, maybe consider going to talks about the different subjects you are interested in, to find out more about them. You don't have to go to an open day with a particular course in mind: in fact, I know of someone who went to a talk on a different subject to the one they were inquiring about and ended up studying that subject instead!

3) Don't judge taster lectures - to an extent...

Talking of talks, some universities will offer taster lectures on their open days, and most will offer them as part of their applicant days. Whilst these are a great insight into university life, and give you a feel for their teaching style, don't judge your whole opinion of the university on them. I know that I did, and looking back I can see that that was a mistake. For one, they can put their most charismatic lecturer on display to make you love the uni, but not all the lecturers there will be charismatic. Equally, the lecture may be boring, but not all you lectures will be boring at uni. One lecturer does not represent the whole course. The main thing is to work out whether you'll be taught by them enough for it to matter, and take it from there :)

4) Take All the Pictures

They are such a good reminder of the day, helping you remember what the campus, facilities and accommodation looked like, when you are reviewing your visits months later. Furthermore, they are great for comparing different unis, as well as for taking pictures of slides when you forget a pen and paper. Talking of which...

5) ...Bring a pen and paper to take notes - you are going to be given so much information!

Seriously, even bring a spare pen - you'll forget most of the information otherwise. Having a pen and paper to hand is also a great way to make notes of questions you want to ask. Oh, and don't forget to bring a bag to take the copious amounts of leaflets you will pick up, home with you.

6) Pick up all the freebies ;) Cause you can never have too many pens!

Nuff said.

7) There is no such thing as a stupid question

You are there to find out about where you could be living for the next three years, and the people from the university are there to help you make your choice by answering questions. Don't risk putting your £9,250 into the wrong uni, by being too scared to ask a question that is not as stupid as you think it is. If you're really worried, ask whoever is with you to ask for you, or email the relevant person after the open day (which goes for things you forget to ask too!).

8) Tour the area, not just the campus - you are gunna live there for three years after all 

After an Open Day, I would nearly always go out for a meal in the city, or at least go for a wander around the town. What you can forget when looking around universities, is that you are not only moving into the university accommodation, but most likely the accommodation in the city too (if you have to move out after first year). You will also be doing things within the town, such as the weekly food shop, clothes shopping, sight-seeing, clubbing etc. Ask yourself whether you can see yourself living in the city. Is it big or small enough for you? Does it provide everything you need, and is it easy to get to? What's transport like (including for travelling home)? Is it safe? I know that a 'turn off' for one uni was that the surrounding town had very little to offer, because it was so small.

9) Look at the library! 

You may not like to accept this fact, but the library will become your second home whilst at uni. Therefore, be sure to take a tour around, to see what the facilities are like. How many study spaces do they have (once you stop living on campus you will need a place to study in between class, and smaller libraries will get full fast, leaving you with nowhere to study)? How many books do they have (including online resources such as ebooks and journals)? What other facilities do they offer - group study rooms? Printers - do you have to pay for printing?

You may dismiss the library as a factor in making your university choice, but one campus had a teeny library, which just was not gunna be enough for studying history.

10) Talk to current students more than the lecturers!

They will know the course and uni experience better than anyone. There are normally ambassadors at the relevant course stands; giving campus tours; and giving talks. Whilst they are there to promote the uni, they are the best insight you will have about studying there. Ask them about the societies on offer (which will probably make up a large part of your uni experience, so do find out what sort of things you would like to join!); what the student culture is like; find out about the city and off campus accommodation; the work load; how they've found the student support system (I didn't even think about looking into this side of it, but have ended up needing it, so do find out about this, whether it be medical, counselling or therapy services). Whatever you want to know about university life, they are THE people to ask, even more than the lecturers.




I hope you have found this article useful! University open days are honestly so much fun, and such a good way to find out about the course, the university and the student culture. I know that they have completely turned my opinion of universities on their head, and have stopped me making the wrong decision when it came to firming my offers. Whether it be the size of the library, the city, the student culture, or the size of the hill it's set upon, these are all university 'turn-offs' that I would have never got from a shiny prospectus.

If you have any more questions about university open days, do leave them below and I will try to answer them as best as I can 😄

June xx

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