I am currently undergoing the mammoth task of visiting university open days practically every weekend. Iāve only been to two so far, but Iāve already noticed significant errors Iāve been making. I thought maybe it was just me being new to the idea of going into the big wide world, but after discussing the problem with my friends I found that they were having the same troubles. In order to amend these, I have created a guide of questions and tasks to do before and during a university open day.
Make an itinerary!Ā
Thereās no better way to prepare to visit somewhere you may have never been than plan the day out. Iām talking times and all. Make sure you leave space to visit everything you would like to see during the day, including the city if you are new to it, you need to explore where you could be living for the next 3+ years!
Your plan could look like:
7:30am – travel to Manchester uni
9:30am – arrive and check in. Go on a tour of the campus
10:30am – explore the course(s) you are interested in. Attend talks and ask plenty of questions
12:00pm- is available, tour the halls of residence/accommodation available to students
2:00pm- have the afternoon exploring the city. Take full advantage of any guides/ students for information on how they find studying at the university.
Questions to ask:Ā
What sorts of modules do you study on the course?
What sorts of methods of teaching do you have? Is the university more practical based?
How do you find it studying here already?
I have this ___ worry, could you help me with any advice?
Why would it be better to attend this university instead of ____ ?
What is the best aspect of the social life here in (Manchester)?
Will I be able to obtain extra help easily if Iām struggling with an assignment?
Of course there are plenty more things you could do to explore a new city, as well as plenty of other questions you could ask- these are just a starting point! Do not feel worried about asking, these people are here to help! I hope you found this useful, I may do an updated version once I have visited more universityās, but these are just some aspects Iāve learnt to use so far!
Love Eleanor xx
Wow! I loved this piece, thank you so much for sharing Eleanor. It has really given me some insight into what I am going to do in terms of university