Open days are an opportunity for prospective students to visit universities to get a sample of what campus life is like. They tend to comprise subject talks, accommodation tours and information fairs. Newcastle University is no different.
I visited open days for both my undergraduate and postgraduate universities, and can confidently say these experiences shaped the decisions I made to attend certain institutions.
To get the most out of your open-day experience, you need to think about the non-negotiables of what you want your time at university to look like. One institution could be perfect on paper, but the reality of the place could be completely different. Just because somewhere tops The Guardian’s University Guide doesn’t mean that you should see yourself studying there.
Here are some of my non-negotiables that I used for both degrees. First of all, I am someone who likes the busy, bustling feeling of a city campus. I prefer to walk everywhere, to classes, to the shops, to the pub, so I wanted a centrally-located university. Secondly, I could picture myself studying somewhere with beautiful, old-world architecture over sterile modern buildings, as this would motivate me to want to attend classes on campus.
When I visited campuses that didn’t fit my criteria, I knew in my gut that they weren’t right for me. No matter how trivial or small your non-negotiables might seem, they could make the difference when it comes to choosing the right university for you.
So, if you’re considering postgraduate study or supporting someone in choosing their undergraduate university, make sure to visit an open day. You’ll get pretty much the same information at any place you visit – finances, prospectuses, free tote bags – but you really need to get a feel for the university and the city it’s in. Ask yourself: can you see yourself there?