Spring and summer usually host swathes of students heading out to uni open days. It’s an opportune time to travel around, check out your university options and try and chalk up some decisions on what to put on your UCAS application for next year. For students heading to uni this autumn, open days allow you to have a look around halls and accommodation and the facilities you’ll likely be using, as well as attend vital course meetings.
As we all know, Coronavirus resulted in the mass cancelling of events, including open days and even now, not all services have resumed in the same way as pre-covid. It has led to new ways of doing things though, and some of the virtual aspects which thrived during Covid are still being utilised by institutions even now.
Missing open days can be very irritating for students who will be missing out on meeting their tutors, checking out their accommodation, even starting to meet new friends, etc. Going in blind to what may well be the next 3 years of your life may seem nerve-wracking – that’s totally normal!
Don’t give up hope! There are lots of things you still can still do to prepare for university.
There’s always more research you can do! Open up those tabs again, from WhatUni to The Complete University Guide, there’s tons of information out there on universities covering everything from individual course satisfaction, performance, teaching quality, dropout rates, and everything!
Research your uni’s own website heavily too, and delve into your potential courses, your modules, their reading lists and topics. You won’t regret it! The more prep you do, the better. It’ll help you avoid surprises when you’re there and avoid confusion and stress early on in the first term.
Research doesn’t just extend to the uni itself but to halls of residence also. Halls are a major part of uni life, you’ll be spending far more time there than actually in university. Don’t make the mistake of neglecting halls, read up on information and reviews and siphon through image galleries and virtual tours, which brings us to our next point.
Virtual reality and augmented reality technology have really come into their own over the coronavirus crisis and it’s helping universities still offer open days in virtual form. From 360-degree footage to live Q&A, meetups of prospective students and much more, it’s still possible to look around your uni, talk to tutors and even introduce yourself to fellow students.
Virtual tours are not a new thing, though, most universities across the country have some form of the virtual tour already that is designed for overseas students or long-distance travellers who aren’t able to visit open days.
These have been enhanced with video student stories and live video sessions. universities from Staffs to Worcester, Sheffield to Nottingham and Du Montfort run virtual open days on the same dates, with interactive experiences to help prospective students engage with the uni and tutors in face-to-face sessions.
They’re sure to be a great introduction and icebreaker if you aren’t able to attend in person.
There are several ways to check out existing uni student experiences: via review sites (like WhatUni, StudentCrowd and TheStudentRoom), on social media or via Unibuddy.
Review sites are an awesome way to check out structured reviews on universities, halls, courses and tutors. You’ll be able to search for people who lived in your halls, took your course, had your tutors, everything!
Social media can hold some great insights; often, the university themselves or the student union will have active pages, which, at this time of year, will be filled with student testimonials. But beware, social media is unregulated and you won’t always get the best information or a balanced view. It can certainly be a good place to meet people who will be studying at the same time and in the same place as you.
Unibuddy is a relatively new service that pairs you up with current students at the university of your choice. This service is designed for you to get to know the university before you attend. It features articles written by current or past students and staff as well as a messaging service which you can use to speak to students and staff about anything university related.
Obviously, it’s best to bear in mind that every year is different so don’t feel too intimidated about a bad review – it’s the awareness that counts.
Every university will have detailed information about their open days and what you can sign up for on their website. Find Open Days is your one stop shop for everything open day related.
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Or head straight to the next post: Being a Student at Home: A Guide to Staying Focused.
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