Get Organised

You will need to work out your visits in advance, so make sure you know which universities are opening. Useful tools are websites such as opendays.com or the UCAS website. You will also need to get hold of a campus map – most websites will have a PDF version to download to your phone.

 

Work out a schedule for the weeks or months ahead and, when planning each visit, don’t forget to find out about the events and presentations going on around campus and book on if needed – it’s likely the popular ones will fill up fast!

 

Don’t forget to plan your journey so that you’re not flustered, or late arriving to the open day, if travelling by train, prebook your tickets. If you’re driving, research parking on campus or nearby to save time on the day.

Fair Comparison

Work out how you will score each university. If you are torn between similar courses it is important that you judge each establishment on the same criteria and draw up a fair scoring system to better aid your decision. Take notes and photos (especially of things like accommodation and key study areas like the library) during the open day to help record as much information as possible and to refer back to after the day. Input and advice from parents is important, but don’t take a back seat to their questioning – see below for tips and advice on that.

 

It’s also important to see where the university is in relation to the town or city; is it somewhere you’d like to live for a minimum of 3 years? If you have time, get a feel for the area by having a walk around outside of the main campus.

Questions

Think well in-advance about the questions you want to ask of staff and other students. There will be a large number of them there to ensure that the day runs well, so take advantage of this to get a wide variety of insights. The Uni Guide have an excellent selection of questions that can help form part of your investigations.

Accessibility

If you require extra assistance for your visit make sure to contact the university prior to the open day and they can help make your day as easy as possible. You can download or print this handy UCAS guide before you go and take a look at a list of questions here.

University Mentor

If you are interested in the benefits of having a university mentor guide you through an open day and to benefit from their ongoing support through university then connect with Think Tutors. We work with a leading team of mentors and tutors who have graduated from world-class universities who can substantially improve your transition both to and through university.