Tinkers wrote:
DD is going to the one at Reading uni this weekend. Several reasons.
It’s a break from revision for the final german gcse exams next week.
It’s 10 mins walk away, so an easy journey.
It’s not really going to be a choice, so it is one she can look at with that mindset and hopefully see past the hard sell.
It will hopefully give her a bit of a benchmark and ideas of things to look for in unis she really is interested in.
She is pretty sure of what she wants to do and has been for over a year or two.
LSE- my
alma mater, so keen to have a nose round with DD and it's just a normal day trip to London for us. DD enthusiastic about course, neutral re setting, somewhat put off by Admissions talk ('don't bother applying if you don't think you will meet our typical offer, we won't drop it under any circumstances').
Exeter - mini city break for end of half term. DD very enthusiastic about course permutations available, found students, academics and other staff friendly and helpful. Not put off by the terrain being only suitable for mountain goats. DS2 less enthusiastic, so he and I sat on walls and went to the Cinema Museum on the campus. Don't know what it was like on the Saturday, but Friday certainly not frenetic or unpleasant, just tiring.
Reading tomorrow on the way to Bristol on Saturday, then Birmingham and Warwick the next weekend and UEA on July 6th.
Campus Tour at Kent for both her and DS2 booked for the first week of the holidays, one of the few universities she is interested in offering both IR plus French (DD) and Architecture (DS2)
She has already visited KCL, UEA and Birmingham (popped over whilst staying with 3rd year DS1 during Feb half term) for campus tours, which are useful for sifting on 'could I bear to live here?' grounds as you have time to investigate the 'real world' around the university as well.
DS1 visited 7, dropped one happily after the visit (that one was quite a surprise, actually), the other just being pipped by the fifth of the other five. He received five offers and attended all five applicant days, which in themselves reshuffled the order of his preferences.
And yes, I appreciate that this may all have taken more saving up for fares etc than some will be able to manage, but he found it useful and I think DD in her turn is, too.