When to start attending open days?

[Guest55]

We went to a few Open Days both with DS and a friend who wanted some help with choices; none of these could possible be described as a 'bun fight' but they were great days out.

The best had a short talk then parents were given a separate tour and students went to to see workshops/labs and do some hands-on stuff. It was very relaxed with a free bus to go and see other bits and the accommodation. Very much geared to the students and us the right balance of information/advertising.

I'd advise going on a Saturday to one nearby to get a base-line. However, online research is important - what sort of place [big city/small?], campus or not, grade requirements, anything else that's important, .... then draw up a long list.

[anotherdad]

Open Days are in my view a hideous bun fight populated by over-zealous parents and kids mopping up freebies.

Pure poetry, you should work in marketing....or, perhaps not.

Wouldn't it be refreshing to see one bold university state this on their website as part of the announcement that they aren't running open days but that prospective students are welcome to visit at any time?

[ToadMum]

Our experiences have been much more like Guest55's. I would say, perhaps we haven't been to universities prestigious enough to attract the true horror parent, but Exeter, Warwick and Bristol (the one which, sadly, brought it home to DD that she really prefers a campus set-up ) were on the list and I can't say that we came across enough such to be annoyed by them there, even.

At least, DD didn't mention them being a problem in the talks she attended - I attended very few, myself, preferring to have a wander round, visiting attached museums / galleries if available (Bristol, Birmingham
and UEA are particularly to be recommended ). Bit of a nightmare dad on a recent campus tour, true, but the other twenty or so of us rolled our eyes and gave the student guides frequent smiles of sympathy and support. And reckoned that if everything about the tour was so not satisfactory, if one of our DC did go there, it was a pretty safe bet that there would be no risk of his precious one having been allowed even to apply.

[kenyancowgirl]

Unfortunately anything to do with Medicine seems to bring out the very worst parents and open days are no exception! As a Careers Adviser and mum, I have literally had to sit on my hands to stop myself poking out some parents’ eyes and have audibly tutted at some of the worst. Having been to two, I have decided that DH could go with DS to the others...and I think their plan is only to visit 5 in total.

[KB]

Fwiw Amber your view is pretty similar to mine

[anotherdad]

Unfortunately anything to do with Medicine seems to bring out the very worst parents and open days are no exception!

I can absolutely vouch for this. The subject seems to be shrouded in an untouchable halo of excellence in some people's eyes and I have encountered more pushy parents in this subject than all the others put together. There are a few girls in my daughter's year that have basically been shoved into medicine by their parents, despite them not having demonstrated any genuine desire to pursue the career or shown any commitment to caring. They've often done a day or two shadowing mummy in surgery or been to daddy's consultants' meeting or had some other very limited exposure to the glamorous end of medicine thanks to a family member or friend. It's not helped by the school loving to trumpet how many students each year go into medicine, as if it's somehow a superior destination.

I have a relative who is a consultant, another who is a senior member of staff at a medical school and a family member who's off to study medicine next month. All are very aware of and honest about the realities of the course and the profession. It's basically a degree apprenticeship - you can imagine the horror if it was described as such to some parents - no mystique and not better-than-the-rest. I don't know why some parents make such a fuss about it.

[loobylou]

This is all very interesting.
Dd is just going into year 11 so it's just starting to be thought about.
Because she definitely doesn't want to go to London, it feels more important somehow that she finds a city/town/area she really wants to spend 3+ years in, more than the minutiae of the accommodation etc.
When we get nearer it sounds like a great idea for her to narrow down the courses and then is have a few trips to different places to see what she thinks...

[Guest55]

There are several online calendars of Open Days. For example:

https://www.ucas.com/ucas/events/find/type/open-day" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[anotherdad]

This is all very interesting.
Dd is just going into year 11 so it's just starting to be thought about.
Because she definitely doesn't want to go to London, it feels more important somehow that she finds a city/town/area she really wants to spend 3+ years in, more than the minutiae of the accommodation etc.
When we get nearer it sounds like a great idea for her to narrow down the courses and then is have a few trips to different places to see what she thinks...

Good luck with it, but don't discount London just yet. I thought it would be the last place my daughter would want to study and up until year 13, so did she. We looked at universities in only two big-cities, London and Manchester, the rest were much smaller cities or campuses. In the end the course content, delivery type and options for placement made her first choice a London one, and that's where she's heading.

[nervousmom]

Thanks for all the great advice.

I think the sept & Oct open days will be too soon.

DS still not sure what he wants to do, engineering has been mentioned, but he is very good at physics, so that may be a possible.

I'm hoping school will offer them lots of advice.

So I can get my head round it all, if he is due to start uni in 2020, when would the deadline for applications be?