Thanks to the Guardian for this informative article…
If you go to a university open
day, be on your guard: the admissions tutors may be weighing you up already.
The approach of open day used
to mean it was time for Britain's campuses to be scrubbed until they shone,
then plastered with information about course subjects and extracurricular
activities. Nowadays, it's just as likely to be potential students who dress up
and gen up for open day. With demand for places on many courses remaining high
despite newly increased tuition fees, admissions tutors now see the open day as
an early chance to hunt for undergraduates who stand out from the crowd.
That's why the first rule of
the day for applicants is to censor mum and dad. "One of the things that
stands out about the prospective student is someone who comes up and chats to
you, where they do the talking, not their parents," says Linda Thompson,
faculty director at Staffordshire University. "Too many students turn up
at open days, pick up literature and attend presentations – but don't speak to
anyone. Or they let their parents do all the talking."
Take a deep breath and speak
to those scary-looking tutors: they're almost always very friendly. But work
out what you're going to ask or discuss beforehand to avoid making a bad
impression or – almost as bad – none at all. "Tutors don't remember people
from open days unless they are particularly special," says Philip Davies,
assistant director of higher education at
Bournemouth and Poole College. "To be memorable, make sure you really know
about the place you are visiting. Standard students' questions address what the
course is like, what the accommodation is like and what it's really like to
study there. But unusual ones ask interesting questions about the subject
itself."
Save those questions about how
many lectures there are and how much face-time each student receives for the
undergraduate taking you on a tour – they are just as likely to know the answer.
Save the few minutes you might secure with academics to ask snappy questions
about things you're learning at school that you're looking forward to
investigating at university, or subject-related ideas you've seen on an
intellectual TV programme or read about in a newspaper or book.
The best time to speak to a
tutor may be at the end of the mini lectures that many open days now include.
But remember, Davies adds: "If you definitely want to go to a particular
university and want to make an impression, you need to find the right person –
the admissions tutor who will be making the offers. Ask who does that – it will
not be obvious – and don't waste your time on anyone else."
Your next task is to "get
the tutor to remember your name so that they can relate to you when they read
your Ucas application later on," says Davies. "As an admissions
tutor, I want to hear that a student is particularly interested in coming to my
institution, and that I would be top of their list of choices. Ucas forms don't
let you know this information, so being able to convey your very strong
interest to a tutor is one of the advantages of going to an open day."
Other admissions experts say
that students who take a couple of trips to the campus can boost their chances
of getting a place. Thompson at Staffordshire explains: "I remember one
student specifically from last year because she attended several open days –
first a year earlier than most, then again a year later."
Dress-wise, while it's a good
idea to look presentable at open days, academics point out that course interest
will always be more important.
"For me, the key thing is
to have a clear reason why you want to study the course," says Malcolm
Whitworth, admissions tutor at the University of Portsmouth. "I'm most
impressed with students who have a clear career plan, which the course forms
part of. I always ask them, 'why this course and what are your plans?'"
Nowadays many students are
following up on open days with tweets, emails or even videos to make sure
they're not forgotten before admissions decision day. "One recent
candidate for a performing arts course emailed me the day after the open day to
give me a link to a YouTube video he had made of himself dancing," says
Nigel Ward, admissions tutor in performing arts at Anglia Ruskin University.
That's probably less relevant for scientists or psychologists, but Ward adds:
"Body popping is not quickly forgotten..."
His colleague, IT admissions
tutor Tony Carter, agrees that post-open day contact is becoming a trend.
"We certainly do remember applicants from open days and are often in
communication with them after the event to answer any questions they may not
have thought of during the day," he says. The students who are likely to
benefit most from making a splash at open days are, according to Pauline Start,
admissions tutor for courses in built environment at Anglia Ruskin, those who
might not get into a course 'on paper' alone. "The memorable students can
be those who do not meet the requirements but [at open day] ask about alternative
routes to the degrees, and then return to us, having met the requirements in
other ways," she says.
With tutor expectations so
high, it's little surprise that today's students are putting in extensive
effort before open days. "Of course," Start adds, "I would
expect them to ask the usual questions about the course such as content, accreditation,
employability and accommodation – but it's also good to see that they have done
some 'homework', too."
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