So, it’s around 6 months before you start your new university course! If you have applied to a few different universities and been offered a place, you will have to confirm your firm and insurance choices. When you have made these choices, you will most likely get invited to an offer holder open day.
This gives you the chance to visit your chosen university one more time, so you can feel more relaxed and prepared for September. There are many things you can get up to on your offer holder day, so make sure you are well prepared so that you can make the most of it!
Look at the timetable
You will most likely be emailed a timetable of all the talks and sessions that are going on that day. The best thing for you to do is highlight all the talks and sessions you want to attend so that you can plan your day out. It means you can arrive on time!
This prevents any of your sessions clashing as sessions are usually run more than once during the day. It can also make you more relaxed on the day as you won’t be having to rush to different talks as you will have planned it all out.
The talks will include things like specific degree talks, where you are taken through the course modules and what is expected of you. This will most likely help you feel more confident when you start in September. Another good talk I would recommend is the student finance chat as this topic can be a little confusing when you first start to read about it.
Tour the accommodation
The next thing you will need to look at is the times you can view accommodation. This will be more helpful for those who have yet decided where they want to stay. At this time of year, most university owned accommodation will be booked up, but on results day, people drop out or they don’t get their grades meaning there is plenty of spaces in university halls for those who didn’t sort accommodation already.
If you are looking for private accommodation, then a great idea is to reach out to the company and ask to get a viewing on the offer holder day – you may as well take a look while you are in the city! Lots of private accommodation will put on open houses when they know new students are visiting the city. If they don’t you will more than likely be able to book an individual viewing.
Tour the campus
Along with the talks and different sessions going on, a campus tour can be really beneficial. These usually take around 45 minutes to an hour so you will need to schedule time for this in your day. They would normally run every 10 to 15 minutes so you won’t have to wait too long.
This will give you a chance to figure out where everywhere is. You will be able to see the student union along with the building your classes would be in. This can make you feel more at ease when starting in September.
There may be more than more than one campus or your university might be based around the city. So it may be worth going to find out where other places are just in case your classes get moved, or if you are going to meet a friend on another campus.
Have a look round the city center
Similarly, just like touring the campus, it might be a good idea to tour the city. Some universities will offer city tours. Alternatively, you can take a walk around the city yourself. Figure out where the shops are, what kind of bars they have and where you would buy your food from. This way, you can become a bit more familiar with your surroundings.
Another good thing to look for is any public transport links. Check how you would get to the train station if you use the train to get home. Or if the university is out of the town center, than try and see if there are any trams or buses that you would be able to use. Check out how much these cost and if it would be worth getting a season pass. Lots of public transport companies offer student discounts. Some of these discounts only run during freshers week, so make sure you take advantage of this.
Talk to the current students
To get a much better understanding of the modules on your course, how it is taught and how it is assessed, talking to current students can be very helpful. Try to plan a couple of questions that you would like to know the answers to. The good thing is when talking to students they can talk about their real-life experiences along with the pros and the cons. You would be able to get a better understanding of the bits that you would find slightly harder than others.
Accommodation is another important thing to talk about with current students. From talking to the students about their opinions on student accommodation you will be able to figure out which one is best for you.
Final Thoughts
Offer holders days offer lots of insight into what your years at university will be like and what you should be expecting. So if you are invited to an offer holder day try and make the most of it!
