Ellie Wynn, 18, visited two open days, including one at Leeds Beckett, where she is now studying psychology, with her mum, Paula McIntosh. Paula is now going through the process again with her 17-year-old son.
“When I went to an open day at Manchester University, it just seemed too big for me,” says Ellie, “but as soon as I started the Leeds Beckett open day, the people were so nice and it just felt like home.
“I went with my mum – which wasn’t embarrassing, everyone had their parents with them,” she laughs. “The main thing I was interested in was more detail on the courses – you can see the module titles online, but talking to the actual lecturers and tutors that I knew I’d have if I went there was brilliant. They went through every module and it sounded really interesting, then we went to a lab class and they picked someone out to be a guinea pig, with their eye movements monitored as they looked at an advert.”
Paula points out that her main priority on the open day was different to Ellie’s: “I was keen – with it being such a big city – that Ellie would be living somewhere safe, in accommodation closest to the university building. So we looked at that, and facilities outside of the course too. We also spoke to people in the hall manning different desks to find out about societies she could join.
“There were practical things, too: a relative of mine who’s done a degree is now working in a supermarket, which seems like a massive waste of his education. You have to make sure the students are going to come out of their university with good job prospects, so ask about how many kids are in employment after leaving and the type of industry they work in. Also, ask students what they think about the course they’re on – can they choose certain aspects or is it all fixed?” Ellie’s top advice for would-be undergrads at open days is to chat to your lecturers: “See if you like them and find it easy to ask them for help. They are such a big part of your uni experience.”
Paula says she’s really glad she went with Ellie: “You really do have to go and have a look to check that the university offers the experience your child is looking for. It’s a very expensive thing to do, going to uni, so you need to get your choices right.” And Ellie is adamant she has: “At the open day, Leeds Beckett just felt right. And a year later, I still think that. I love the university so much.” Lucy Tobin
Chloe Wiles, 19, from Billericay, Essex, is doing a BA (Hons) in applied theatre and community drama at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA).
I had been looking at acting courses, and my teacher suggested LIPA. The prospectus gave a lot of information, but on the open day, the head lecturer, Brendan, went into more depth and gave a huge presentation. He didn’t hesitate to answer any of our questions. We also had second and third years on the course leading us around – we could ask them anything and get a realistic answer. And it was good to experience the overall friendliness of the course in person – you can’t get that just by picking up a prospectus. I’d found lots of courses down in London too, but it appealed to me more to go slightly further away from home, just to experience university a bit more.
It’s been a lot easier to cope with the distance than I thought it would be. The classes are small – they only let in about 20 – so it’s almost like a family and you get loads of contact hours with lecturers – about 20 a week – so I’ve been too busy to think about being away from home.
When I came back at Christmas, my family were saying I’d grown in confidence. Going to a new city with completely different people from all over the country has definitely helped. Tanya Jackson
