5 Tips To Get The Most Out Of an Open Day
Open Days and Career Expos are fantastic ways to get the information you need to make great decisions about your future. There are representatives there ready to answer your questions and let you know all the important things about their courses so that you can decide which one is right for you.
Unfortunately, lots of students don’t really take advantage of this. If you’re not prepared beforehand, you can come away from an Open Day with more questions than you had at the start of the day, and no clearer about what you want to study.
Don’t stress, I’ve got you. Let’s look at 5 things you can do to make sure that going to your next Open Day isn’t a waste of time.
Tip #1: Make sure you register
Once you decide you want to go to the Open Day for a particular university, make sure you go to their website and register for the Open Day. They’re always free to attend (after all, they are trying to convince you to choose them!) but when you register, they will keep you posted about all the things that they have organised for the day, like a schedule of sessions about different topics, faculties or courses.
You will probably also be added to their mailing list for prospective students, so if they hold any other events or webinars between now and the end of the year you’ll find out about these as well, so you’ll know about all the opportunities available to you to find out all about the university itself and the courses they offer.
Tip #2: Do some research
The more you know about what the university has to offer before you go, the more you can get out of the day. So much information is available online, so although you will be able to grab hard copies of these documents at the Open Day (and sometimes it is easier to have a few to flick through and make notes on), you don’t want that to be all you get out of the day.
Get on their website and have a look around. Look at the courses they have to offer and make a note of any that sound interesting to you. If you have time, go a step further and read about the courses you’re interested in so that you can write down any specific questions that you have that you could ask at the Open Day.
It’s totally ok if you still don’t know what you want to do when you finish school - that’s what the Open Days are for! Having said that, I’m sure you can list a few faculties that you feel like you’re more interested in than others.
Tip #3: Plan your day
Now that you have a schedule for the day and you know what you want to find out, you’re ready to plan your day. Choose the sessions that are running that you want to get to and make a note of what time they’re on. Make a list of the faculties that you need to see so that you can ask the questions you came up with. Work out how you’re going to get there and what time you need to leave so that you don’t miss anything you want to see, and plan how you’re going to get it all done.
Tip #4: Soak up the atmosphere
It’s easy to focus on the courses, but remember that if you choose to apply to this university and then accept an offer, you’ll be spending lots of time there. Check out the facilities on campus that are available to students. Look into clubs that you might be interested in joining. See how you feel when you get there. Are you excited to go there? Does it feel like a place where you will want to spend time? Unlike school, no one will chase you up if you stop going to lectures, so you’ll need to use your own motivation to go to classes. This means that it’s important to feel like you’ll actually want to go.
Tip #5: Remember that you’re in the driver’s seat
Lots of students feel intimidated about Open Days and asking questions, but remember that without students, a university is just a group of buildings. I know you might be worried about your ATAR and what you might be able to get into, but the reality is that universities want you there and their Open Day is their way of selling the experience to you. You get to choose where you apply. You get to choose which courses sound interesting. The people representing the uni want you to ask questions and want to be able to convince you to go there with their answers. So ask your questions and find out everything you need to know to make a great decision about your future.
AUTHOR: KIM WHITTY
Ready to create a plan for your future, no matter what ATAR you get? That’s what I’m here for! Grab these digital resources to get clear on what you want and what course and career options you have, or learn more about the personalised career counselling packages I offer. I spent 13 years working in schools as a VCE teacher and qualified careers counsellor before starting Roadmap Education. Learn more about me.
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