Making the most of your open day

11 Sep 2024
Group of students at an Open Day

You’re thinking of going to university and you’ve booked onto a couple of open days to find out more about the course, the location and the student life. With so much going on at an open day, you want to make sure you come away feeling informed. Here are our top tips on making the most of your University of Winchester open day.

Make a list of questions beforehand

Attending an open day can be quite full-on, so it’s always a good idea to come up with a few questions you want to ask before arriving. These might include what the facilities are like, what study spaces are available and what student support is on offer.

You might also want to ask about specific course content, so jot down any modules you have questions about or particular areas you're interested in. At our open days you can speak to a course lecturer or student ambassador who studies the course.

Plan out your day

We put our programme for the day online so you can see, ahead of the day, which talks and tours interest you. We'll also give you a printed programme when you arrive at our registration point which has a schedule for the day with locations and timings, as well as useful information and a map of our two campuses.

Take your time to read through and work out which things you want to attend and plan out your day with those timings in mind. Remember to leave some free time to get to and from different locations, plus some additional time in the day to get out and explore Winchester. It's just a 10-15 minute walk down to the city.

Bring a friend or family member 

While the idea of moving away from home might be right for you, it might be a worry for your family, so please do bring your parents or other family members with you so they can have a look around too. Not only does it give them the chance to see where you might be living and studying for the next three years, but also helps reassure them that you are making the right choice. This is also a great opportunity for them to ask their questions to the different teams that are present at the open day too.

Make sure you go on an accommodation tour so that you and your guests have a good insight into what living in University of Winchester housing is like, from what size the rooms are to how close the apartments are to the city centre.

Talk to our students

It’s always a great idea to talk to our current students. Not only are they the best people to share their own lived experience, but they also have great tips on how to get the most out of your time at Winchester.

Try and talk to someone who is studying on the course you’re looking to apply for, as they can answer those detailed questions about the course, classes and student life. Remember that no question is a stupid question and our student ambassadors will have a go at answering any queries you have.

Visit the city

If you come to study an undergraduate course with us, you'll be living here for three, maybe even four years, so make sure that you have a wander into town. Winchester is such a beautiful, manageable-sized city and is really close to the campus. It is packed full of independent stores, quirky pubs and coffee shops. Have a look at our A to Z guide to all things Winchester city. 

At our open days, we operate shuttle buses which run you to and from the sports facilities at Bar End, which is on the other side of town. There you'll find our sports stadium with an eight-lane athletics track, an all-weather sports pitch and Winchester Sport and Leisure Park next door. Take a look at some of the incredible facilities here

To find out about upcoming open days and to book your place, visit our open days page. We hope to welcome you here soon!

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