Attending an Open Day, Taster Day or Summer School at a university is a great idea because:

 

• You get to making up your own mind if you like what you see by experiencing it first hand!

• If it’s a good experience, you can write about it in your UCAS Personal Statement to show off your extra knowledge and enthusiasm.

• You get to visit a university campus and check out their facilities.

 

What is an 'Open Day'? - you visit the university campus, check out all the facilities, ask questions about courses and meet staff and students to find out valuable details. You can also figure out how you feel there, would you be happy if this was your university?

 

What is a 'Taster Day'? - you visit a university campus for either a lecture or some workshops/lab sessions where you get to experience real university teaching in your area of interest. Go to more than one to compare different subjects.

 

What is a Summer School? - you visit for longer than one day and may get to stay overnight stays in university accommodation. You would do a summer school between your first and second year of Level 3 (between AS and A2 for A level students). Lots of activities around academic subjects, social events and getting to know uni life.

 

Some Summer Schools will have entry requirements, such as having certain grades at GCSE. Taster Days will not have any entry requirements.

All Taster Days and Open Days should be free, and most Summer Schools. If there is a fee for a Summer School, you can usually get financial support.

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Other events... there's even more available, check out universities' websites for all kinds of different and unique opportunities. How about shadowing a university student for the day? Take part in a competition, social event or networking event.. Research using the methods below, or come to speak to a Careers Adviser about your options and ideas.

 

How do I find a good open day/taster day/summer school?

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These websites collect together calendar information about events: 

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www.mystudentevents.com

www.opendays.com

www.universitytasterdays.com

https://london.ac.uk/ways-study/study-campus-london/university-taster-courses

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A good tip for SUMMER SCHOOLS especially...

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Know the uni you are interested in? You can also find information on each university's website.

Here are some tips:

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Type ‘Taster Day’ or ‘Summer School’ into the search box on the homepage of their website. If you can’t find it this way, you may have to browse the website as every university will have the information laid out differently. Try finding:

 

• An ‘Events’ ‘Visit Us’ or ‘What’s on?’ page

• Look under ‘courses’ or ‘prospective students’

• The ‘Department’ pages eg: The Law Department page on the university website may list it’s own events.

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Spotlight on...

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Shadow a student at UCL: CLICK HERE

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"The Student Shadowing Scheme is an exciting opportunity for students to come into UCL and experience what life is really like as an undergraduate student.

 Students who attend will:

• Accompany a current undergraduate student to a lecture (and maybe a seminar/tutorial too) in a subject area that they are interested in

• Be taken on a tour of the UCL campus

• Be able to chat with a current student about life at university

• Receive information about well-being and/or financial support available while studying at UCL

 

The shadowing day is free. Lunch will be provided and travel costs will be covered if required. 

Shadowing days are scheduled for a weekday during the 22nd October and 14th December. Timings can vary depending on the subject you wish to shadow and the availability of our support staff, but generally, shadowing days run from 10-2pm or 11-3pm. If successful in your application, we will liaise with you and our undergraduate students to find a suitable day for you to visit."