March 7, 2017, by Ali Morris

How to make the most of visiting a university

From my own experience, visiting my prospective universities was a huge factor in my decision making process. Whether through a UCAS visit day, an open day run by the University, or simply a day trip to the university’s city, taking a tour of the university and surrounding area is one of my top recommendations to prospective students.

I’ve compiled a list of three things you should definitely keep in mind when visiting the University of Nottingham:

1. Listen to your instinct

I remember being told that I’d “just know” when I’d found the right university. Whilst being wary of this statement at first, it actually proved to be very useful. I don’t think you should judge any university solely on the first few minutes you spend there (its position in league tables, its rating for graduate employment, and the facilities available to you are all extremely important factors to consider when choosing a university), however I found that with all of the universities I visited I definitely felt a gut feeling about whether I would feel at home there. Can you see yourself living here? Does the city feed your interests? Are the people friendly? Is it too busy, or too quiet?

2. Do your research

Do some research about the university, its locations, and timetable for the day before arriving. Simple things like where to park could catch you by surprise, and from my experience you want to be as relaxed on the day as possible! Finding somewhere nice to eat lunch and chat with my family about the day really helped me to relax and process everything.

3. Visit your chosen Department

Make sure to visit where you will be studying – universities are usually big, so it’s easy to wander around all the amazing facilities without actually seeing where you’ll be spending most of your time. Chat to the people who are already studying there and ask about their experience- what are the professors like? What about the workload? Did they make friends quickly? You’ll most likely be given lots of information during your visit, but asking real-life people about their real-life experiences is probably the best way to see if you think you’ll enjoy life at the University of Nottingham.

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