9 tips for making your Open Day a successful one

Plan, Plan, Plan. Planning your day is a must. There is a lot going on during an open day so you need to work out the most important bits to you and schedule them in.

Get prepared. Make sure you bring your plan with you and are in comfortable shoes as there will be quite a bit of walking. Also, bring some food and drink to eat as you go if your day is a full one and that should keep your energy levels up.

Get there early. The open days can get quite busy so getting there early ensures you can park and register before the crowds. It also means you have time to find where your first activity is.

Ask every question you have. Ask anyone working at the open day and they will either answer you or find someone who can. I know it’s an old saying but no question is a silly question. If it is bothering you, and you want to know the answer then ask about it and Staffs will get you your answer.

Take and accommodation tour. Obviously, it is up to you which talks and tours you go on but if you are going to be living on campus then I can’t stress enough how important it is you go and take a look at where you will be living. Take some pictures to remind yourself if you want but not only will it mean you have a little bit of an idea what you are going into (which can help with moving in nerves), but it also helped me when buying stuff for my room to remember what it looked like and the space I had.

Talk to the student ambassadors. Even if you don’t have a question, talk to the student ambassadors about their experiences. They have been through all the things you will be going through and they have a great deal of experience and advice which could help you in many different ways. They can also tell you about some opportunities they have got from Staffs which you might not have thought of.

Take someone with you. Whether it’s a parent or a sibling or a friend or partner, take someone else along because there is a lot of information thrown your way during an open day and inevitably you will forget something or miss it completely and the other person might pick it up instead.

Go into it with an open mind. Chances are you are looking at more than one university but go into each open day with an open mind. Don’t always compare it to other on the open days and try not to go in with preconceptions, just see what you see and think about that university in its own right, not as a comparison.

Get the feel of Staffs. From the first moment of the first open day I attended at staffs, I felt like it was a very friendly place and it has remained friendly ever since. On the open day enjoy and embrace the friendly and welcoming community we have and remember that feeling.