You don’t have to wait until you’re almost finished with school to get great value from an open day. Getting more information about your educational options in the future is always a good idea, no matter what stage of your schooling journey you’re at.
Here are a couple of reasons why it’s never too early to check out a university open day.
Everyone’s welcome
University open days aren’t just for school-leavers and prospective students. Parents, family and friends often come along for support or with their own questions and interests to satisfy.
It’s a great idea to get familiar and comfortable with the university environment, even if you’re not sure whether university studies are right for you. There will be plenty of interesting things to see and tonnes of useful info on how you might plot your course through your final school years.
Decide if university is the right path for you
Even though you might have a couple of years still ahead of you in high school, you’ll still be expected to start making decisions about your future.
Maybe you’re keen to land an apprenticeship as soon as you can. Or maybe you’ve been thinking about a more academically inclined future. Either way, there’s a fair bit on your plate to organise to even begin pursuing the next steps in your life.
Checking out a university open day can be a great way to find out what kind of subjects interest you the most, and what a university has to offer. Better yet, you’ll be rubbing shoulders with many students who are just about ready to leave school, so you could also learn a thing or two about the university application process while you’re at it.
Narrow down your high school electives
The elective classes you choose in your final years of high school can have an impact on your future higher education, so it might be a good idea to look a little further down the track to help you decide.
Some university courses will require or recommend that you take certain classes in high school. Alternatively, you might find that an open day tour of a particular faculty awakens a keen interest that you never even knew you had!
Visit with your family and friends
If you’ve got an older sibling, cousin or friend who’s finishing up with high school, it might be worth your while to tag along to a university open day with them. This way you can be there to support them in making that big step in their life, while also learning a thing or two yourself.
And if university feels like the right thing for you, then you’ll get to see first-hand what it’s like to go through the admissions process and select the right university for you.
Open Day FAQs for Students
Plenty of different people come to open days! That includes parents, younger siblings and friends, so you definitely won’t be out of place.
If you have the time, you should definitely go to open days over a couple of years! After all, the open day tours and programs are usually different each year, and your academic interests might change too!
Open days are when universities host events, tours and special programs for prospective students to attend. Here’s more info on what to expect on university open days.
