Offer Holder Days – worth it?

Offer holder days – are they worth it? You have had chances to visit on open days to universities up and down the country. If you’re reading this blog the chances are that you’ve visited Warwick or another university that you might see as similar. So what’s so good or different about an offer-holder day that isn’t just what you experience on an open day? Firstly, the groups of attendees are a lot smaller. Often, students travel without families in tow, or fewer people attending with them which really gives you the opportunity to get to know your possibly coursemates better. You’ll also find that the departments aren’t nearly as swarmed on open days and nor are the general campus areas with more prospective students looking at one of the may degrees here at Warwick. Narrowing down to 5 or 6 subjects per day really gives a better feel as to what university feels like (at least in my experience so far it has), and you can start to feel a little more like a part of the university than just a visitor. I also found that the department specific sessions gave a much better taste of what university would be like in that degree – from taster sessions to more conversations with academics and current students, it began to reveal more of what student life would be like during the time that was rapidly approaching. Whilst this may happen on an open day, I found offer-holder days to be much more tailored towards the student attending – which I much preferred. The general talks given for all degrees in the mornings at the offer-holder days here at Warwick will also differ slightly in comparison to open days, although the information will vary year-on-year. Being able to listen to that information in context, knowing more about what to expect when you come to uni (or maybe even learning a few new things) can really help swing your decision one way or another if you’re struggling to choose. Finally, offer-holder days can give you a better feel for the university. If you attended an open day, chances are you also attended a few different ones which can quickly get muddled up under the stress of applying to university. Before making your insurance and firm choices, being able to refresh (or even find out) what each university feels like can be another key way to make a choice that is better for you come September. If you’re looking for tips on how to make the most of your offer-holder day, I wrote a blog post this time last year giving some of my own ideas: https://studentblogs.warwick.ac.uk/gsd1/entry/making_the_most/ I hope that you enjoy your offer-holder day, if you’re attending one! If you haven’t made up your mind yet whether to – I would highly recommend visiting, if just to see it one more time before your final decision.