summer of fun....damental uni visits

Summer is well underway – we’ve broken into August now. You’ve had a heatwave (or six), you’ve had a long time to relax with the long academic year behind you now. Now’s the time to wipe the Mr. Whippy from your mouth and get yourself back into gear.
 
With not much more than a month left before schools and colleges start up again, you’re running out of time to make the most of your remaining freedom.
 
Take it from us: if you’re thinking of heading to uni, the best investment of your time is  to visit as many as you can in the upcoming weeks. These can be local unis if that’s the area you want to stay in, or they can be further afield. 

​Grab some friends, take the train, make a day of it. That way you’re enjoying your summer with a little productivity thrown in there, too. Score!
 
Whatever you do, don’t sit around at home and think that a rummage around a uni’s website is a good enough. Don’t even consider spending the next 3+ years of your life at a place you haven’t spent more than 3 hours exploring. It’s common sense, right?
 
No two universities are the same, because no two courses are the same, no two teaching methods are the same, no two towns or cities are the same, no two environments/atmospheres/extracurricular offerings… etc. etc.
 
You get the drift.
 
Don’t be caught out thinking that reading a university’s prospectus is enough. Remember that it’s a marketing tool – they’ll never show the uni looking rubbish and grey on a rainy day, and they’ll never show miserable students clogging up the hallways.
 
The only way you can get a true feel for a university is to visit, and don’t think you’re restricted to planned open days. These are useful for tours and to meet course leaders, but the best time to visit a uni is on a regular day, when more students will be around for you to talk to.
 
This is the time where you can get the best feel for the atmosphere, not the one they’ve Photoshopped for the prospectus.
 
Want some more insider info on checking out different unis? Push speaker Lucy talks about what she wishes she’d known before applying. Surprise, surprise – actually scoping out her uni before applying is right up there.