The College of Life and Environmental Sciences consists of the following Schools, all of which run their Applicant Visit Days or Interview Days in slightly different ways. This page gives you a flavour of how Applicant Visit Days and Interviews are run across the College.
School of Biosciences
School of Psychology
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
School of Sport and Exercise Sciences
After you have been offered a place on a programme in one of these Schools, you will be contacted by email and/or letter with details regarding our Applicant Visit Days. Please note that for Single Honours Geology you will be invited to an interview day instead.
For further information on the exact details for each school, please contact them directly, but all Applicant Visit Days will give you an opportunity to find out more about the course you have applied for, meet current students and staff, and help you decide if Birmingham is the right University for you. Please note that if you are invited to attend an Applicant Visit Day or an Interview Day, you will be given information regarding the dates and the programme for the day well in advance.
1. Who should attend an Applicant Visit Day?
Attendance at Applicant Visit Days and Interview Days are by invitation only. Applicant Visit Days are for applicants who hold an offer for one of our programmes and Interview Days are for people to whom we would like to consider making an offer.
For courses that do not interview, the decision regarding offer of places will be made solely on your UCAS application. If you are offered a place you will be invited to attend an Applicant Visit Day.
For courses that do interview, decisions regarding who to invite to interviews are made after an assessment of your UCAS application. This means that most applicants invited to an interview will have passed some form of pre-selection; an interviewing gives you a further chance to demonstrate your abilities, interests and commitment. Successful applicants will receive an offer following their interview.
Parents, carers and guardians of the applicant are welcome to attend applicant visit days, although places are limited.
2. When will I be invited?
Applicant Visit Days and Interview Days are held at various points between November and April, dependent on the number of applications and the point at which they are received. You will be offered a choice of dates, however dates do fill up quickly and so to avoid disappointment we advise that you book for your preferred date as soon as possible.
3. What happens at an Applicant Visit Day/Interview Day in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences?
Each Applicant Visit Day or Interview Day within the College of Life and Environmental Sciences is run slightly differently, as they are tailored to each particular School. However, they will all consist of the following common elements:
- A welcome from the Admissions Tutor or Senior Academic in the School
- A chance to meet current students in the School
- A chance to meet fellow applicants
- Tour of the School
- Tour of the campus, including the Halls of Residence
In addition to the activities above, some Schools will organise some other activities such practical experiments/sessions, talks given by current students and taster lectures. These activities are designed to give you an insight into what studying at Birmingham is really like. If you are attending an Interview Day, there will also be a time dedicated for your interview as well.
To learn more about the Applicant Visit Day programme in a particular School, please contact the School directly or visit your Birmingham VIP page once you have been made an offer to download a programme.
4. Do I need to prepare anything?
If you are attending an Applicant Visit Day it is unlikely that you will be requested to prepare anything in advance. However, it is advisable to do your research beforehand so you are prepared with any questions you would like to ask of the academic staff or current students. Of course, the Applicant Visit Day won’t be the only opportunity that you’ll have to ask questions, but it will be the best opportunity to meet with people from the School face-to-face.
If you are attending an Interview Day, you will be notified of anything you need to prepare in advance.
5. How do I book to attend?
Applicants will be invited to attend an Applicant Visit Day or an Interview Day. Details of the day, with instructions on how to register will be provided on your invitation letter/email. Some schools will send invitations by post and others via email. If you haven’t received an invitation email, please check your spam folder and add us to your safe senders list.
6. Further information
For further information please visit the University’s Applicant Visit Day pages, which includes information of travel and accommodation.
If you have any specific questions relating to the School, please visit the appropriate web-page (listed above) where you can find the relevant contact details.