More than an open day: why offer-holder visit days matter

What is an offer-holder visit day?

You may be wondering, is there any point in going to an offer day if you already attended an open day? I argue it can be very important to attend as Offer-Holder Days offer a few key differences that could be the deciding factor on whether you choose a University as a firm or insurance choice! Whilst Open Days can be very informative when trying to decide which University you want to attend, they do not go into the depth and detail of your chosen course and associated College like an Offer-Holder Day can. For those of you who hold an offer, you can spend a whole day solely focused on your course of study, attending mock lectures, finding out what careers support there is available specifically for you and get a chance to speak with and network with lecturers and current students on your course!

What takes place during the day?

Mock Lectures and Programme Talk:

During the day you get the opportunity to sit in on a programme talk and a mock lecture. During my offer visit day, I was able to hear about my course of study, how I am able to gain exemptions for my accountancy exams with the course and exactly how many, as well as which optional module pathways were open for me. I was also able to experience what a real lecture would be like, learning about the impact of exchange traded emissions within businesses and how to account for them. This truly gave me a feel for the learning environment and the type of content taught at the Birmingham Business School that helped to solidify my choice to study there.

Careers Panel:

You will also get the chance to hear from our dedicated careers team on the opportunities and support available to you during your time at the University of Birmingham. I heard about the chance to study abroad at our Dubai campus for my course as well as the range of support careers could offer me specifically! With the Birmingham Business School having their own careers team who were there on the day, I was able to ask them questions directly related to my career path in accountancy and was given specialised guidance on how the service offered would get me there. Gaining this insight into my own career and not just a general overview allowed me to feel more confident in the path I had chosen to take for after University.

Networking:

During and in-between these talks, you will be given the chance to speak directly with current students who can offer incredible insight into their own experiences of campus, accommodation, academic support and the course workload. For me personally, this was the most important part of the day! I remember asking a core lecturer of my course what they recommended I should bring to university to make notes: a laptop or a tablet? Whilst some may have considered this a silly question, the lecturer gave me useful information on which tool would be better for accountancy. I also enjoyed the opportunity to speak to current students on the course to understand how they have found the course, what they enjoyed about it and what it was they were studying at the moment. These more personalised questions gave me the knowledge I needed to feel secure in choosing University of Birmingham as my firm choice.

Overall, all these things will provide you with a deeper understanding and view of your future course at the University of Birmingham, and hopefully, will solidify your decision in choosing not just the course but the University as well!