How to know if a university is right for you

Check upcoming open days and book your place

Choosing which university to go to can be a difficult decision. It seems as though the whole direction of your future is decided by which part of the country you choose to live in and the course you’re studying. Luckily, there are lots of things to help you make the choice, including university open days.

Want to know what uni open days are coming up and book your place? Check out our Open Day Hub!

If you're going to an open day, here are five top tips to help you know for sure which university is right for you...

Talk to other students

When you talk to the lecturers and the people working for each university, their outlook can be somewhat biased. But students will be able to give a student’s perspective on life at the uni. During university open days and interview days, there’s usually students wandering around campus, and you shouldn’t be scared to ask them questions.

Check out the resources

Have a look at the facilities the universities have to offer, and certainly look at the ones you are more likely to use. Take a gander at the library, or the labs if you’re going to be studying science, or the sports facilities if you’re studying sports. Because believe it or not, you might not be climbing up and down the rock wall on a daily basis.

Take notes and compare

Writing down the key features of each university and ranking these in order of preference provides you with a simple guide to what you do and don’t like about each place. This will come in handy after you’ve looked at all your choices, as it can be tough to remember which uni had what facilities and things like that.

Check out the accommodation

It’s so important to look at the accommodation, as this will be where you’re living while at university. Seeing what the people living there have to say about is massive, as many people arrive and decide to move instantly as it’s not quite what they expected.

Walk around the local area

Many would argue that the course is the main factor in your university life, but I would completely disagree with this. Finding the right atmosphere is a huge decision in my eyes, and something that cannot be changed over time. Finding a place you want to stay is such a fantastic feeling, and the people you meet there will more than likely share many of your interests.

These simple factors are what really helped me decide which university was the one. Sharing interests with the people on your course and feeling comfortable where you live is so incredibly complimentary to where you want to study, and these factors should not be overlooked.