Making the most of UCAS Fairs and Open Days Presentation Plan [20 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Making the most of UCAS Fairs and Open Days – Presentation Plan [20 min] Supporting Gatsby Benchmark 7 Aims and Outcomes: Short-term outcomes:  Learners will understand the purpose of UCAS Fairs and Progression Days.  Learners will understand what they will need to consider and prepare before attending these events. Medium-term outcomes:  Learners should feel well prepared and understand how to make the most of attending a UCAS Fair or Progression Day.  Learners will identify the questions/subjects/University’s they would like to learn more about at these fairs. Sequence of Presentation In Intro troduc uctio ion Introduction to Hello Future and staff. Aims ims an and  Learners will understand the purpose of UCAS Fairs and Progression Days.  Obje jectiv ives Learners will understand what they will need to consider and prepare before attending these events. Gue uessing ing Ask learners – ‘How many undergraduat e courses are there in the UK?. You may wish to hand out a prize to the closest guess Game ame The correct answer is 50,000. This will give you an idea of the learners knowledge and scope of Higher Education. Use this as an opportunity to emphasise the important in narrowing these courses down. This links to the importance of UCAS Fairs and Open Days as a chance to do this research. What at is a is a  Highlighting that there will be exhibitions or stands from a range of HE Providers and Employers.  UCAS UCAS or r HE Emphasising that this is an opportunity for people who are both sure and unsure about their next steps.  Encourage students to be prepared to talk. The representatives at the event want to talk to them. Fai air? You ou have have the the Tell learners that the primary reason universities attend these events is to talk to the students! Talk through how the learner has all of the power that day, they can seize this power by:  powe ower o Being prepared and organised before the event. o Asking plenty of questions which will help you narrow down your options. o Being open to consider other options.

o Talking to people in this environment is an important skill you can develop for the future, push yourself to get more out of the day than advertised. How ow to to  Listing what things they might want to consider before the day: course interests, questions, research. prepa repare re  Now is a chance to show relevant websites and sign- up pages. Depending on what event the presentation is in reference to.  Facilitator is encouraged to include timetables if this information is provided about the event. Asking king  The types of questions the learners could ask with examples: que uesti tions ons o The course o Interviews o Accommodation o Student Facilities o The Future  Each topic above has a number of example questions. Highlight a couple of examples that were relevant to you when you were deciding on a university. This or That Activity Use ‘this or that’ game on some of the questions; this will help highlight how everyone in the room will have different preferences. Would you rather:  Go to a Campus University or Live in the City?  Live in en-suite accommodation or shared bathroom with cheaper rent?  Interview as part of the application process or based on your personal statement alone?  Study abroad or take part in a placement near to your university  Two slides of example questions within the categories above. To Top tip ips and and List Top tips – including what they might want to bring along to the event. tr tric icks ks  Backpac Back ack – bear in mind these events often come with a lot of freebies, therefore, come prepared with space in your bag! (presenter might want to share their favourite freebie they have got at one of these events!)  Pr Prospectu tus – know that you don’t have to collect them all! Notebo tebook – be prepared with a list of questions and also to take notes from any conversations you’ve had. Remembe r that you  can only find out so much online and this is an opportunity to have a face to face conversation with a university or apprenticeship provider representative.  Mobile le – so you can take pictures of any banners or follow any social media accounts.  Full ll li list o t of e exh xhibitors – plan your visit based on who you would like to speak to. Event G Eve t Guide – Locate the stands you want to visit.  Comfo mfortab table le cloth lothing an g and sho shoes – as you will most likely be on your feet all day! 

Don’t be afraid to share your email if you would like to find out more.  Remind students how important it is to ask questions. Also mention it’s important to gather open day dates which will lead on to  the next slide. What at is a is an n What is an open day and what do they involve? o An open day is the opportunity for learners to visit a university campus they are interested in. Open Da n Day? y? o How did open days affect your decision while considering universities? o Talk about personal experiences with examples of talks and tours you attended Whe hen n do the they y  Explain that Russel group universities can have open days very early, almost as soon as school starts back in September.  ta take ke plac ace? Point out the Oxbridge deadline for applications are around October 15th [this will need changed each academic year, depending on the updated deadline] so if you are applying to one of those you need to apply to all five choices by then and so need to make use of early open days – for year 13.  The deadline for the majority of other courses will be January 15 th  Year 12 students can attend September open days if they wish. What’s on offer Talk through what universities offer at open days:  at at an an Open Subje ject tal t talks - chance to see where you will be taught and the facilities  Un Unive versity ty li life tal talks – can be delivered by recent graduates who attended the university Day? Day  Finan ance tal talks – usually aligned with student finance, some universities bring in staff from student finance.  UCA UCAS tal talks – tips on the application process  Tours o of c camp ampus an and c city ty – run throughout the day, great way to get a feel of where you may end up studying.  Tour o of ac accommo mmodatio ation – run throughout the day, great way to get a feel for where you may live. This could be an important part of your decision  Chance to to sp speak ak to to c current t studen tudents ts, they will be able to share their experiences so far  Studen tudent s t servi vices – able to ask questions about what the universities offer students in the way of support throughout their time there. Pl Planning anning your your  Use the questions on the slides. Go through each question and use multiple examples to give the audience an idea of the amount of options. For example, 'How will you get there?' By car, train or bus? day ay  Encourage learners to use the downloadable programme and check your emails to see if the university has sent information on the day, along with their own day planner. Addit itional onal  Each question includes things the audience may have to, or are already are, thinking about. Try to get as much audience participation as possible on this slide. thing things to to  Ask teachers: what was important to them when they were deciding on which university to go to. What questions did they ask? cons onsid ider How ow do I I  Remind learners to pick their top five for UCAS.  Learners can do all of the research in the world, but until you actually see the place or understand the course you will never choose oose? really know how you feel about them  Gut t insti tinct – going on an open day gives you a feel for a place and sometime a place or course just click and feels right. Equally the opposite can happen, and a place or course can feel all wrong.

The f fac aciliti lities – if you are looking into a particularly practical course this can be critical to getting the most from your degree i.e. if you are going to do ART you want modern workshops and plenty studio space.  Pla Place – where is it in the country, how long does it take to get there, how expensive is it to come home?  Grad aduate ate prospects ts – how easy is it to get a job afterwards, what do graduate go on to do?  Tal alk to to o othe thers – ask friends and family or teachers their opinions and see what they think. Clos ose Finish with links to social media to advertise future opportunities.