How my Applicant Day made me confident in my university choice

So, you've submitted your applications and received responses, perhaps you've narrowed down your options (or maybe you're still undecided – that's fine, it took me ages to make a decision too!). Now, you are after more information and insights about your prospective course - an Applicant Day is exactly what you need!

An Applicant Day – how is this different to an Open Day?

Firstly, an Applicant Day is where you are invited to join the university for a ‘tailored to you’ experience day where you can get to know your prospective lecturers and some current students on the course. The Applicant Days here at Beckett are a great reflection of how you would actually be learning as a student here. You start off in a larger lecture setting for an introduction to the content and to cover the theory, then move into smaller classroom settings for activities, workshops, debates, and further study. This hands-on approach allows for a deeper understanding of the topics covered in the lecture.

Don’t worry; we aren’t going to throw a bunch of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory at you on the applicant day, we will just introduce the course to you in a more in-depth way – but you get the idea.

So, what happens at the Applicant Day?

The Applicant Day is aimed at getting you familiar with potential lecturers and giving you a taste of some of the content. On my applicant day, we did a parents vs students activity to create an event concept which was great fun and as you can imagine was quite competitive against parents – they got right into it! During this activity was actually where I met my now best friend of four years, we sat together and got chatting and then I saw her on the first day at Beckett again and the rest is history! I would recommend if you do sit next to someone and get along with them to get their contact details like Instagram or their number so that you guys can meet back up on the first day or during freshers week – it helps!

Something that I really benefitted from at the Applicant Day was having the chance to talk to actual students on the course – they will be in the activities with you and around the lecturers all day to give their honest opinions about the content, teaching styles, assessment types and university life itself. I got chatting to one of the girls in second year at the time on my Applicant Day and ended up seeing her on campus a lot once I’d joined and actually met up & spoke with her on various occasions during my first year.

What did you think of Beckett on your Applicant Day?

I remember walking onto Headingley campus and just falling in love with it and getting an overwhelming feeling of ‘yeah, this is where I want to be’. As cliché as that sort of sounds, I did really click with the campus and university and haven’t really looked back since. The facilities on both campuses impressed me a lot and I really liked that we had two very different campuses – a city based and more on site campus one - so you can go and vibe with whichever you prefer. Your classes and learning will be based at one or the other, but as a Beckett student you can access either campus whenever you like.

Lastly, what was it that made the decision for you?

For me, the campus atmosphere at Headingley and the academic content were the main factors I considered when choosing a university. The thoroughness of the course content gave me confidence that I'd cover everything I needed during my time at university. Experiencing a taste of student life during the Applicant Day solidified my choice for Beckett.

Ultimately, I always recommend taking every opportunity available—attend Open Days, Applicant Days, or simply visit Leeds for a day out with friends. There's something for everyone, and getting a genuine feel for a place is invaluable.

Wherever you end up, work hard and play hard, and you’ll have immense fun!