Virtual vs On Campus Open Days

You know you want to attend an open day (good choice!) but you have two options – virtually or on campus. Making the excursion to the university itself might be a travel dilemma and virtual events are stereotyped as boring. What do you do?

To help you make a more informed decision, I spoke with two students who attended the open days, about their experiences online vs real life.

Virtual open days:

Why?

Sophie* is from France and is doing her master’s in Nutrition and Health. She decided to attend the Virtual Open Day as it made it logistically easier, in terms of saving money for travelling to Wageningen, and it fit her schedule better. At the time, she has also made a final decision on her study choice and did not want to explore any other options.

How?

Before the Virtual Open Day, you can sign yourself up online via the university’s website and keep an eye on WUR’s social media. After signing up you will receive all the details and links regarding the virtual event by email.

Sophie signed up for a virtual presentation that lasted about an hour online. Here, all the basic information was given regarding the university and a general overview of the specific study choice. A student already doing het master’s in Nutrition and Health also shared a bit about her experience regarding the study and her specialisation choice. Afterwards, Sophie said that she also spoke to the current student by chatting through the chatbox with her.

Satisfied?

Sophie claims that she enjoyed the Virtual Open Day because it was so efficient and to the point. She got all the information she needed for planning her study, and also had her questions were answered well and quickly. She liked the fact that there was also a student online who was available to talk about their own experience. This made the experience feel more ‘real’.

Advantages of joining the Virtual Open Day:

• Easily accessible for everyone: no matter where you are (as long as your Wi-Fi connection is reliable, that is).
• Time efficient: you get an ‘in-person’ version of the overview of the university and your study of choice.
• Practical: as it does not require a lot of time, and your questions get answered live by a student or study coordinator as fast as possible.
• If you live in another country, you can already get an idea of Wageningen University and your study choice, without having to travel to the Netherlands (although a little holiday getaway doesn’t hurt the soul).

Disadvantages of a Virtual Open Day:

• You do not get the full impression of the university and the city of Wageningen.
• You only hear a one-sided experience.
• The possibility to look at other options at the university is less spontaneous.
• You do not experience the vibe and feel of the university, the students and the lecturers.

Tips for preparing for the Virtual Open Day:

If you decided that attending a Virtual Open Day is the best option for you, be sure to prepare well so you can get the most out of the virtual event. Here are some tips to prepare:

Before the open day

• Mark the date and time of the Virtual Open Day in your calendar

Be sure that you know exactly when the presentations that you signed up for take place and how much tie is in between the presentations. You should get reminder mails before each round to make it easier, but set yourself a reminder so you don’t forget anyway! (Especially if you are in a different time zone than the Netherlands).

• Think about what your goals are for joining the presentation

Do you want to know more about the university itself? Do you want to get more information about a specific specialisation in the study programme? Or do you just want to get a general idea of what the study is about? Write down some questions according to what you want to learn from the open day. Be sure to leave some space open to add notes during the open day itself or make use of a digital note application.

• Prepare your tech, obviously

Be sure that you have a quiet space with a stable internet connection where you can join the virtual platform and presentations. Check that your microphone is working properly so you can also ask questions in real time.

During the open day 

• Turn off all your notifications during the presentations and put your phone away if you are joining from your laptop/ computer. This helps you to not get distracted and miss important information.
• Join the virtual platform 10-15 minutes earlier as it will give you some time to resolve any last-minute tech issues you may still have on the day itself. It also helps with getting familiarised with the platform and watch some nice videos available.
• Participate actively and make notes during the presentation so you can refer back to it after the Virtual Open Day. Usually, the virtual presentations are recorded, but it will help you remember the topic you would like to still ask about or watch back.
• Don’t hesitate to ask questions. Ask questions during the presentations and write the answers underneath the according question that you have prepared. This way you can easily see what remaining questions you still have after the presentation.

On campus open days:

Why?

Ben* is from Belgium and is currently doing his bachelor’s in Animal Sciences. He also already knew that he would like to study this specific master’s, however, he wanted to get an overview of the University – and his family was also curious to know where he would be going!

How?

The same as for the virtual event, you register online for the Bachelor’s Open Day or the Master’s Open Day and you then receive all the information by email. You also get a schedule of the activities and talks throughout the day, so you can plan and sign up for those that you would like to join.

Ben attended a talk hosted specifically for international students covering the general overview of the university (institution fees, housing, books, etc.) and also a live presentation specifically for BSc Animal Sciences, giving an overview of the study, structure and related opportunities. There were a coordinator and a student present to answer questions at both these presentations.

Satisfied?

Ben really enjoyed talking to current students, they were very kind but also said that the speaker was very enthusiastic and he found it was really impressive.

Besides getting more information on the university and the different studies, Ben also decided to sign up to attend a tour through the buildings on campus and also the sports center, next to the campus. As you are then already in Wageningen, you can easily visit the city center and get an idea of the surroundings here/ make a drive past the student housing complexes offered by Idealis.

Advantages of on campus:

• You get the full picture and experience first-hand of the university and the city.
• You easily feel even more motivated to study in Wageningen as you have already spoken to some people – the new ‘student life’ may feel more tangible.
• Your family has a better impression of what you are going to do.
• It is easy to explore more of the options the WUR has to offer.
• There’s even more room for asking questions.

Disadvantages of on campus:

• Not flexible, as it is held on a specific and set date.
• Time-consuming, and may feel less to the point if you are already sure about your study choice and read up already about the university/ study.
• Inconvenient, as you have to travel to the campus itself and this can require a lot of time.

Tips for preparing for the open day on campus:

If you decide that the best option for you is to join physically an open day, prepare properly so you get the most out of the day.  Here are some additional tips:

Before the open day

• Plan your journey ahead. If you are travelling to campus from outside of the Netherlands, be sure check out what the best transportation option(s) might be for you. If you are travelling by public transport (train and bus), look up your journey before hand and opt for taking an earlier train so you have a bit more time for in case there is a delay.
• Check the locations and time schedule of the presentations you’ve signed up for. The open day presentations can be held in one or more of the three main education buildings (Forum, Orion, Aurora), meaning that you might have to move from one building to another in-between presentations. There will be WUR students on the day itself to help you find where you need to go, you will see them wearing a WUR t-shirt or jacket. But it will save you a lot of time and confusion if you already look up beforehand what the buildings look like and where you can find them on campus. Don’t worry, all the buildings are around 5-10 minutes walking distance from one another.
• Keep your schedule open for spontaneity that day. By having the time to spend at the open day, you can also go to presentations hat you didn’t plan on going to, have time to talk to current students, explore the campus and also take a look around Wageningen.
• Bring the essentials. Don’t forget to have your phone fully charged so you can refer back to the schedule and show the QR-code (which you will receive before the open day itself). You can buy food and snacks on campus from one of the cafeterias or the supermarket close by, but you can also opt for bringing your own food with you. Coffee and tea are provided for free on campus. Also bring a notebook and your prepared questions!

During the open day 

• Arrive 30-45 minutes before the first presentation you’ve signed up for. This allows you some time to find the correct building, get a feel for where you are and go into the first presentation feeling relaxed.
• Go by the Information Market, where different programmes and (external) partners have stands. Here you can get more information from other programmes than the ones you are focusing on. You might discover another programme that also interests you or confirms your current interests.
• Take some time to talk to current students. Usually after a presentation there will be current students to answer your questions. Don’t shy away from talking to them as they can give their own opinions and perspectives. They’re always happy to do some yapping!
• Explore the campus and the city center. Take your time to walk around campus and explore. This will give you a good idea of what it would be like to be a WUR student. 🙂 You can also take a 10 minute bus ride from campus to the city center. Wageningen has a very cosy center and if the open day is held on a Saturday, be sure to check out the food market next to the church or have a coffee in one of the small cafés. If you look carefully in the center, you will also notice a lot of student houses- will you live in one of them soon?
• Consider the whole picture. When attending the open day, think about what you like about the programmes, the university itself, the people and if you can see yourself studying at the WUR. There is also a lot of other ways that you can develop yourself during your student time like doing a board here, for example by joining a student challenge or practising a new sport.

Open days, the breakdown

As seen, you can’t go wrong with either of the two options when it comes to open days. Both have pros and cons, it’s just up to you what fits your schedule and what expectations you have. The online days are scheduled to the point to avoid a tedious sitting in front of the screen and promote interaction. On the other side, the on-campus open days are well scheduled and provide a lot of possibilities to engage with the university. Then again, we have met a lot of people who join both type of events!

Have you been to one of the open days or are you planning to attend one? Which option will you choose? Let us know in the comments!

*Fictitious names used.

 

Warm regards,

Lidewij x