Why I attended
Having studied at Durham for my undergraduate and considering sticking around for an MA, I thought it would be useful to have a chat wiith some previous students and lecturers at some open days to find out more about it.
When I had originally applied to come to Durham before my undergraduate, these open days had been a big deciding factor in choosing to apply to my specific department (Music). I hoped that attending again would allow me to have some helpful face-to-face interaction to help make my mind up.
What I got out of it
Attending postgraduate open days was a really helpful opportunity to hear more casually, from students and staff, about what doing an MA at Durham could offer me in terms of experience and opportunity afterwards.
It was reassuring to hear some anecdotal information on what other students explored in their research and talk through what I could do to expand my horizons with my interests whilst at Durham. I felt much more comfortable knowing the course structure, as well as the staff members who were points of contact when it came to my admissions process.
Helping others
As I found mine so engaging as a prospective student, working the postgraduate open days has been such a joy to then speak to people who were in my position not too long ago. Speaking to people who had similar niches of interest and discussing further what their degree or extra-curricular experiences could look like for them as a student.
I have been able to take part in smaller scale and more specific discussions with students as part of tours and drop ins, where I have enjoyed welcoming prospective postgraduate students to Durham, and equally have had a blast presenting at larger and broader Q and A sessions online and in person! Showing people around departments and the campus is always a highlight, and having the opportunity to chat over respective research interests is also something that I think postgraduate open days can be good for.
Having the space to talk through your ideas with current students and staff who are enthusiastic and excited for prospective students to get stuck into the next stage of their academic career is always a joy!
My advice
For Durham open days it is also always advisable to dress for a lot of walking (and a lot of walking up hills!).
If you are considering living in college accommodation, it may be a bit of a walk from your department to where you are planning on looking around – for instance, my college (Josephine Butler) and department (Music) are around a 25-minute uphill walk, depending which direction you’re going!
Getting a sense of what the college system can offer you uniquely as a postgraduate, besides somewhere to live, is a key aspect of studying at Durham.
If you are coming along to a postgraduate open day, I would recommend checking out colleges, your department, as well as some of the wider information talks. Q and As are an excellent chance to have some of your queries cleared up- particularly when it comes to finance, funding and scholarships which is an aspect of applying for postgraduate study that can feel unclear to start off which.
I would recommend not holding back on asking those nitty gritty questions and following it up if need be to find out where you stand with money and logistics for getting yourself set up.
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