As someone who first attended a Post Offer Visit Day (POVD) as a prospective Durham student, to now being in my final year working on the events each year as an ambassador, I believe that POVDs can be fundamental in helping you decide on whether Durham is the right choice for you. In this blog, I will tell you what to expect and how to make the most of your visit.
What does the day itself look like?
The POVD gives you the chance to explore both sides of university life: the academic and the social. You can visit as many of our 16 undergraduate colleges as you can fit in and get first hand experience of what living there could look like. As well as this, there are subject-specific taster sessions running throughout the day where you can speak to staff and current Durham students about the structure, content and opportunities within that particular discipline. Each subject may run their taster sessions slightly differently, but they will usually be led by an academic from that department and consist of running through any important course information as well as having a Q&A, where you can ask any burning questions! Each session tends to have a student ambassador present. Student ambassadors (dressed in purple) are current students on the course who usually speak a little bit about their own experiences at Durham in the session.
Top tips for the POVD
Speak to the student ambassadors.
The student ambassadors are not just placed within academic sessions on POVDs, they are also stood around the campus signposting and just generally waiting to be asked questions! They are more than happy to talk to you about their time at Durham, so ensure that you ask them loads of questions throughout the day. It can be really insightful to speak to somebody who is studying at Durham right now.
Have a plan beforehand.
Durham has 16 undergraduate colleges spread across the city and you probably won’t have time to see and enter them all in just one day. If you know exactly what type of college you are looking for i.e. catered, then go and visit as many colleges under that branch as possible. If you are a complete newbie when it comes to the collegiate system, then my personal recommendation would be to visit at least 1 Hill and 1 Bailey College. College information can be found on the Durham website. Look at what you might like in advance and then create a brief plan before the day.
Prepare and ask questions in the taster sessions.
The taster sessions are there for you to find out more about the course that you could end up studying. Use the knowledge and time to get as much clarity as you can about that subject, so that you can make the most informed decision about whether it is right for you.
Remember that the POVD is about you!
We are here to welcome you. We want you to get as much out of the day as possible, so remember that everyone is there to support you and there is no such thing as a silly question! We have probably heard them all before.
Check your emails before the day.
The team may send out emails with important information such as college guides and transport routes prior to the day, so keep an eye out.
Check travel arrangements regularly.
Taking the buses around campus will allow you to visit more of Durham in the one short day that you have. There are usually extra buses running on the day and ambassadors are helpfully placed around the bus stops, so feel free to ask for information on the routes and times.
Attend the general talks and information hub.
On the POVD there is usually an information hub which has representatives from each college and other departments within Durham such as representatives from the study abroad team or DU sports teams. If you don’t have time to visit a certain college, this also is a great place to go for any general questions. Equally, if you don’t know where to start on the day, then this could be a good place to decide what is worth visiting in person. There may be general talks regarding student life and administration processes taking place here too, so check your POVD guide and try to attend anything that may be relevant.
Take notes and photos.
POVDs can be overwhelming and you will certainly hear a lot of information that is impossible to take in during the day. Taking notes and photos can help you when it comes to making your final decision.
Follow up on any questions!
The University is always just an email away. If you forget or don’t have time to ask anything, then make sure you contact us after the event. Even when the POVD is over, Durham will always be here to help. https://www.dur.ac.uk/study/ask-us/
Discover more
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