As Freshers' Week gets under way at the University of Chester, plans are already being formed for the next cohort of students who might be making their way to the city in 2016.
The university will be opening its doors to the public this month for a series of open days starting at its Warrington and Shrewsbury campuses this weekend.
University staff and student volunteers will be on-hand to demonstrate how higher education can enable prospective students to achieve their potential and will be able to answer any questions relating to programmes of study and university life in general.
Prospective students can look around the various campuses and even take part in taster lectures and guidance sessions, have one-to-one chats with academic staff and explore the facilities and student accommodation the university has to offer.
It all starts this Saturday (October 3) when the university will have its Warrington campus open for visitors, as well as the new University Centre Shrewsbury – a higher education institution which has been developed by the university in collaboration with Shropshire Council.
One week later, on October 10 and 17, prospective students will be able to visit all of the university’s sites in Chester including the Parkgate Road campus, the Kingsway Buildings, the Riverside Campus (October 10 - Faculty of Education and Children’s Services only and October 17 - Faculty of Health and Social Care only), the new business school at the Queen’s Park campus as well as the Thornton Science and Technology Park, home to the university’s Faculty of Science and Engineering which accepted its first intake of students last year.
Events manager Adam Bodger said: “Attending an open day is a useful starting point for prospective students to research their options. They will be able to take part in taster sessions, have one-to-one chats with academic staff and take the opportunity to explore the academic facilities and student accommodation.
“They can also find out more about the support available to help them during their degree, which can make a real difference to their careers.
“This is the opportunity to view what the University of Chester has to offer them, explore the ‘Chester difference’ and discover how we can help them achieve their full potential. They can find out for themselves what it would really be like to live and study here – it’s an ideal way of seeing whether Chester is right for them.”
According to the National Student Survey (NSS), the results of which were published in August, the university was placed third in the region with an overall score of 88% satisfaction - 2% above the national average.
Chester Students’ Union held its place at the top of the region for the third year running, with an incredible 11% above the sector average.
Academic support at the university was rated joint second in the North West with the categories of teaching on my course and Overall satisfaction rated third.
For more information about the university’s open days visit: http://you.chester.ac.uk/opendays.
