Firstly, don’t panic! You’ve probably just had some of the most stressful days of your life. I know exactly how you feel because that was me last year. You’ve done the difficult bit; getting offers through Clearing and now you’re coming to have a look round Bournemouth Uni to see if you can see yourself here, or maybe you’ve already accepted your offer and are coming to see where your next few years will be spent.

The most important thing is to keep an open mind. University is what you make of it – if you put a lot in, you’ll get a lot out. Remember to bring a little notebook and a camera/phone to the open day so you can note down any important details that you need to remember or that will help you make your decision. The camera is to take pictures of things, try to get one with Sulley from Monsters Inc. in Weymouth House, perfect for Instagram but also looking through the pictures you took will get you excited to start your university journey!

During the day you’ll get to meet current Bournemouth students who, like you and me, went through Clearing. Make the most of this by asking any questions you have about any aspect of university life or the Clearing process, I found it helpful to ask about accommodation, societies and about the weekly spend of a Bournemouth Uni student so I could start budgeting!

You’ll also have a presentation which will tell you about everything that goes on in and around Bournemouth and that’s when you’ll need the notebook! You’ll get a lot of information but it’s all useful so note it down. This should cover funding, accommodation, opportunities available and you’ll be able to ask any questions which you need answered.

Last summer I didn’t even know that Bournemouth had a university, but looking back it really couldn’t have turned out better! I’m really involved with both the university and local community, I feel so at home here in Bournemouth, and I’m sure you will too! Hopefully the Clearing Open Day will resolve anything you are unsure of, but if not there’s loads of info online as well as loads of blogs and vlogs about university life in Bournemouth. Or you can email any questions to our askBU team at askBUenquiries@bournemouth.ac.uk

By Alice Phillipson, 1st year LLB (Hons) Law