OPEN DAYS - What you should do when visiting a city

If you have decided to visit a college / university in a city that you are not familiar with, we strongly advise you to do the following:

• Make sure that you visit the city - if you decide to study here, you will probably spend a lot of time outside of the campus, so make sure you like the place! The best way to do this is to stay the night - you can check out the nightlife, meet fellow students and get a better feel for the city. Many colleges offer accommodation for visiting students, and if they don't www.opendays.com offers local hotel information.

• Go with a friend - they can give you a valuable second opinion, as well as provide company and boost your confidence

• Find out what the cost of living is - living in London requires a lot more money than living in Blackpool. Another way to do this besides beer price is to compare accommodation costs - also find out if the university / college offers a student accommodation finding programme.

This article along with other advice and open day information for colleges and universities in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, is available at http://www.opendays.com