Why international students should attend virtual open days

14 Apr 2020

Virtual open days, or sometimes referred to as virtual fairs, should not be overlooked by international students when making their decisions to study abroad.

Thanks to technology, we can bridge geographical divides by attending virtual open days hosted by universities several thousand miles away.

With the current pandemic, virtual open days are now the best option for universities to recruit students and engage with them.

Check out what the campus looks like during virtual tours held on virtual open days. Source: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP

QS recently ran international student recruitment online events with candidates in Vienna, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Geneva, and Zurich, and received good feedback from universities.

One institution stated: “Everything worked really well. Connectivity and the GoTo system allowed for presentations and to give participants a great overview of the program and the interaction time was just enough.

“I would do it again this way.”

Another had this to say: “When in a conversation it worked really well, it’s not much of an impediment having them online rather than face to face. The only issues were with the changeover, people popping up early or if we were running late. But overall a very positive experience.”

Campus closed? No problem. International students can still check out universities via virtual open days. Source: Philip Pacheco/Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP

Virtual open days are free, so why not check them out and start planning for your future study abroad experience while staying at home in lockdown?

Here’s what you get from attending a virtual open day.

You get to meet faculty members on virtual open days

Join us for our Virtual Open Day on Wednesday 15 April from 1pm-2pm to find out about our postgraduate law courses and take part in a live Q&A session with our courses tutors. Register now – https://t.co/NactlZMmP1 pic.twitter.com/mMgDDpjaWv

— The University of Law (@UniversityofLaw) April 8, 2020

It’s not always about the programme you’re studying, but who you’re learning it from.

During virtual open days, you get to meet faculty members and talk to them about what your programme is all about.

You also get a sense of the people behind the programme so you know what to expect if you do choose that university.

You get answers to your questions

Sometimes just one key answer to a question from a department head, professor or recruitment officer can make or break your study abroad decision.

There’s a lot of information you can get from a prospectus or website, but sometimes you need to ask questions in real-time.

Deans and professors would be around to answer your questions. Source: Oli Scarff/AFP

Virtual open days include Q&A sessions where you can ask questions to those in your department, so you can make a well-informed decision.

You get to check out the campus

Campus like none! See it to believe it – Take a ‘Virtual Tour’ at https://t.co/kZdoXRIzjn

Apply now at https://t.co/AZIg1LrvwY #kiituniversity #bhubaneswar #Odisha pic.twitter.com/5vsjAvcNhA

— KIIT – Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (@KIITUniversity) April 8, 2020

An increasing number of virtual open days include virtual tours, so you can check out the campus and facilities without leaving the comfort of your own home.

This will give you a great sense of the kind of facilities a university offers, and you can compare with others if you attend multiple open days to see what works best for you.