Making the most of the Cambridge Open Days

With so much to explore during an open day, it can be difficult to know how to plan your time effectively. 

We have compiled some tips and advice to help you get the most out of our Cambridge Open Days.  

If you haven't already done so, find out more about the Open Days and book your place on our website

Our Open Days are taking place on 6 and 7 July. They are a great way to find out more about the application process, Colleges, student life and more. You will also have many opportunities to ask questions.  

Alongside these two in-person days, we will be running a range of Warm-up Webinars in the weeks leading up to the events, covering topics including financial support, choosing a College and the interview process. 

If you are attending in person, the Virtual Tour is also a great way to get a feel for Cambridge and to help to plan your day and where you’d like to visit when you come to the city. 

During the Open Days, you’ll be able to visit our information stands, listen to course presentations and sample lectures, take part in College and department tours, and ask any questions you might have to our current students and staff. 

You’ll also have opportunities to ask questions during the Warm-Up Webinars. 

Tips for making the most of the Open Days

1. Check our Virtual Tour and website, and start considering which courses and Colleges you’re interested in. We recommend shortlisting around six to ten sites or Colleges to explore further during the Open Days.  

2. Think about the questions you’d like to ask. Make sure to take notes of these so you don’t forget during the event.  

3. Book onto and watch some of our Warm-up Webinars. If you attend the session live, you will have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the webinar. All our webinars will be recorded and available on our website until the UCAS application deadline in October. 

4. Plan your visit. You can view the Open Day programme here from mid-June and we recommend you use this to help you plan your day. If you want to visit multiple Colleges and departments, we recommend looking at the location of each and the distance between them to allow yourself plenty of time to reach your next destination. You can find College locations and information here

5. Plan your online sessions. We’ll have a variety of online sessions including our Warm-up Webinars, subject talks and taster lectures. You can see everything that’s going on in our Open Day programme

 6. Make sure you can access your interactive Open Day ticket. Your ticket will show you all the Warm-up Webinars you are booked on to with links to join each session. You will also use your ticket to self check-in when you arrive if you are visiting us in Cambridge. You’ll find a link to your Open Day ticket in your booking confirmation email, and we’ll also send you a reminder closer to the time. 

7. If you are attending any Warm-up Webinars, please make sure to join the session at least five minutes early. Set an alarm so you don’t forget to log in on the day! Allow time to ensure you can access everything and resolve any technical glitches. 

8. And a final tip for those of you coming to Cambridge in person – make sure to plan your travel in advance. We’re expecting the city to be busy, so we’d recommend travelling by public transport if possible or using one of the city’s park and ride sites. 

We hope you have a great time at the Open Days and look forward to welcoming you to the University! 

Some example questions to get you thinking:

  • Do you have any tips for applying to this course?
  • What is your favourite paper or practical in this course? 
  • What does a typical week look like for a student taking this course?
  • What career paths do graduates of this course take? 
  • What is your favourite part of being a student at Cambridge? 
  • What is the accommodation like at this College?  
  • What makes this College different to other Colleges, how do you decide which one is best for you? 
  • What do students do outside of their studies for fun/to relax? 
  • How competitive is this sport at Cambridge, can I do it just for fun? 
  • I am interested in this society, what made you want to join?

To get the most out of a Q&A session, do some research in advance. You can find information about course structures and entry requirements on our website. Use the session to ask the things you can’t find out; the questions that will help you get a sense of what the University and Colleges are really like, and what it would be like to study here. 

However, if you can’t find the answer to your question on our website, please do ask!  

Lastly, make sure to keep an open mind. Your search for the right university depends on where you think you’d perform the best in the subject you love. Gathering as much information as you can about each university and course you are interested in is key.  

We will be hosting the Cambridge Open Days on:

 6 and 7 July (with Warm-Up Webinars from 26 June to 5 July) 

Find out more about the Cambridge Open Days, and book your place on our website.

We hope to see you there!

There will be a smaller in-person Open Day on 15 September. This event will focus on Colleges. Booking for the Open Day in September will open in August. 

The information in this article is correct at the time of publishing. For the most up to date information about events at the University of Cambridge, visit our website.

Last reviewed June 2023.