How can students make the most of open days?

Step 1: Choosing courses

The key is preparation and research. Although they will be under the pressure of exams and coursework, they do need to set time aside to be sure of ending up at the right conservatoire and on the right course. Some people are lucky enough to know what they want to do but, for most people, the choice is far from obvious so it is worth investing time and effort to weigh up the options.

Once students have narrowed down their choices, attending conservatoire open days is a great way to get a feel for a place.

When are they?

Students can find out dates of open days by visiting the conservatoire guide within Course Search - they click on the name of the conservatoire they are interested in to see what open days are available. Links are also provided on this page to open days information on the conservatoires' websites. Alternatively, students can contact the conservatoires direct.

We also produce a publication each year, Open Days, priced £3.50 and available from UCAS (email: publicationservices@ucas.ac.uk). This contains advice and listings of open days, and includes lists of taster courses and UCAS conventions.musical performance

What do they involve?

During the open day, students should be shown round, have a chance to look at the facilities and ask questions. They will be meeting people well placed to provide an insight into both the course and the conservatoire. They will get the chance to meet current students, which can be far more revealing than reading a prospectus.

Most students agree that open days helped them to make an instinctive decision and confirm what felt right for them. By making an effort to do this sort of research, they can avoid the disappointment of starting a course and finding that it is not what they expected.

For more information about open days, please visit the conservatoires' websites:

Birmingham Conservatoire
Leeds College of Music
Royal College of Music
Royal Northern College of Music
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance