So we have apparently just experienced a 'heatwave' or as I would say, a few days of lovely weather.
Yes it was hot but blink and it's sadly over.
Thankfully, I guess, it was cooler for our trip to Birmingham - the next stop on our University Open Day Tour! School had an Inset day on the Friday, so Sophie and I got the bus to Bristol, then train to Birmingham, staying in a Premier Inn overnight. We spent the afternoon 'doing Birmingham' so Sophie could get a feel for the city, as the University is campus based and just a train stop out of the city. Birmingham has really improved from when I used to go 30+ years ago. The train station alone is vast and then there's the Bullring Shopping Centre and the lovely Brindly Place by the canal. We met an old school friend and her daughter on the Friday evening, which was a great chance for a catch up and for them to chat about where they were looking at for uni choices.
So up bright and breezy on the Saturday morning, we enjoyed a good breakfast at New Street Station, fuelled ready for our day at the University. The campus was huge but had a great feel. We ticked off the Economics talk, followed by a tour of the accommodation area, quick bite to eat, then a campus tour. With a couple of hours to fill, we explored the Subject Hall and Student Guild, a quick peek in the Library, then headed back to the train station for a much needed coffee and sit down.
It was a great day and as a result, I think Birmingham has jumped into 'top spot', with Exeter now in second place. Still the matter of getting an offer and the subsequent 3 'A' grade entry requirement but I think she may have found 'the one'. We still have a few more to see - Surrey next Saturday, with Cardiff and Southampton the weekend after, battling it out for the insurance uni choice.
I'm really enjoying it, having a good look around. Much to Sophie's annoyance, I'm one of the Mum's asking lots of questions but as I keep telling her, this is your one chance to ask actual students about their experiences there and more often than not, I think the students are glad to be asked, rather than just standing there waiting around. So I now have been tasked to do some accommodation research, as Sophie's working all day today and work out how to get to Surrey next Saturday!
Hope you are having a lovely weekend.
1 comment:
I loved the "halls" at Birmingham for first years - they were a short walk from the main campus, set near lakes. They looked very posh and I think they were the expensive ones. Daughter was torn between Birmingham and Leeds.
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