Charlotte offered the student perspective during the programme presentations, led by staff. She also took part in the online session, which she found slightly more challenging. “There is less room for interaction as many of those taking part had their cameras turned off. But, of course, this online feature is a very nice option for internationals or other people who cannot attend the open day.” This included Charlotte a few years ago at the time of the COVID lockdown, when coming to campus was not an option.

“I feel that coming over to visit the Bachelor’s Open Day offers a great opportunity to experience first-hand what studying at Maastricht University is all about. It’s important just to be there and walk around campus and attend different lectures, to see where their interest lies. They can join a Problem-Based Learning session, go to study areas, talk to students – all this can make a real impact and offer prospective students a positive experience.”

So, what does Charlotte tell students who find it hard to make up their minds? “I would recommend that they can explore their interests: find out what they like the most, may be they have a special subject at school which they like, or some interest outside school.”

In addition, she would tell them to join the Bachelor’s Open Day. “They can take part in several sessions and compare programmes, see which presentation they like most and of course interact with current students and then try to imagine yourself studying here and see whether this fits with any future plans you may have. There are a lot of thoughts involved in this challenging process of making up your mind. But an Open Day can certainly help.”

Visitor reactions

Charlotte certainly wasn’t the only person who was positive about Saturday’s Bachelor’s Open Day. Feedback was generally positive, with an overall rating of 8.9. Visitors used various words and phrases to describe the presentations, including ‘thorough’, ‘entertaining’, ‘informative’, ‘passionate’, ‘dynamic’, ‘complete’, ‘enthusiastic’, ‘clear’ and ‘detailed’.

Of course there were some critical remarks too, relating to matters such as the use of the Dutch language, the pace of presentations (sometimes slightly rushed), the absence of microphones and what were perceived to be unnecessary repetitions. All this will be taken on board as preparations start for the next Bachelor’s Open Day, scheduled for 7 October 2023.