Originally published 11 March 2003

Many local Warwick applicants with offers turned up, with their families, to the Warwick Friends & Family Day held on Sunday 9 March.

Congratulations to the Team

Ken Sloan, Director of Student Recruitment and Admissions, was keen to thank everybody involved in making the first Friends and Family Day such a success.

He said “The SRAO team created a high quality event in a very short space of time and everybody involved worked in the same way. The Warwick Welcome students and all the staff involved were superb ambassadors for the University.”

Positive Feedback

The visiting families provided encouraging feedback about the day. Amy Allinson, Undergraduate Recruitment Officer explained “Everybody scored the sessions Excellent or Good and found the opportunity to talk to staff and students in a more informal setting very helpful. They were also pleased to have the opportunity to visit the campus as a family and were glad to have the chance to visit on a Sunday when they didn't have to take time off.”

This smaller, more focussed, event was recognised by everybody involved to be better than normal Open Days.

Purpose of the Event

The event, which was managed by Student Recruitment and Admissions team, was designed to guide applicants through all the various processes that take place between now and when they start university in October 2003. This is an area that is not normally covered in outreach sessions.

Topics Covered

People from all around the University put on sessions including the Student Finance team, the Centre for Lifelong Learning, Careers and the Music and Sports Centres. The topics covered ranged from confirmation and clearing to accommodation and welfare.

The other main success of the day was its appeal to applicants who are unable to come to weekday Open Days, or those for who childcare is an issue. Activities for all the family were on offer including a magician and a poster competition for the youngsters and one-to-one campus tours and walks around the Sculpture Trail for the older family members.

Future Plans

This was a new activity for Warwick, and has been roundly heralded as a triumph. Similar events are planned for the future and next time the invites will go further a field.