Record-breaking visitor numbers for this year's Open Days

After a deceptively chilly start to the morning, the weather soon turned balmy on 27 June, the first of two University-wide Open Days this month.

Armed with fistfuls of red and gold balloons, a giant teddy bear (affectionately known as Sebastian) and even a full-size bear costume, the students of Teddy Hall welcomed prospective students and their families, with record visitor numbers of 625 to the College yesterday. Luke Maw, our Schools Liaison Officer, masterminded the operation and ensured that everything ran smoothly.

Throughout the day, current students led tours around the grounds: the twelfth-century converted Norman church, which now houses the Teddy Hall library, was a particular hit. Applicants were able to visit the dining hall, the Junior Common Room (i.e. the undergraduate common room) and a typical student bedroom, and had the opportunity to ask current students questions about their experiences at the University. As well as the College prospectus, applicants could pick up the Alternative Prospectus, written by current Teddy Hall students, which gives a unique insight into College life.

St Edmund Hall teaching staff were also involved: in tutors’ rooms across the College, prospective students teamed up with their relevant subject tutors for a ‘Meet the Tutors’ event. Applicants were able to ask subject-specific queries and discuss the course with experts in their field, learning how the teaching works for their subject both within College and across the University. Events like these are an invaluable chance for students to get a taste of university-level teaching and of the Teddy Hall learning experience in particular.

Another Open Day kicks off this morning – come along to Queen’s Lane, just off the High Street near the Examination Schools, to meet the Teddy Hall students and have a look around the College! There is also a further Open Day later this year, on Friday 14 September.