Getting a feel for life as an Otago student

Prospective students flocked to Dunedin in their thousands at the weekend to get a brief taste of campus lifestyle and the tertiary educational opportunities on offer.

The open days, held on Sunday and yesterday, featured stalls, lectures and guidance for students.

Madison Grace-Brown, a year 13 student at James Hargest College, in Invercargill, found the day ‘‘really useful’’.

‘‘It really gave me an insight into what the university has to offer. There are so many options.

‘‘The tours were pretty cool; it was neat hearing the lectures.’’

She was keen to study human nutrition and similar subjects next year, she said.

University of Otago director of marketing Hone Paul said more than 250 staff were involved in running a range of information sessions, residential college and campus tours and expo-type interactions with prospective students and their families, and a large number of current students helped visitors find their way around campus.

‘‘We drew visitors to the city from all over New Zealand,’’ Mr Paul said.

The university also partnered with Air New Zealand to put on extra flights to and from New Zealand’s main centres, especially from the North Island.

‘‘Our open days are a great way for prospective students to get a feel for the university and find out if they’d like to live and study in Dunedin.

‘‘We got some great feedback about how the information sessions helped them figure out what they would like to study, while visiting in-person gave them an idea of the campus layout and what facilities are on offer.’’

Otago Polytechnic’s Dunedin campus also held an open day yesterday. - Matthew Littlewood and Tayler Mutton