Event

Mini Open Day

Join us for a day of talks and tours, and get answers to your questions about studying at Essex.

  • Wed 5 Apr 23

    09:30 - 14:00

  • Colchester Campus

    Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall

  • Event type

    Open Days

  • Event organiser

    Corporate events

  • Contact details

    Open Days team

Welcome to Essex, a home for those who are impatient to make a difference in the world.

Our Mini Open Day is designed to help you get to know Essex. The day will be shorter than one of our main Open Days, but if you want to go on a guided tour around campus, or just get a feel for the place before you submit your application, we're here for you. Everyone is welcome, so bring your friends and family along and discover more about studying at Essex.

The day will begin at 9.30am, and will finish at 2.00pm. Please make sure you check in at the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall (the large, round, silver building close to Valley Car Park) when you arrive. Unfortunately staff from our academic departments will not be available to speak to on the day, but there will be lots of useful talks and activities allowing you to learn more about studying at Essex.

You can find the programme for the day and the booking form further down this page.

Accessibility

If you or your guests have any special requirements, please email us in advance so we can make sure your visit is as smooth as possible. If you're a visitor with a disability, please let a member of staff know so they can advise you on accessible routes around campus, or conduct a separate tour if necessary.

Speaking to academic staff

As this is a Mini Open Day members of staff from our academic departments will not be available to speak to. However, you can chat with many of our departments on Unibuddy via our website. We'll also have larger Open Days in June, September and October where all of our academic departments and many of their staff will be in attendance.

Lunch on us

We have a Welcome Cafe in the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall where you'll be able to get free hot and cold drinks, but we'll also provide you with a voucher to the value of £6 that you can use in many of the catering venues on campus. We also offer £2 lunch deals in most venues, so you could get three lunches with just your single voucher!

Female student
Book onto our Mini Open Day

If you're interested in coming to our in-person Mini Open Day on our Colchester Campus, then just complete this short form and we'll send you a booking email as confirmation.

Book now

Our programme for the day

Time Activity Location 
9.30am 

Check-in opens 

You can check in from 9.30am on the day by visiting our registration stand. If you have made a booking online, you'll just need to give your name (you won't need to print anything off).

ICLH Upper Foyer 
10.00am - 2.00pm 

Welcome cafe

Grab yourself a free hot or cold drink throughout the day from our pop-up cafe in the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall.

ICLH Upper Foyer 
10.00am - 2.00pm 

Campus and accommodation tours

You'll be able to take a guided tour with one of our amazing Student Ambassadors. They'll show you around our campus and you'll also be able to see inside some of our student accommodation on campus. Make sure you leave plenty of time for tours.

Square 5 
10.00am - 2.00pm 

Students' Union 

Meet current Essex students from some of our clubs and societies.

TBC 
10.00am - 2.00pm 

Student services

Chat with some of our student services, including student finance, accommodation, Essex Pathways, Essex Abroad and student development.

ICLH Seminar Room 
10.15 - 10.45am 

Welcome talk 

This talk will give you a great introduction to the University of Essex, and is a perfect way to start your day by learning all about why we're an excellent place for you to study.

ICLH Auditorium B 
10.45 - 11.15am 

Accommodation talk 

Listen to our staff talk about the range of accommodation we have available on campus and the service you receive. Discover what it's like to live on campus and learn about the differences between each types, which will hopefully help you in narrowing down your decision as to which to pick. You'll also be able to visit our accommodation during the Mini Open Day from our tour and accommodation zone.

ICLH Auditorium B  
12.15 - 12.45pm 

Student finance talk 

Our staff will give you lots of useful information on things related to student finance, such as tuition fees, how fees are invested into the University and sources of financial support, such as student loans.

ICLH Auditorium B  
12.45 - 1.15pm 

Student life talk 

Our student life talk will be given by a current Essex student, so you'll be able to hear about student life directly from someone living and learning at Essex right now. They'll cover topics such as support services for students, budgeting and finance, social life and getting a job on campus.

ICLH Auditorium B  
2.00pm 

Coach to the train station

As the the Mini Open Day comes to an end, we are putting on a free coach service that will take you to Colchester Station (which is the main station in Colchester) if you want to catch a train home.

ICLH Upper Foyer

Getting to us

Travelling by car

Whether approaching our Colchester Campus from London and the South or Ipswich and the North via the A12, take the exit marked Colchester (A133). Follow the A133 towards Clacton-on-Sea, ignore the entrance to the Knowledge Gateway, continue along the A133 then take the B1028 for Wivenhoe before turning right onto Boundary Road.

Parking

Please follow the Open Day car parking signs which will lead you to our allocated visitor parking, in Valley Car Park. Parking during our Open Day is free. Our patrol staff should be on hand to show you where to go. The address of our Colchester Campus is:

University of Essex
Wivenhoe Park
Colchester
CO4 3SQ

If you are using a SatNav, please use the following postcode, CO4 3FA as this will direct you to the south side of our Colchester Campus, where you'll find Valley Car Park.

Travelling by bus or train

There are frequent trains from London Liverpool Street Station to Colchester with connections to Ipswich, Norwich, Felixstowe, Harwich and beyond.

We have three train stations in Colchester: Colchester Town, Colchester Hythe and Colchester North Station (also referred to as Colchester Main Station). Colchester North Station is the largest and has the best bus and taxi links so we recommend using this station. There is a taxi rank and bus stop at the station. The following buses will lead you to campus:

Further information about bus travel in Colchester can be found on the First Bus website and more information about travelling to our Colchester Campus can be found here.

Travel bursary available

We appreciate that traveling to university events can be expensive, and with rising costs we want to ensure that as many of our prospective students are able to visit us as possible. We are therefore offering a bursary of up to £150 to help cover the cost of your travel to this event.

You can view our terms and conditions (.pdf) and download the reimbursement form (.pdf). Simply hand it to a member of staff on the event or email it to us.

Staying overnight

Wivenhoe House Hotel

Long journey to get to us? Stay at our beautiful Wivenhoe House Hotel. This luxury 4* hotel is situated on our campus and offers free parking, free wi-fi and an award-winning brasserie. 

Email: info@wivenhoehouse.co.uk
Telephone: 01206 863666

Student ambassador holding a sign that says 'here to help' whilst talking to two visitors on Square 4
Get in touch
Open Days Team
Telephone: +44 (0)1206 876818