Why appointments beat walking up to a stand
At a stand you get three to five minutes, interrupted, with people waiting behind you. In a booked appointment you get fifteen to thirty minutes of someone's undivided attention, and they have usually seen your profile beforehand.
That is the difference between "what courses do you offer" and "with these grades, in this subject, starting in this intake, what are my chances and what would it cost".
Choosing which universities to book
Book your top three or four, not your top ten. Appointments have a real cost in time and attention, and four well-prepared conversations produce more than ten rushed ones.
Choose institutions where you have a specific question that a website cannot answer. If everything you want to know is on their course page, use the slot on someone else.
Book early. Availability is limited by each institution's capacity, and the most sought-after slots go first.
Complete your profile properly first
Most platforms show the university your profile before the meeting. The more complete it is, the better prepared they arrive.
Include your study level, subject interest, intended intake, current qualification and predicted grades if you have them. You do not have to share a budget range, but doing so lets a representative tell you quickly whether an option is realistic, which saves both of you time.
Prepare five questions, in priority order
Write them down and put the most important first, because you may not get through all of them.
A good default set: whether you are competitive with your grades; total annual cost including living; which specific scholarship you could get and when it closes; what the course involves week to week; and what graduates of that course go on to do.
Add one question specific to that institution. Representatives notice when you have actually read about their programme, and the conversation changes.
The practical checklist
- Test your connection, camera and microphone before the slot, not during it
- Join from somewhere quiet with reasonable light
- Have your transcript or predicted grades open on screen
- Have your questions written down where you can see them
- Have something to take notes in
- Tell your parent the time if they are joining
- Join two minutes early
How to run the conversation
Open by saying what you are considering and why you booked: "I am looking at computer science for the September 2028 intake, and I wanted to ask about entry requirements and the AI specialisation." That single sentence saves five minutes of establishing context.
Then work your list. If an answer is vague, ask once more specifically. If it is still vague, note it and move on; you have learned something.
Before the end, ask for their email and whether you can follow up with anything you forgot. Almost everyone says yes and almost nobody asks.
What to do in the next 48 hours
Write up your notes while you remember which institution said what. Add the answers to your comparison table. Then send a short email thanking them and asking the one question you forgot.
That email does two things: it gets you the missing answer, and it puts your name in front of someone who may later read your application. The speed and quality of their reply also tells you something about how the institution treats applicants.
This article is general guidance for prospective students and institutions, not immigration, financial or legal advice. Entry rules, fees, scholarships and work rights change; check official government and university sources before acting.
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