University open days, aka the middle class on the move

  Like all students in their final year of school, the word 'UNIVERSITY' fills me with a mixture of horror, dread and excitement. And, as part of the horrific process that is UCAS, I have dragged my parents on tour of the British Isles, taking in such centres of academia as Warwick, York, Exeter, Southampton and Oxford. Whilst all these universities have their own character and individual plus-points, there is one thing I have noticed that their open days all have in common: their ability to attract a certain type of visitor. Yes, I'm talking about the middle-class teenager and their parents, determined to find out as much as is humanly possible about their university of choice in the limited time available.  On my travels, I, like the many  others around me, have travelled far and wide by train, munched down numerous M&S sandwiches and perused many a copy of 'The Times.' I have  collected whole rainforests' worth of prospectuses and spotted enough Jack Wills to clothe a small army.

  Luckily, apart from these obvious stereotypes, I have not come across too many of that terrifying middle class breed: the pushy parent. Granted, I have overheard a few conversations between frazzled mums and their grunting sons: "For goodness' sake Johnny/Timmy/Algernon, why didn't you check the typical offer/see if the rooms are ensuite/find out about the rugby team?" In fact, on the whole, it's the students themselves whom I've found the most intimidating. First off, the girl who described herself as a "political historian"-aged 17? Wow, her self confidence was overwhelming. Then there were the two boys meeting each other for the first time at Durham. Before even introducing himself, one asked the other "So, how were your A.S. results?" The other replied, "Oh, I got 6 As." How he ever managed to study for 6 AS levels and appear to be semi-sane amazes me. Cr-aaazy.

  Of course, the very fact that I have been to so many open days stamps me with the label of  middle class. Add to this my grammar school education, my subject (History), and my address, and voila! Ready-made middle class student! I was relieved to discover so many people just like me who have an almost irrational need to find out absolutely EVERYTHING they can about all of the options out there. I also find it funny how people can be so different, yet be united by the fact that they're not quite posh enough to be friends with the Queen or trace their family back 20 generations, but still have enough money to splash out on extortionate train tickets and overpriced coffee.

 So, at the end of my university tour, what have I learnt? Well,  that train companies must be raking it in each summer, that universities are really quite similar...and of course, that M&S is THE only place worth buying your lunch from, if you want to appear a serious university-visiter.

Now, where's my Times University Guide? I need to look up the league tables...