June 2024 open day

Applicants and offer-holders joined our in-person event to get a taste of student life at The Tavistock and Portman.

On Saturday 15 June 2024, we welcomed prospective postgraduate students to The Tavistock Centre for an in-person open day.

The day began in the Lecture Theatre, with a welcome and introduction from our new Chief Education and Training Officer and Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Professor Mark Freestone. This was followed by a student panel Q&A session, chaired by Paul Dugmore, our Director of Education (Learning and Teaching) and Ravteg Singh Dhesi, our Direct of Education (Operations). Four of our students shared their experiences of studying at The Tavistock and Portman, and responded to questions from the audience. Topics covered included navigating academic demands alongside work and other personal commitments, support with reasonable adjustments, and the important role that friends and family members play in supporting students throughout the application process and beyond.

We then moved to our course-specific drop-in sessions – allowing visitors to meet our course leads and facilitators, learn more about our training pathways, and get advice on applications. Our admissions team were also stationed in the library throughout this time, and available for one-to-one sessions with applicants. Fuelled by refreshments from our own Toza Café, the Ground Floor was a hive of lively discussion and activity.

We ended the day with a special session on what to expect from enrolment and student life. Led by members of our Student Support and Engagement, Course Administration and Admissions teams, this session included guidance on managing offers, online enrolment, fees and funding, Welcome Week and more. With application deadlines coming up for many of our courses, this was an exciting reminder of key milestones over the coming weeks and months.

Reflecting on his first open day at The Trust, Professor Freestone said:

“It has been wonderful to see so much interest in our courses, with ‘standing room only’ in many of the course sessions, and people spilling out into the corridor! A highlight for me was our student panel, who took questions from prospective applicants – they were so enthusiastic and articulate. It’s great to get that energy and knowledge from our student body and even the people who are thinking of coming to study here as well – it’s been really infectious! Today has also been an opportunity for me to meet a lot of our course leads for the first time, who have been extremely welcoming, full of ideas, energy, and really quite inspiring. For those considering joining us this year – now is the time to get in your application! We are more than happy to help with any problems or issues you might have, and support you through every step of the process.”

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the day – we hope to welcome many of you to the Trust again in September!