QUT has the answers: Get one-on-one advice at Open Day

The university will open its Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove campuses to the public from 9am to 3pm on July 28, with the day including campus tours, course seminars, and information tents covering everything from scholarships to social clubs to entry pathways.

Open Day is one of the best opportunities for high school students and mature-age students to talk one-on-one with QUT staff, students and graduates.

Faculty information tents will host students and recent graduates who can discuss their own study and work experiences and answer questions about courses and careers.

QUT student ambassadors Natalie Peck, Sameel Deoji, and Briana Dinsdale (pictured above, left to right) are among the current students who will be helping visitors at Open Day.

They know firsthand how conversations can impact career paths.

Sameel (pictured above), who is already working as a casual for the Seven Network in production and social media, said he had several pivotal conversations before enrolling in a double degree in journalism and business management.

“I was first inspired by one of my high school teachers to study journalism because she was a journalist before becoming a teacher and she talked to me about what her job had been like,” he said.

“And then I met a journalist who came to our school to interview people about our school having a COVID vaccine hub … She was very encouraging and suggested I might be able to do an internship with her employer one day.

“I also talked to business students at the QUT stand at TSXPO (there was no in-person Open Day when I was in Year 12 because of COVID) and that gave me a better insight into what else I could study with journalism … they said attaching business management is quite useful because it gives options like becoming a business reporter or starting your own media business in the future.

“I was also influenced by family. One of my cousins is a QUT graduate and she studied business management for her second degree and said she used those skills every day in her job.”

Briana (pictured above) is studying teaching and music while establishing herself as a country music artist.

She said attending the QUT Open Day and talking to lecturers had been a deciding factor in choosing her Bachelor of Education (Secondary) / Bachelor of Fine Arts.

“I spoke with one of the lecturers on the music studio tour and ended up having a 20-minute conversation about the music industry and how this degree will help me navigate the industry even more,” she said.

“I love the flexibility of my course. Last semester, I did two online classes and two in person classes which helped with my outside-of-uni schedule and work schedule.

“I seriously feel like there is so much room to stay true to my artistry within the music degree and also experiment with my pedagogies and learning techniques within my teaching degree.”

Natalie (pictured above), who is in her final year of a Bachelor of Radiation Therapy, said talking to people at Open Day had also helped her choose her course.

“Having these conversations is very important and influential,” she said.

“I personally had conversations with current students studying the degree I was interested in. These students provided me with the most up-to-date information about the degree and were able to give me a better insight into what uni life is like.”

Natalie will now be giving back at the 2024 Open Day on July 28.

“I will be stationed at Q Block on the Gardens Point campus and I’ll be helping prospective students register and attend tours of the radiation therapy student training facilities, including the VERT room – our new Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training suite that uses 3D technology to create a virtual treatment room,” she said.

Visitors can create a personalised program with the QUT Open Day Planner before the day.

How to get the most out of QUT Open Day

Sameel’s Open Day tips

• Come with an idea of what you want to do – but don't be limited by those ideas. Have an open mind and be ready to explore.
• Talk to as many different people as you can to get ideas about courses and if there are areas you can combine into a double degree.
• Space out your day so that you can soak up all the information in an efficient manner. If you jam-pack everything into two hours, it's really not going to allow all that information to sink into your brain.

Briana’s Open Day tips

• See as much as you can! Even if it’s not what your priority interest/degree may be – if it’s there, have a go or have a look.
• Talk to as many QUT people as possible. Everyone is so friendly and passionate about their particular area, so interact with them.
• Ask as many questions as you can. No question is too silly!

Natalie’s Open Day tips

• Arrive at your chosen campus as early as possible and register for any tours you are interested in to ensure you don't miss out. Some tours have limited capacity.
• Attend as many of the tours, seminars and open house activities as possible, to help you become more familiar with the campus and truly understand all the opportunities that QUT offers.
• Check out the clubs and societies! They host so many events and activities throughout the year and you can make new friends and learn new skills.

Highlights of the 2024 QUT Open Day program

Gardens Point campus

• Campus tours – every 15 minutes from U Block between 9am and 2.30pm (except 12-1pm)
• Course seminars for business, IT & games, law, science, engineering, architecture & built environment, maths & data science, and health
• Gardens Point Library (V Block) and Law Library (C Block) tours
• Sports facilities – visit the Esports Arena (Y Block), try the Virtual Sport Studio and Trackman golf simulator (Y Block), and check out the Olympic-size pool and gym at the QUT Fitness and Aquatic Centre (P Block)
• Architecture and built environment open house (J Block)
• Engineering open house (O & S Blocks)
• Science lab tours (leave from U Block and B/E courtyard)
• Science and Engineering Centre (P Block) – visit The Cube (a two-storey high digital learning attraction) and check out the learning and research spaces, and food and retail outlets
• Tech, data and maths immersion, and research showcase (P Block)
• Live music by QUT students (A, P & V Blocks and East Lawn)
• Live experiments with Street Science
• Free fairy floss and popcorn

Kelvin Grove campus

• Campus tours – every 15 minutes from C Block between 9am and 2.30pm (except 12-1pm)
• Course seminars for health, justice, teaching & education, communication, creative arts, and design
• Kelvin Grove Library tours (R Block)
• Studio and workshop tours (music, art, film, animation, dance, music, acting, writing, fashion, industrial design, interaction design, and visual communication)
• BMW Group and QUT Design Academy open house (Z2)
• Virtual Production Studio open house (Z3)
• Paramedic science teaching labs open house – check out the training ambulances and do CPR on mannequins (O Block)
• Nursing Clinical Simulation Centre open house (N Block)
• Sport and exercise science resistance training and biomechanics labs open house (O Block)
• H2 wet lab open house for biomedical science and medical laboratory science (H Block)
• Education Precinct tour (E Block), including The Sphere (a two-storey digital display)
• QUT Sport Tech Van (A Block forecourt)
• Live music by QUT students (F, E, Z3 blocks)
• Free fairy floss and popcorn

QUT Media contacts:
- Mechelle McMahon, media@qut.edu.au
- After hours, 0407 585 901 or media@qut.edu.au