Guide
20 Questions to Ask University Students Before You Apply
20 questions built for one purpose: getting the stuff brochures can't say. Specific, past-tense questions work best — people can only answer them with something that actually happened.
Daily life
Tours show the best hour of the best day. These questions get you an ordinary Tuesday instead.
- What did your last normal week actually look like?
- Where do you spend most of your time when you're not in class?
- What's the commute or walk between your room, lectures and food?
- What do people do on a Sunday here?
- What's the one thing you'd change about living here?
Academics and workload
Course pages list modules, not intensity. Ask about specific weeks and specific assessments.
- How many contact hours do you have, and how much is independent work?
- What's assessment like — exams, coursework, presentations?
- How accessible are professors outside class?
- Is the culture collaborative or competitive in practice?
- How much flexibility is there if your interests shift after first year?
People and belonging
The single biggest predictor of a good three years, and the hardest thing to read from a website.
- How did you meet the people you actually spend time with?
- Who thrives here, and who struggles?
- What's the split between people who stay on weekends and people who leave?
- How easy was it to find your group in first term?
- What happened the last time you or a friend needed support?
Money and what comes after
Ask about real numbers and real first jobs, not averages from a prospectus.
- What does a month actually cost you beyond tuition and rent?
- Are there jobs, bursaries or funded roles students actually get?
- How did people in your year find their first internship?
- What support did careers services genuinely provide?
- Knowing what you know now, would you choose this place again?
Ask them for real
Weave matches you with one student or recent graduate whose path overlaps yours, for a single honest 30-minute conversation. Bring this list. Not mentorship, not a long-term commitment — one call.