A FUTURE with 3D printed food, an unsolved crime scene and mind-blowing chemistry showed prospective students almost anything is possible with the right tools under their belts.
The University of Newcastle saw thousands of students through its Callaghan and City campuses to see what university life has to offer.
Year 11 Calrossy Anglican School student Molly Carey made the trip from Tamworth with fellow students and her careers adviser Charles Impey on Saturday.
Molly said she was weighing up her options, considering a career in primary education, social work or criminology.
"I can just tell right off the bat that Newcastle has a great atmosphere, everyone is so welcoming," she said.
"It's definitely somewhere I could see myself living."
Molly toured Callaghan campus, the student accommodation and had the opportunity to talk with faculty and student ambassadors about university life.
"I'm trying to jump on board, get a feel for everything and get prepared," she said.
"Quite a lot of my cohort and the years above are considering university, we have a great opportunity because it's very accessible and there's heaps of pathways into university.
"It's a great way to get into a good industry you're interested in."
Molly said she had been set on attending university for a while and said she was considering Newcastle both for its educational opportunities and the coastal, busier lifestyle that comes with living in a regional city.
"I would like to get the life experience of living somewhere other than a rural town," she said.
"I want to get to know new people and have new life experiences and opportunities."
Students could experience lifelike teaching interactions with student characters reacting in real time, try reading the weather on the 6pm news or watch the NU Racing drag race in the engineering quarter.
University of Newcastle vice-chancellor professor Alex Zelinsky said prospective students had travelled from all across the state for the Open Day.
"I think it's a great way to get a real understanding of what the university has got to offer," he said.
"When we talk about our graduates we talk about them being life ready, so they have the technical skills to work but they're also community-minded and we try to look after people's health, body and mind.
"We are trying to provide a holistic education and at the heart of what we want to do is offer an outstanding student experience and serve our communities and we really live those values."
Professor Zelinsky said the university is "world-class" and is ranked in the top 175 universities in the world.
