Part-timers beware, “Going to University” may not necessarily turn out to be all you thought it was going to be,
academically at least.

I originally opted for a GSVQ course in the Social Sciences as, from the information available to me at that time, I judged,
it would give me the most ‘broad based’ approach to learning; that my choices for future study would as a result would ‘open up’ in whatever direction that choice would take me.

That was, as they say,my original hypothesis.

You could say,
my hypothesis was upheld – to a point.

I realised from the start that, as a part-time student, there would be no
“- Just popping down the student’s union bar for a quick pint.”
i found no problem with that as I’m not exactly in a situation where I could take advantage of University social life.

However, the first sign that things were not as rosy academically as I first thought, came when my university of preference, Glasgow Caledonian, sent me a sheet of the modules available to me for the coming two semesters.

As far as I was concerned, I had already ‘signed up’ as it were, to study at Caledonian, as I had happily noted that the *vast* array of modules available to full-time undergraduates was second to none. However, it turned out that the part-time BASS course takes place, as do all of Caledonian’s part-time courses, on a Monday and a Wednesday evening.
From those two evenings I was given a choice of three modules for the first semester and four for the second.
However, of these, only two were available on a Monday evening
(resulting in an “either/or” choice range) and one on the Wednesday evening, resulting in no choice whatsoever.

That meant that, if I had not been genuinely wanting to do Politics, I would have been *forced* to select it – as it was the only mo
dule on offer for a Wednesday.

Adding to my disappointment, the second semester was, if anything, worse than the first.
The second semester held a choice of modules which included Geography, a module which I was somewhat interested in and a Gender Issues in Society module, which to say the least, I was extremely keen on doing. The “core” module of the level was available only in the second semester, and only on a Monday evening, leaving me in the situation where, - it was pointed out to me in no uncertain terms, - unless I did the (core) Research Methods module, I would be to say the least, disadvantaged at some future date.

Having gained a ‘Merit’ in my Research Methods during HNC, I was interested to find out if I would be allowed “Accreditation of Prior Learning”, but as Research Methods is a “core” module” and others have tried to gain recognition for much the same thing, it would appear that I am on, as my Gran used to say, “ a hiding to nothing” if I even try for it.

Adding yet again to my *disappointment*, the Gender module will not be available *Part Time* in the following year, when I would have been free to take up the option of doing it.

The upshot of this situation is that, next semester, I will be studying two modules which I have absolutely no interest in whatsoever.

So, all you full-time students out there,
be glad – be *very glad*
that you are in the position to choose the course of your future study,
and take full advantage of *all* the facilities available to you.

I am writing this for to fore-warn anyone intending to do a part-time BA in a University which runs along the same lines as that at Caledonian.
If there is *any* way you can study full-time –
JUST DO IT
After all, when you think about it –
no matter how hard it is for you to study full time – it has to be bet
ter than being in a similar position to myself –
in that,
as a “part-time” undergrad, it could be argued that I am something of a
‘second-class’ citizen.

GG