Great opportunity for you to study (Open University in general)

Member Name: JHWilts

Product:	Open University in general
Date:	15/05/09 (39 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You can plan it around your work/home/social life

Disadvantages: Great need to be disciplined!

Open University has revolutionised the way people study and given many people an opportunity they might never have had. I commenced my degree - BA in Humanities - in Australia and then decided to move over here - my dad and mum who are English decided to and it was a perfect opportunity for me to spend time with my family and travel.

But halfway through a degree is not the best time to make such a big move and I was very keen to continue my studies and complete my degree. That's where the Open University came into its own and I realised I could achieve my dream but still work and have a life.

It takes intense discipline to undertake Open University work but luckily I have that. It might not work for everybody but for me it was perfect. You get a whole heap of support that you may not always get in a large tutorial or lecture hall, there are workshops and weekend tutorials and your tutor is always at the end of the phone or email address. I have made some great friends at Open University and we support each other as we are all in the same position.

There are residential schools and courses for some modules that may be held over the summer. Or what you tend to find is that when you have your tutorials you become a group and then make plans to meet up and study for exams. It is a very good environment that offers support as you can bounce ideas off each other and generally help each other with the course.

The exams are done in a hall that will be fairly local to you. These are all conducted under the same conditions like any other tertiary institution would conduct them. The hall I sat my exams in was in Southampton and it was amazing to see about 70 people in a room for a huge variety of disciplines but all there for the same reason.

I finished my BA and after 6 months I went into a Masters in Social Sciences and graduated last year. It was a fantastic moment and now I am planning my PhD which may be done through the Open University again. It is a great institution but you do need to plan out your assignments etc as it is amazing how quickly the deadlines appear! I would recommend somebody who is unsure do a module for a "taster". Personally, it is Open University all the way for me as it opens up so many opportunities and challenges!

I cannot give you prices as each course is different however on average for a Bachelor of Arts it is £1200 per year for one year long module but you need to check as Law is much more expensive.

On average a degree last for between six and eight years part time through Open University. Some people think the fees are a little high considering we do not use any facilities such as other universities however once you realise that this cost covers everything - except set textbooks which you would have to purchase anyway if you went to a "normal" University - you realise it is a good value for money experience.

Summary: Fabulous opportunity for people who may not have had this early in life