MA English Literature- OU!

[FergusSingsTheBIues]

I’ve been mooning about doing MA English Lit for like the last ten years 🙄 but the OU reading list didn’t seem very inspirational to me - they’ve just updated and ot
looks fab.

https://www.open.ac.uk/postgraduate/modules/a893

Anybody any experience?

Im worried in case I’m too thick, old or
lazy and aware that I may be all three 😂

But I absolutely love English literature and have worked as a writer for a few years so definitely able to churn out some essays. I’m hoping my enthusiasm will make up for any shortcomings - but I’ve kind of built it up into some massively hard
undertaking and would really like to hear from anybody else who began a postgrad at 50: I have this debate every single summer.

I did straight English for my MA and so far it has been useless for getting a job. Glad I did it but it hasn't improved my career progression at all!

How exciting! That's great.

@FergusSingsTheBIues I start my MA In Sept, it’s very much a career focused option with regards to the subject material but I have the same worries as you. I’m doing it part time alongside a full time job though and considering I had a nap this afternoon it might be a challenge 😬

I am quite worried to be honest: I called earlier and they couldn’t tell me:

the length of TMAs (essays)
how many tutorials or contact hours per week
Whether I can check books out under the reciprocal library agreement
How much support you get (not sure I’ll need much but good to know!)

There seems to be very little information which worries me. I want some firmer ideas before starting.

I started MA in a different subject with OU last year. One of the things that appealed was that each year could count towards a different qualification ( certificate, diploma) if I didn't complete. I am doing it alongside a full time job, I think if I wasn't working it would be relatively straightforward to fit in. In response to your questions by recommended study hours are 12-15 a week. For us TMAs started at around 1500 words and built up each time to around 3,000 I think. I never had an extension but they seemed to be readily available for TMAs ( but not the EMA). Everything we needed was available in the OU library. There are loads of additional webinars you can do on stuff like academic writing or using the library. We had one tutorial for each TMA but our tutor also offered monthly drop ins and was available for phone support . Hope that helps

In my experience, TMA lengths and types vary hugely.

There were no tutorials for mine (though some years earlier I did the first year of a history MA with them and we had in-person tutorials!), you could contact your tutor as and when, but most contact was forum style for each course.

Pretty sure you can do the reciprocal library thing, but the OU online library is amazing.

Support is probably not as good as it used to be as they got rid of the excellent regional centres IIRC, other students are often a mine of info as for many it won't be their first OU experience.

The info you get when the course starts is really thorough.

Who did you call? Some of your questions are probably more for the module team and some would be for the library service and some are just general student support.

If you've only just registered today your StudentHome page probably won't be active and fully set up yet. Once it is you will be able to see all of that information and more.

How far through the process are you? Have you submitted your entry requirements paperwork?

The course you're talking about starts in a few weeks so they will start issuing those details and launch the module website before the course starts. If you start looking around your StudentHome page once you have access you will find more details being published.

There will be an online forum for your module to discuss with other students and your tutor. You will be able to contact the tutor by email or phone with questions. Tutorials may be one per TMA but details will be on StudentHome. The part 2 module description lists a series of one-to-ones with the tutor at various stages.

A lot of your questions can be answered on the OU website.

Library support is pretty comprehensive and your questions about SCONUL are answered here: https://www.open.ac.uk/library/services/students

They do regular live webinar sessions on using the library and study skills.

https://www.open.ac.uk/library/training-and-events

Plus student support services plus computing support:

https://help.open.ac.uk/

It's a big decision, I think it's normal to have an adrenaline crash and a bit of a wobble after taking the step. But don't panic yet!

Worst case scenario - from memory you have 14 days to change your mind, and I would have thought you would have received comprehensive information by then.

It may be worth you asking your questions on the OU groups on Facebook. There will be more people there who can help.
Personally, I recommend the OU.

It's absolutely useless for getting a job. My current job in finance needed a good degree (at the time) but that could have been any degree. But I did enjoy it, twenty years ago now! Would have done it just for love (well, I basically did.)

Oh @FergusSingsTheBIues so excited for you. I have a friend who did all her degrees with the OU (she is a PhD candidate now) and even when my own uni library would repeatedly let me down the OU library ALWAYS had what I needed - the nature of their student body means they have a superior service to many.

I'm about to take another look and see how I might fund it. I have a MA already as well, so think the OUSBA might be my best option.

Oh I put all the study materials into columns and I can see already I would want to do so much in block 2 and 3 when I would only be able to pick one strand. Argh.

Fab! You definitely did the right thing! I’ve been umming and ahing whether or not to do this module for a while! Last day of registration and I’m going for it! We may even be in the same class! Good luck and do enjoy it. I did my undergraduate studies with the OU and it was brilliant. The 90 credits in this Masters looks brilliant. Can’t wait.

I have this debate every single summer.

Oh, how I recognise that! I had exactly the same thing with a particular course at Birmingham Uni over several years - hesitating on the brink. And then a completely different, extremely niche MA appeared before me and swept me off my feet. I was just a little older than you at the time, @FergusSingsTheBIues.

It definitely is scary to launch oneself into postgrad study after a long time away. And I can well imagine the perceived pressure of your partner’s academic career.

One thing - you said you might have limitations on your study time because we go away a lot. As if you’re a rucksack that is picked up and carried … I wonder if you’ve become accustomed to being a little passive in relation to your own life? Surely if you need to prioritise something for you, then you can choose not to ‘go away’, once in a while? If you don’t feel you have any choice (because of the generosity?) - then perhaps that needs looking at.

@EdmontinaDonsAutumnalHues

No, it’s ok, I’m not a trailing spouse (any more) ….. we just enjoy travelling! Prepared to work twice as hard in term time so I don’t have to give that up…!

That’s good. Was wary of overstepping …

How are you getting on with the course?

Oh yes. How is it going? I decided I couldn’t afford it this year and want another year of reading what I like.

I'd be interested to hear experiences on the redesigned module. I did module 1 of the old MA in English but struggled massively with it as I needed more tutorials than were offered really - I was also given the impression that with module 2 they'd try and coerce you down a classical route (lots of people on the forum got told there's not the academic work to support tackling something modern, etc).

Things may be different now and it may have just been my tutor.

So I walked away with my 120 credits, and am actually now back doing an undergraduate degree with the OU - in Law!

How have you got on @FergusSingsTheBIues ?