I think I made a mistake…

[southwestlife]

I have enrolled on a STEM degree with the OU and just 3 weeks in, it feels too much with juggling everything else in my life.
I just can’t get the balance right, I feel if I drop one of the courses it may be easier, I just don’t know. If I do there will be a financial implication. Unless I can prove it’s impacting my health (which it is, as it’s causing my disability to flare). I would need to get a letter from gp or consultant and apply for grant to get credit to do one course next year.
it’s my pride more than anything that’s stopping me at the moment, I did this to improve myself. But I just can’t do it and don’t know what to do for the best.

Are you sure? You’re only three weeks in - the early weeks are a struggle for anyone going back into academic life.

Can you list the difficulties - then people might be able to suggest work arounds you haven’t considered?

Is it full time? can you switch to part time?

Are you doing the full time and can drop down to part time? Do that if you can, it’s better than dropping out of the whole thing. I hated my OU course when I started last year, I think because I haven’t studied for so long I felt out of my depth. I’m fine with it now (part time),.

Are you doing 60 or 120 credits? If 60, persevere. You’ll get into the swing of it, when you don’t have a TMA due, you can get through the reading pretty quickly. I could often do a week’s reading in a night. I also downloaded the material onto my iPad and highlighted the relevant bits needed for the TMAs. One of my tutors called this method strategic study! Don’t feel you have to remember everything you’ve learned. Is it an exam or EMA module?

I’m studying part time, it’s Maths and Statistics! I just feel completely overwhelmed by it all.
my plan at the moment is to get the TMA’s completed and then do the reading and activities to get ready for the next lot due.

This year it’s 2 EMA modules. At the moment the TMA’s are mostly handwritten and then scanned to PDF, so I think that’s slowing me down too.

What's your end goal?

I think the early studies and first TMAs are really overwhelming for most people. You're trying to get to grips with how the OU works and the course content and studying around your normal life - all at the same time as the warm fuzzy feeling about your ultimate goal collides with the reality of the work involved to get there!

I agree with pp that you do get into a rhythm with OU. I was in peak perfectionist mode when I started my course, but I somewhat adapted after the first TMA!

If it’s M140 it’s relatively easy to get this done quite swiftly. You’ll be fine once you get into the swing of it. I presume you’re doing another 30 credit maths module. Try doing two week’s reading for each on alternative weeks.

Yes it’s M140 and MU123, I will try the alternate weeks, that sounds doable. I just need to get these TMA’s in

What is your end goal, @southwestlife?

@GoodbyePatEnd goal is to be able to provide tutoring in alternative education provisions or tutoring to home educated children. Also doing it to support my own child through their education too, who struggles significantly with all things Mathematics

This might not be any consolation but I'm in year 5/6 and I still feel overwhelmed and want to pack it in sometimes! There are days I enjoy it and others I question my choices but I just keep pushing through.

I'm doing MST124 right now. It's a hard subject and it's fine to drop back to one module if that makes it more manageable for you. It may be better to do that at this stage rather than later, so have a chat with Student Support to see what the options/consequences are. I've done arts modules with the OU before and I'd say it's more time consuming to do maths because it's harder to skip sections (you can miss out entire sections on an arts module because you can choose your TMA question in advance). But it's not possible or advisable in maths because each topic is a building block of knowledge that you'll need later. Also a lot of people aim for a minimum pass in the first year as it doesn't count towards your grade, but it's really important to understand the first year topics fully in maths as you'll be lost in the subsequent years if you aren't completely confident with the basics. I think there's often a temptation to rush through OU study and do as many modules as possible but with dcs and probably work to deal with, it's fine if it takes longer.

Is it the actual maths content that is difficult, or more the juggling and prioritising?

When you walk across that stage at the end, there is no feeling like it…keep going. It’s hard at first as it’s unknown but once you’ve got the first couple of TMAs under your belt, you work out what works best for you in terms of organising your time.

@Floodfliteits more the juggling the two courses and making sure I understand it all. I feel I want to get through this year and the just do one module next year which is MST(the first one).
I have done a BA with the OU before and that felt so much less juggling even with placements included as well.
I have spoken to student support and I would loose 25% of the first terms fee, but if I have evidence of the impact I can apply for this to be credited against the course when I do it next year. So I wouldn’t loose it (if I get awarded the credit). I have up until the end of December to decide.
i need to work smarter, I think I have overdone the note taking, alongside the activities etc. so need to work out a less time consuming way to do that too.
any advice would be welcome!

I’m three years into my part time OU degree. The first few weeks are rough getting into the swing of things, finding your flow, figuring out what works best for you. It takes a lot of self motivation but it is worth it. It does get easier. I’d give it a bit longer. Maybe have a chat with your tutor to see if they can suggest anything. Focus on what you need to do for your TMA if you’re falling behind then you always go back and read the stuff you’ve missed out on.

I really would give it a bit longer! Good luck!