I'm a muppet and am very cross at myself. OU and also in quandary financial support deadlines

[BaroqinAroundTheChristmasTree]

I've left it too late to get the financial support sorted for the course I wanted to do in Feb - would have been the 2nd course towards my degree.

The deadline for applications for financial support is tomorrow - and I've only just stop dithering enough to register for a course.

I'm so STUPID - I should have done it sooner. I have to finish the entire degree within 10yrs - so should still be with that aspect of it - but have totally screwed up on this.

I should have done a course this year, and did start it, but the content was FAR to close to home in some sections for me to cope with - so dropped out - intending to do it next year once I'd got my head round everything that had happened in my personal life and it wasn't all still so raw.

There are NO other courses for that degree that start later. I really don't want to wait until next October to start studying again - especially as b then I'll hopefully be working again as well and it'll probably take me more time to "get back" into studying the longer I'm out of it.

However,

"To complete the 360 credits needed for an honours degree, the remaining credits up to a maximum of 60 credits can be from any OU undergraduate modules."

So - if I can find another course that I'm interesting in that starts mid year (obviously only going to be a 10, or 30 point one mind) I could still do something.

Question is - should I do that - find another course to get some more credits next year, or just sit out until October???

Why will you not get the financial support application in? Did you do one that you can recycle for the one in Oct?

It's definitely worth using this time to do your 60 'free' credits. There are some later starts but do be aware that they also finish later and that might take you over your limit for the year.

I'm in exactly the same position as you. I had DD1 in september and ended up deferring my exams that should have been when she was 3 weeks old so I'm now doing them in May. I've been useless at looking at the courses and thought the deadline was 8th Dec but that's for enrolling.

What I'm going to do, and what you could consider, is just enroll for my courses, pay now, then apply for the financial support afterwards. I did this 2 years ago and I got the cheque for the amount I'd paid before my credit card bill was due so it made no financial difference in the end.

frakkinup, what do you mean about a limit for the year? If you mean about the amount of credits, there is only a limit of 120 points. I've done 120 points in the first year, 90 in the second year and 60 this year.

Yep, that's what I mean. The problem some people have apparently had is that if they do 90 points which start late in the year and want to do a 60 pointer which starts October the finish dates can overlap so the system registers that you'd be over 120 points in the year and prevents you doing any more courses, even if you've only had an overlap for, say, 3 months.

It's because they calculate limits over the year rather than basing it on how many points you're juggling at any one time.

It's just something to be aware of when choosing later starting courses - the finish date may impact on how many/which courses you can do next.

Call your regional office. They are very helpful. When I was doing my OU degree if I had any problems I would call and it would all be sorted out.

Hope all goes well with your degree.

closing date is the 8th

Thanks everyone - I rang them - and they confirmed it had to be by the 8th December - however - I need to get to the Job Centre to get them to stamp my form to say I'm getting IS, and get it posted off to them by then - and my job centre insists on appointments - even for a stamp on a form grr.

So - I've had a look and chosen 2 x 30 point courses to do starting May, they'll over lap slightly with the start of my October course (3rd time lucky doing Working with Families and Children then I hope....) but it won't be more than 120 points in the year.

Can't afford to pay upfront and then sort finance out afterwards sadly.

Have decided to do

DB123 - You and your money: Personal Finance in context

and

DSE141 - Discovering psychology

They were the ones that jumped out of me most of stuff that's different from my actual degree subject. Was hoping to see if there was a Maths, or history, or languages (things I either dropped or hated at school) Level 1 starting half way through the year but there was nothing there. And these two looked interesting.

Have already done the financial support application online and am going to print it out to take to my Job centre next week so I get that sorted in good time.

oh council office is even worse! Appointment only for everything there too - except it's not appointment you're put in a long queue and there's no way of telling what time you'll be seen. I sat in there for over an hour earlier this year to PICK UP a HB form for me to fill in at home

At least job centre generally run on time with appointments, and is only across the park from me

no - not counter ticket system, queue up at main desk, tell them why you're there, they tell you you'll have to "make an appointment" - and tell you to go and sit down. You then wait for flipping ages - and I always seem to have DS3 with me which means I can't sit and read a book. I hate that place - avoid is as much as possible

I have absolutely no time to get to the council this week