PROCRASTINATORS over here. Brand new thread for October.

[winnybella]

How was everyone's summer?

So...after having sniffed our new lovely course books, did anyone start yet on actually reading them?

This year I'm doing A215 Creative Writing and A300 20th C. Literature. Full time, then. And I'm supposed to go back to work within next few weeks After having procrastinated terribly last year and barely scraping by I am somewhat erm, well, I'm rather panicking about managing it all this year.

Let's start moaning about our first assignments!

tartan - you've still plenty of time, honestly You've gone into panic mode, that's all. What course and how many questions in the exam? Have you done OU before? If so, you know the exam questions roughly just match your TMAs. If you've done well in your TMAs then you have covered the material you are likely to get examined on (not always, as I remember from one question in a previous exam ) You can't learn everything so think strategically. If you have to do 4 answers, just concentrate on your 4 best topics and try to nail them (as much as possible, anyway) Break it down - use lots of new pages for each part. You get marks for stating the obvious sometimes so learn neat definitions, if appropriate. Exam marking is usually positive so, if each question is work 25% of total exam, learn 25 discrete points, if possible. More is better. You won't remember them all but if you can condense them like that and then get them into your answer, you should be getting enough in. Think of stupid links to help you remember - the more ludicrous the better for remembering.

I'm convincing myself a lot with this advice, btw, as I've my exam the day before yours and I have no peace here to revise. Ignore forums; they often concentrate on minutiae that you hadn't even realised you ever needed to know. Good luck.

Yep tartan all is not lost. Work out what stuff you absoloutely have to study and concentrate on those.

Set a time limit for each topic, just like in the exam itself, so you don't end up revising 1-2 topics really well and the others not at all.

I'm sitting here so grateful to dh who managed to work out how to get my module software to work-he is brilliant.

It doesn't help me get my head around learning from watching 'telly'. I really struggle to watch it and concentrate properly; I sit there thinking about what to make for tea or how annoying the presenter is.

Thank you Prolewsorth and said - that's good advice from you both and thanks for being nice to me! I think I have hit panic mode and it all suddenly seems such a huge huge task.

I'm doing U211 - English Language - a level 2 course and although it's not the first time I've been a student, it's my first OU course. I have enjoyed it very much but get very stressed at TMA time and think I'm beginning to lose the plot faced with the final exam. I have got all the past exam papers and attended a study day about the exam, but have let it all get to me.

I like the way you put it Prolesworth about not having done the revision I feel I should have done; I think that sums it up very well. I always always feel that everybody else has done/is doing so much more than me and so much better and that sends me into a complete tizzy. It seems that some people have finished some aspects of revision that I have not even started.

But why oh why am I such a procrastinator? Why can't I just make myself sit down and get on with things?? I have always had this tendency and it seems to be getting worse the older I get. That's why it's so annoying now because if I had just got on with things earlier and not wallied about, then I wouldn't be crying and gibbering and wailing to people on the internet.

Anyway, all I can do is revise the best I can in the time available; ignore other people discussing how much they have done; turn up to the exam and try to answer the questions. If (when) I fail, at least I will know why and then I can rectify matters for the resit. Yeh, right!

I'm sure I'll be back to wail some more. Thanks again for the virtual hand-holding. It really helps me feel less isolated

schroeder, I didn't much like the multimedia stuff either, but found a good way (for me) to work was to go over the stuff on the DVD first, and then work mainly from the transcripts. It is a pain in the arse but the material is so good it's worth it :)

tartan I did that course (or its predecessor) and it was the one with a curveball question on a tma I'd revised. Anyway, I passed it! I think I learnt 3 TMA essays (I was very lazy about revising and just took that chance) and vaguely learnt another one. There were 3 essays in teh exam and 2 of teh essays I'd learnt pretty much came up - almost exactly the same. I blagged for teh 3rd one. I remember that you used to be given a choice for your TMA essays out of 2 options? Well, try and consider both questions when you're revising - my top tip.

You won't fail - someone I know cried all the way through her first exam (snot on the exam paper and everything ) and she still passed! Don't waste energy beating yourself up about what you haven't done, and avoid the forums if they're more stressful than helpful. Analyse the hell out of the past papers to see if there's a predictable pattern to the questions to help you focus your revision. Make sure you write something for all the questions (work out your timings and stick to them religiously) - don't be tempted to spend too much time on your 'best' area at the expense of the other questions.

Honestly, you'll be OK. It's your first OU exam so there's the whole terror of the unknown thing going on as well, but take it from us, it's not as bad as you fear. Deep breaths!

Hi schroeder and thanks - all good advice. Your DH sounds great - mine won't sort software because everytime I ask him he's in a bad mood and refuses. He's working out of the country for the next two weeks which is handy in some ways because at least it's one less to cater for and I don't have to tidy up for him coming in from work . On the other hand, when he's away the DC all play up a lot more because they know when dad's away and mum's all stressy with OU work then they can get away with murder. I find that screeching at them eats into valuable revision time, so I just let them run riot!! Hey ho.

Oh, the telly. I only every really watch it at TMA and exam time. Then wonder why I'm in such a funk. I'd watch anything rather than get on with studying.

That is what I have inanvertantly done because, I didn't read the box properly.

Wow, lots of x-posts. Oh shroeder, that telly! I see what you mean now. I thought you meant the distracting one with programmes like X-Factor and Welsh Hillfarming Weekly which I find compulsory viewing at TMA time.

said, I admire your blagging too! The exam for current U211 is in three parts. Part A (20%) is where we have to choose 4 out of 6 given terms and give explanation with examples of how the concept is used in English language study. There are a total of 100 key terms we need to have revised/memorised. I've done about 8 so far, others have done the whole 100 and written them out on colour coded index cards. Part B (40%) gives you a choice of two data analysis type questions where you have to apply one or more analytical frameworks and Part C (40%) is an essay with a choice of 1 out of 4 questions; each question relates to a different block of study. Sounds like they've changed the format a bit since the previous course. Did you know it's changing again next year and the new module doesn't have an exam? If only I'd waited and done something else first.

That's funny about the crying candidate Prolesworth, especially the snot on the paper. I wonder if I'd get extra marks for doing the same? I don't suppose it could be any less disgusting than my prose. It actually does make me feel better to hear things like that, at least I know I'm not alone. I might well take up your suggestion of a daily report, it's a good idea. I'll have a think about what I need to do and then see if I can't get organised to come on here and post.

Thank you all very much for this. I need a lot of reassurance and nice words at times like this. When I wail and weep at home, DH just points out that I should have managed my time better and been more organised. I think he's trying to help, just not succeeding.

Yeah, but Part A is only worth 20% - keep that in perspective. It's changed a lot since I did it and yes, next courses I plan on doing have NO exam - oh god, the joy!

I blagged on an essay about children's speech development - easier when you have a child. And, for all I know, I may have got o% for it. The joy is never having to think about it ever again

Oh, tartan, you'll be ok, you really will. Just get on with it, choose the topics, make a study plan and just do it-every day, good few hours (with breaks!) and you'll be fine.

FWIW I did level 2 exam year before last and I revised for less then a week. I was doing ok on the TMAs, but felt like I knew nothing. It wasn't the case, I got 83%. You've got 2 weeks, you'll be totally ok.

Just get on with it

another voice to add to the chorus - you'll be fine.

I did a level 2 course last year and if I'm honest, I didn't do ANY of the work week by week, fell behind terribly and ended up just cherry picking the stuff I needed for the TMAs, and then revised for about a week and a half on the stuff I'd done for the TMAs plus one extra thing that was compulsory.

It's essential that you just start now, without wasting time worrying about it, start on a damage limitation exercise and plan plan plan. Try to get into a positive frame of mind, what's done is done and no amount of handwringing can change that.

Do you have any indication of what is coming up on the paper - some courses tell you in advance so that you can discard some topics out of hand.

Also, I always tell myself that at this stage there is no point trying to fill my mind with peripheral facts that will only jostle for space with the most essential things. Work out the essential things that you'll need to show them you know (key phrases, concepts etc) and have them ready. Yes, I know they say an exam answer shouldn't be "all I know about dot dot" but some of us really do have to just write all we know because we haven't really done the work! And anyway, you can phrase it so that it doesn't look like that is what you're doing

I passed btw. I'm sure you will too!

Just keep remembering there are no trick questions, and the examiner wants you to pass!

Just popping in very quickly to say thank you all for such wonderful, sane advice. It has helped me so much to hear the experiences of "normal" students. I find the forums (FB, OU, etc) absolutely terrifying because they seem to be full of people earnestly detailing how much they have done, sometimes to the extent of posting photos of their revision . To be fair, I think people generally want to be helpful, but I find it so demoralising seeing them talk about how much work they have done and how many notes they have taken. I am far more reassured hearing about last-minute merchants (I'm one!) and snottering on exam papers (I can do that too).

Anyway, to minimise distractions I have deleted my FB account and am banning myself from MN for the duration. I find this thread to be fantastic but I know I will just waste hours of revision time reading other threads about all kinds of crap from dealing with MILs to how to get scale marks off shower doors.

I have signed up for another course, so will no doubt return in a week or so to continue weeping and wailing about different things.

So, thanks once again and best wishes to anybody with TMAs or exams or other stuff due. Don't be like me!

Good for you tartan - good luck!

Hey winny you know AA316 that you did last year? Did you get a notification about half way through of which topics were coming up on the exam? When I did A207 last year there was a huge amount of varied subjects involved, but we got a notification about which topics would be coming up so we could choose which subjects we'd answer on. Organised peeps seemed to revise 2 out of 3 possibilities for each section of the exam, but due to lack of work I had to pick my subjects and stick with those, no back ups.

Would be good if that were to happen again this year, but I think maybe it won't?

well done tartan, you can do it!

The mind boggles at the thought of people taking photos of their revision

wildstrawberryplace- no, I don't think so...we got SEP, but no list of topics likely to come up. Lots of people were complaining after the exam as they thought the questions were very hard/unexpected, so perhaps the exam board will take that into account when preparing this year's papers and be a bit more predictible

at posting photos of your revision. This is my photo below

Those OU forums used to get me all riled up as well.

Well I have achieved exactly zero today (except I bought an outfit for my interview).

Tomorrow I'm going out for the day good start to my procrastinating.

I'm supposed to be looking for a job.

I have been writing one application letter

three sentences a day

for the last three days.

And the course has supposedly started as well

How's everyone else doing?

No one told you when to run
You missed the starting gun

Story of my life. But yeah, mine has started too. Oh yeah we're both doing A215 aren't we? I haven't even looked at the stuff yet

I had a look at the coursebook. Freewriting, morning pages...especially at the morning pages, like that's ever going to happen. I can't even talk before I had my coffee.

Did you have a look at A215 forum yet? Thousands of posts and everyone is so enthusiastic

Argh. DD's calling me. She was crying in her cot so put her in my bed. She's sitting there with the cat and a mountain of toys, chatting

So I've got an ema to be in in 2 days, only written about half of it, so what did I do tonight...went to a shopping centre to a student night where there was loads of discounts in the shops. So not only have I not finished my ema (I'm not going to mention the exam I have in in 13 days that I haven't started to revise for yet) but I also spent a whole load of money I can't really afford. I am crap, totally crap. But do have some really gorgeous new clothes

winny I was just thinking awwww DD in your bed with the cat and a pile of toys, chatting - what's not to like? ...and I then I saw you posted at 10.30pm . I am so understanding your frustration .

Yeah I always think morning pages are good in theory but with young kids? Not very realistic.

With forums, my fairly antisocial way of dealing with the fear they engender is think to myself that the prolific posters on them are clueless dicks all talk and no action.