General procrastination/support/panic thread for students?

[QisforQcumber]

Be gentle, this is my first ever attempt at a thread.

Is anyone interested in starting up a general chatty thread for posters undertaking any kind of study? I'm supposed to be catching up on reading for my course but decided to start a thread instead.

No pencils, books or brain matter required.

I will start. I'm Q, I am an English Lang/Lit student with the OU. I work full time and I'm in my first year if study.

Over to you....

Hi TheWanderingUterus, we've "met" over on FWR. I've read some of your blog and your research area sounds fascinating

Hi zennor,

A blog update is on my list of things to do ( furiously procrastinating about it!)
Thanks for the nice comments on my research, it's very much a marmite topic so I'm more used to the other sort of comments.

I'm in London, have taken sanctuary in a library and am trying not to think about this afternoon. Eduroam is my friend today!

I have agreed my placement hours for next week - I'm doing my first ever crèche session, but I've been volunteering there since February. It's a crèche for children whose parents are in our ESOL class.

I've been told to get a good night's sleep on Sunday, and brace myself as the children are all new to the crèche and apparently scream and cry. M

What do I do if they all cry????

Oo Zennor which modules are you doing? I did an OU IR module and loved it

TD223 and the new IR one DD313 (replacement for DU301, I think?). DD313 website went live today so need to get cracking!

Welcome Zennor and Lollipop.

Freshers week, although it sort of doesn't apply to me as I am starting as a third year, and DS2 settling in week next week.
First time of driving into uni everyday after dropping DS1 at the childminder.
At least I finally get my timetable on Monday.

Some spaces have opened up on one of the modules I wanted, so now it is only me and one other out of the five of us going up that are not doing it.
Trying to stop being so angry about it but it is stressing me out.
I have a feeling I will end up being the only one not doing it!

Hello, can I join too? I am very nearly a student - I enrol on Wednesday on a part-time podiatry degree. I've finally got all my childcare sorted (except for the full time placement in May, not sure what I'm going to do about that) and filled in as many forms as I can before I go on Wednesday, so I'm now down to getting obsessed with finding the right desk lamp so I can see what I'm reading in my dark corner of the bedroom.

I'm getting so twitchy - I want to get started!

I loved DU301 so hope the replacement course is as good

Hi , I start tomorrow doing a full time degree & will be commuting, haven't thought this through at all ( knew if I did I'd find excuses!) and have just started checking train times for the week!
I'm slightly scared of being (almost) twice as old as most of my class mates and being last picked etc

I'll be twice as old as my classmates too Oodlives :-) Most of the new students will be full time, but I'm hoping the part-time group will include a few other mature students.

What's your degree?

Sign language.

Can I join please? I promise to procrastinate

I'm BabyDubs, about to go back for 2nd year in Ancient and Medieval History, full time. Taking a dip (nosedive!) into Archaeology this year too to hopefully broaden my perspective! At 30 I will be older than the rest of the students on my course by 10 years... except for one other mature student - its depressing as hell!!

I am married with 4 DC aged from 7-5months! No idea where I am going to find the time to be at Uni for 50ish hours a week (including travel as public transport is pants - 4 hour round trip!) and not end up living in a hovel... thank the heavens for wonderfully supportive DH taking the brunt of childcare and housework so I can indulge myself in such an expensive way!

Feeling some personal pressure all of a sudden to actually turn this degree into a job after I finish, shockingly I hadn't thought of this before... which yes, is utterly ridiculous!

See I am procrastinating really well already - I have so much reading to do before I go back!

Hello to all the new people!

BabyDubs: I did my undergraduate/masters degree in Ancient History. I am reaching the point where I am clearing my shelves to make space and have some books (not textbooks) you are welcome to have if we can work out some way of getting them to you? Happy to give you a list if you want?

Wandering That would be fabulous if you are sure! I would happily pay for them and delivery (paypal?) if they are the sort of thing I am doing, a list would be great thank you, please pm me :)
Though it would have to wait until the end of the month when the lovely student finance hit the bank... only to quickly fly back out for boring things like the mortgage - I so wish mine was beer token like the rest of my cohort!

Could I be quite cheeky and ask if you have 'worked in history' at all since your degree? I am doing the course because I love the topics.. but I have no idea how to turn that into a job.. and I have only just considered that I might want to think about that! (insert muppet smiley here!)

Just sent you the list. Don't know if there is anything useful there for you, I have thinned out my collection over the past few years and these are the last few. My masters dissertation was on roman women, can you tell?

I got disenchanted with ancient history in my third year, I was starting to realise I wanted to look in more depth at women and the stuff just isn't there for that time period. I know one or two of my cohort went further into PhDs, one went into museums I think.

Arghh, pressed send too soon.

Ancient historians have many useful transferable skills that are highly desirable to employers . What were you planning to do after you have finished - a PhD or something 'normal'?

I know what you mean about the rest of your cohort, I feel much older than some and much younger than others (quite a few retired people!)

I don't want more than postage for the books, they are taking up space on my shelves and space is valuable! I haven't touched them since we moved her four years ago, don't think I will again. Some of them I hoiked out of the charity bags I took to donate today. I'd rather they went to someone who could use them. If you live close enough I'm happy to drive and meet you somewhere.

Well, I survived my full day on placement. The morning was a shock - all the children took a while to settle and even then we had to go and get a couple of parents, and some parents stayed with their children. I did get lots of cuddles off one of the babies though, but then she started crying too - I think she had wind but not having children I had no idea what to do!
Luckily the staff at my placement are great and she was soon happy again :)

Today I'm working a 4 hour shift at my part time job so no rest for me!

Wanding I have replied to your message, thank you very much again :)

I honestly have no idea what to do, up to now I have just felt grateful to have got in! I have the nagging doubt in my head that I am not clever enough to be there and someone is about to tap me on the shoulder and ask what the hell I was thinking turning up in the first place.. I think this has prevented any proper future planning.

I really want to continue studying but fear I will need to be employed as it seems so competitive to get funding.

BTW Congrats on your first placement Lollipop :)

Glad it went well Lollipop.

Babydubseverywhere : ah, my old friend the imposter syndrome en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome.

When I saw my supervisor (expert, top of field etc) the other week he said he lives in fear of having someone tap him on the shoulder and tell him he is wrong. I think most people in academia feel that way deep down. I certainly do 90% of the time.

Funding is really competitive, but there is a website out there that lists all the funding opportunities from big to small. Also some humanities are much easier (hah) to do a part time PHD in, because there is no need for lab access or field work. Part time fees are only around £2k a year, much cheaper than full time and you can work at the same time if you need to. There are some drawbacks but there are with everything.

Well, another good night at college last night - had to do maths and English assessments. My maths came out at Entry 3 but as it's mostly written work we do, they're not too worried.

We get our specs and all sorts of fun stuff next week. I can't quite believe one of the things I'll be assessed on is "read a story to a small group of children"

Hi everyone! Just about to embark on year 2 of my degree in International Studies. Studying part time and desperate not to leave everything to the last minute this year!

Hi everyone

I'm in my 3rd year of an Accounting and Finance degree. Studying full time, whilst also juggling part time work and 2 dc. I'm feeling the pressure quite a lot this year, feels like I've barely got time to fart these days

Right, I'm doing well in the procrastination department.

Not so well in the "finish 3 bits of work, and some course admin by Wednesday" department.

Can already tell nothing useful is getting done tonight, so must try harder tomorrow.

What module are you doing for International Studies, cheesybadger?

I got my list of activities that I'm going to be assessed on while I'm at placement - very exciting and now I just want to sit and plan things!

I am up to date on my work now, one more piece that I need to complete at placement as it's about risk assessments.