Is anybody else starting an OU course in Oct/Nov?

[Niecie]

Or is it only mean who will have to spend Christmas studying again?

I meant is it only me who will be have to spend Christmas studying.

Yes, I thought of starting one, but decided to wait until Feb - and I am glad now because after next week's exam I am going to feel like a break.

I'm doing A215 - Creative writing!

What are you studyig Niecie?

Wise move - I haven't done anything since April so I don't have that excuse.

What are you studying?

I don't envy you the exam next week although I associate this time of year with OU exams - it was weird doing one in April this year.

Best of luck with your exam though.

I'm doing A200 European history 1500-1900. My first exam for 20 years so just a little nervous.

I'm sure you will be fine - the OU want you to pass too.

I thought I really messed up my first exam I did with them. I only wrote 2 full essays and a couple of pages of notes for the last essay as I ran out of time. I still passed very comfortably. You don't have to know everything and they don't expect you to write to the same standard as you would write a TMA as you simply don't have the time.

Just look forward to that wonderful feeling you get when it is all over and your life is your own again.

I started diabetes care (sk120) a week ago, and start human biology (sk277) in Novemeber! So ill be alongside you too!!

ive just started doing sdk125 introducing health sciences my first ou course so i will be studying with you.

Message withdrawn

Nice to know I am not alone as I don't have any tutorials with this course. I was feeling like I was the only one who had to do OU over Christmas which is pretty grim.

I am doing DS871 Exploring Cognition which is my first proper MSc Psychology course. I did the compulsory foundation course for the social science masters but this is the first 'real' psychology course I have done and it is full of long words so I am a bit worried too.

I did the OU post grad conversion in psychology a few years ago but I was exempt DSE212 because of a general psychology course I took whilst doing my first degree. However, in a fit of enthusiasm I bought the books when I was thinking of starting the OU so I know how big they are! I am sure you will be fine - it is really interesting.

Why do everybody else's course sound more interesting than mine.

Ahaha! I got told off for jumping on the "I'm further behind than you" bandwagon because I hadn't received my materials until a day before the course started. I was just trying to let people know there was someone worse off than them!!

It has been useful for queries on the course but I do feel like a bit of an outsider! It's like anywhere though, you get some knowitalls. Just looks worse in print!

I have just started S103 Discovering Science. I have my first tutorial on Thursday and I'm soooo worried I am going to look like a total dimwit compared to everyone else.

Ach well, as my dad would say

Anyone else find it hard fitting in the studying around everyday life?

Lou1971 - a pain about the books. I always think I will get ahead (but never do) so it would be a bit stressful to find my books haven't arrived that late in the day. However, at the rate we are going with the postal strikes I won't get mine until the course starts either.

missgrisly - don't worry about the tutorial. You definitely won't be a dimwit compared to the others. You will all be in the same boat, except somebody is bound to sound like they know it all but they almost certainly don't.

Good luck to everybody though. I hope it turns out to be interesting.

I'm starting an OU course in February. I would have been starting in October, but my baby is due this month!

Has anyone else studied while looking after a tiny baby? People have been very encouraging, but I wonder if I'm taking on a bit too much...

Lazycat - I studied my final psychology post grad conversion course when DS1 was 6mth - 14mths. I had tried to do it when I was pregnant. I had this wonderful plan that I would do what I could until I went on materntiy leave and then work hard on maternity leave, finish the course work and then be left with only revising and the exam to do after DS was born in July. After all babies sleep all day don't they. Wrong!!!!!

Great plan but it didn't work. I got too far behind with the reading when I was working and never caught up and got ahead so I had to pull out after DS was born and try again the following year when he was a little older and not feeding constantly and keeping me up all night.

It was OK the second time, as my son was still waking at night but he was going to bed in the evenings at about 7.30 and then sleeping until midnight so I got my work done then. He never settled down into a daytime sleep routine until he was 12 months old so I couldn't study in the day at all. If I had had ds2 first I would have been OK as he was a bit more settled and had a regular morning and afternoon sleep and he wasn't always feeding either.

You will have 4 months to get your baby settled so it won't be too bad I shouldn't think. You will probably find it helps to start the course as soon as the books arrive rather than sticking to the timetable as it is helpful to get as much ahead as possible to account for those weeks when you won't get much done because your baby suddenly doesn't sleep very well for whatever reason.

So the moral of the story is you can do it but it is easier if you have a settled baby who falls naturally into a sleep routine, instead of a feeding monster who always wants more!

Sorry Lazycat - Good luck with the baby this month. I hope it all goes well for you and the baby comes sooner rather than later.

Yorkshirepudding - I've just started DSE212 too.

thanks for the advice niecie! i'm doing psychology too, but i'm starting right at the beginning. did you enjoy your course?

can't wait to start - signed up nearly a year ago...

Lazycat, I did enjoy the courses, although I had my moments when I wondered why I was doing it - usually these coincided with essay deadlines!

Probably my favourite was Child Development as that was the one I did around the time DS1 arrived and it just seemed so relevant to me. Cognitive was good too although I think some people find it all a bit scientific. That was the only one which had a summer school which was an experience! Probably my least favourite was social psychology although it was still enjoyable. It is just that personally, I am not into the Freud/Jung stuff so much which is a part of that course. I was exempt the introduction to psychology course as I did a year's worth of psychology as a subsidiary course to my first degree.

Which course are you starting with?

Hi i have just started DD100, is there any one else on the board studying the same course

I've just started A2something... Approaching Literature. Will be my first year studying over Christmas as my last courses have been Feb starts.

Was meant to start Social policy ,level 3, on Oct 6th but books still not arrived! (is 13th today!)

Yup start A103 - Intro to Humanities today! AM a bit worried about the whole writing essays bit as havent done anything like that for wee while! horses

Ive just started DSE212 too!

Message withdrawn