OU study - how much time?

[bamaHamaHorror]

I'm due to start 2 OU psychology courses (1 each of levels 2&3) in Jan/Feb and now a bit worried I'm not going to be able to find the time. I know I should ideally be looking for around 30 hrs per week but how long does everyone else spend? Can you successfully complete the courses in less time?

Which 2 are you doing?

I found Child Development really interesting but the books are pretty big. Cognitive is good too and the books are thinner although you have set books as well. Social Psychology I found hard going but still quite enjoyable.

I would say that you could do it in less than 30 hours but you might need to compromise on what you read and you may not be able to cover all the course. It isn't absolutely necessary to have read everything but you do need to cover enough to do the assignments and to make sure you can do a choice of questions in the exams. Perhaps get some past papers from OUSBA and keep an eye on the type of questions they ask as you go through the course.

The study guides are a sort of condensed version of the course so for the bits you don't cover properly, you can get a bit of info by reading the study guide.

My concern for you would be if your essay deadlines come at the same time, which is possible as that would be v. hard work. Definitely try and get ahead when the books arrive - if you are lucky they will arrive before Christmas although I am still waiting for books for my course that starts on 3rd November so there are no guarantees.

It all depends what else you have to do in your life and how much help you get with family life. I was mostly restricted to evenings and a few hours at the weekend so I would have trouble doing 2 60 point courses but if you have some day time free it would be easier.

Good luck though - I hope it works out for you.

It depend also on how good you are at making concise notes which I am rubbish at. My notes take up pages!

Niecie - thanks for the reply. I'm doing child development and social. I've started background reading but am finding it difficult to get back into reading where I have to remember things! I will mostly be restricted to evenings, weekends and my ds nap time although currently trying to organise some child care from January to free up more time.
Will have to drastically cut back on my MN time and that could be the biggest challenge yet!

Are you doing two 60 pointers?

Yep - have been trying to work out how it's all going to work.....I think the bootcamping early nights may be about get late..! I think I can do it and I haven't got the time in my grand change of career plan to do the postgrad diploma over the next 3 years so I'm just going to have to! It could be soul destroying character building

Oh my lord that's tough. Two 30 pointers are hard enough.

I would start now and work fast to get as far ahead as possible. Once the assignments start coming one on top of another it's going to be tricky juggling everything.

How many hours per week are the courses saying you need in the course descriptions? Isn't 120 points the equivalent of full time study?

LOL at bootcamp - you'll probably find the weight falls off because you won't actually have time to eat.

I've done two 60 pointers in a year, two years running. But, they were level 1/2, I actually planned on doing level 3 one at a time. I'm doing law, and did find a big leap between level 2 and 3, and so you really do need that 16 hours a week, whereas with level 1/2 courses you can get away with quite a bit less. Having said that this year I'm doing two level 3, since last year I didn't complete the single level 3 due to unforeseen circumstances.

You don't say how old your children are? I have four, the older two will be at school, and the twins will be at preschool. It's worth spending the money if you have toddlers to get a few hours during the week to study. It gets very hard trying to fit it all in at weekends and evenings.

Oh and don't submit ANYTHING late, or you will end up in a horrendous mess!

What's your career plan after the diploma, bamaHamaHorror?

I kind of fell at the first hurdle as I finished my final course when DS1 was 15 months and then moved house twice and had another DS so it was only last year that I was certain I wouldn't be moving again and decided to do something. Problem is I have ended up doing an OU MSc even though I wanted to do something more vocational, that would lead to a job in psychology. We would struggle to find tuition fees and child care costs if I went as a daytime student to a normal university, so this is the easiest way of keeping my hand in but it still doesn't leave me with a clear career path. I am interested in what others do with their diploma though.

Oooh - I'm doing Social in Feb too! My last course.

Did Child Development last year and it was pretty straightforward. Did SD226 (30 points) at the same time and it was no bother. But wouldn't have liked to combine it with Cognitive this year...

I'm hoping - although it's a real long shot - to train as an educational psychologist. I need to do well in the diploma, get a minimun of 2 years related work (I'm aiming for a combination of part time job and voluntary work) and then aiming to start a masters in 2012 (with a one in ten chance of getting on the course). Oh, and we may or may not try and have another child in the meantime!! [must be mad]
I figure that if I don't get on the masters (usually based in Scotland so need a masters rather than a PhD) I'll have enough qualifications and experience to think again.
As I say, it's a pretty long shot!

ou don't recommend doing 2 60 pointers in 1 year -esp at level 2/3. If you've got a family you only need a sick child and you're getting behind -30 hours a week is a long time!
Having said that I did DSE212 last year and TBH I only put in about 4 hours a week max -but I'd already studied psychology at diploma level with my nursing so found it quite easy. I had to knock this year on the head however (MC at new year followed by flare of fibromyalgia)Kind of glad in a way cos one of the courses I picked I really disliked from first picking up the books - I'll just have to redo my biology with a different one this year.
Lisa x

That is kind of where I am heading at the moment. I can't do clinical as I don't have any work experience and am getting a bit old to spend years faffing around trying to get the right kind of experience to have a shadow of a chance on getting on a course.

I am really interested in health psychology but not really sure what they do except research tbh.

Forensic is very interesting and would fit with my first degree which was law and economics but I am not sure I am strong enought to spend my working life with criminals.

Educational psychology is looking increasingly appealing. I loved child development, I don't want to be a teacher as I would be rubbish at it, I don't have the patience to do it day in day out but I could cope dealing with children for a few hours at a time. The way in is clear too as I can do a couple of years being a teaching assistant (was looking at a job the other day but chicken out). The day time course I was looking at was actually developmental psychology and looked really interesting but as I say, it wasn't do-able.

I shall plod on with the OU MSc in the meantime. See where it takes me! I suppose I can finish that whilst I am getting some work experience.

Anyway, I wish you all the luck in the world with the two courses this year.

Thanks - I'm begining to suspect I'm going to need all the luck I can get!
From what I've read ed pysch is a growth area so hopefully it won't matter I've just got round to thinking about it in my mid thirties... good luck you too niecie, all this moving around and child care, it's all lovely but slows things down somewhat!

I think you just have to put your head down, put your life on hold for 9 months and get on with it and by this time next year it will all be over. Really get as far ahead with the reading as you can before the course starts and that will help a lot. As I said before you don't necessarily have to read everything. As I remember I didn't really read any of book 4 of the child dev. course and got the equivilent of a 2.1 by knowing the other stuff well. You can always go back and read it later when you have time if you feel you are missing out on part of your education!

GOOD LUCK!!!!!! (They really should have a smiley for that it gets said so much on MN)!

I would think really hard before doing two 60 pointers in a year.
I've just completed a level 2 60 pointer in Maths. I had a real nightmare - I've had 3 bad throat infections since Feb and it was enough to set me back for the whole course. You really have to make sure that you have enough give in your studying to allow for the unexpected.
I was fortunate because my tutor was fantastic and when I got behind he pointed me in the right direction so that my TMA's were all in on time even though they weren't all complete.
Having said that, I understand the time thing and wish you luck for next year.
I'm doing two level 3 30-pointers next year - so when I'm snowed under and feeling sorry for myself, i'll think of you and I'm sure it won't feel so bad!!!

hi just wanted to say that i too am due to start 2 60 credit ou psych courses in jan/feb in child development(level 2) & social psych(level 3) but am wondering if it may be too much of an undertaking. Some tutors have tried to put me off & im trying to be realistic but i would like to complete the post-grad conversion in 2 years & apply for MSc in Educ Psych in 2010 or 2011. Have bought course book for social psych on amazon & done some reading & have been told this is a good idea but it is heavy going!
Tonight iam now wondering if i should just do 1 at a time & take the 3 years? Decisions decisions...

mila21 - hi we're in exactly the same boat! I've started reading for the child development course but am seriously wondering if I can cope with the workload. I had thought about just doing one course next year but I'll have to do 2 the following year as if I stretch it over 3 there will be too long a gap to include the introductory course I completed back in '99. With the ed psych masters you really need at least 2 years full time work experience so I wouldn't be able to do 2 60 pointers and work as well. As you say, decisions decisions...

hi bamaHamaHorror im now seriously considering doing my conversion over 3 years to ensure I get good enough grades-just trying to establish if I would have my results for cognitive course in time to apply for entry to masters in 2011 (have to apply late 2010) My son is 2 1/2 & I work a few hours a week. If I take 3 years I reckon I'll be able to get more work experience at the same tome although next year I would have an overlap of courses since I have to do DSE212 even though I have 2 years of Psych in my undergrad degree.(degree is 12 years old & needs to be 10 or under to be exempt from DSE212-what a bummer!)
Sometimes I think I must be mad-200 applicants for 27 places! Did you say you were in Scotland?

Yes, I'm in Scotland so only need the masters rather than the PhD (although you can guarantee dh will get a job in England!). It really seems like a long shot however if I do manage to eventually get on the masters I'm going to start doing the lottery as well! . I think we're going to try and get 2 days per week child care which will help matters.

I did the psychology degree as I had considered entering child psychology, I actually remained a teacher and I would say you would find 2 60 pointers hard going with a family.

I was averaging a first and worked hard and doing one course a year I was doing about 20- 25 hours a week.

bamaHamaHorror I am in Scotland too! Have found out that will have 3 years to complete conversion & still apply for entry to masters in 2011. This means that I can do Child Dev in Jan/Feb, DSE212 in October next year which will overlap with Social the following Jan for about 5 months & then do Cognitive in Jan 2010. Whew! Feel much more comfortable with this although I'm sure it's possible to do 2 at once especially if you are going to have 2 days of child care a week.
Did you know Glasgow uni has a conversion psych course? It is a masters course & confers GBR like the OU conversion with 2 nights attendance per week during term time but I hear it's hard going.
Perhaps we'll meet at tutorials if we're in same area though I'm new to OU so I don't know how this works yet

mila21 - I'm assuming you're Glasgow based if you're aiming for 2011 - Strathclyde? I'm in Fife so am looking at Dundee in 2012 (which gives me an extra year I suppose!). My life is further (nicely) complicated at the moment by living in Australia until next August so I'm having to get the support online until then.

Best of luck with your studies and watch out for my inevitable thread from about March entitles "how do I cope with it all"!

hey at least you can study in the sun! I'm sure that'll make it so much more enjoyable.
Aiming for Strathclyde in 2011-closer than Dundee but it's sooo competitive. Like I said before I must be mad! I'll still be in my 30s then so I suppose that's something!
Good luck to you too

Hi all, just quickly read this thread. I am living in Australia started studying psychology (part time) when DS was 4months with no outside help (daycare, babysitters etc) at all. DH comes home home when I have classes to look after DS then makes the hours up at work (what an angel)
It can be done you just have to utilise every second. When DS goes down for a nap and to bed for the night I study. I get extra time on the weekends so about 30 - 40 hours in total (40 closers to finals).
At the beginning of each session I write up a routine for house work and stick to it until the 4weeks surrounding final exams, then we get a house cleaner. I think I will look into daycare for the future though because it is hard.
Don't know if that helps but I think you'll be fine. It takes a while to get back into it but then it gets easier.