Do we have an OU support thread and if not, shall we?

[Fillyjonk]

Cos studying with the OU, esp around kids, is soooooo hard

I am preparing to do S205 (The Molecular World). I cannot get my head around thermodynamics. I need about 2 hours just to sit with NO DISTRACTIONS but between 3 HE'd kids and a partner who works daft hours I am not getting a chance.

Also I cannot for the life of me remember WHY I am doing this

Hello ladies. Can I join in too?

I'm currently in hiding from my first TMA of my latest course, which is due on Friday. DT840 - Introduction to Research. It is part of the MSc in Psychology.

This is my 3rd MSc course and 6th OU course (did the post-grad conversion in psych before). I seem to have lost my enthusiasm a bit at the moment and am horribly behind with my reading. This TMA will have to be cobbled together.

I love the subject, but my powers of concentration are non-existent and Christmas was a very big distraction!

Needmorecoffee, if you are still around - I did D821 a couple of years ago, or D820 as it was then and I did Damaged Brains and Neural Networks last year. All good stuff but there is ALOT of D820. Loads of reading. Hope you manage to get the money together to get started. It isn't cheap is it?

(Do the OU do any funding for MSc courses? I know they give some help for undergrads but don't know about post-grads?)

Better get on with the TMA!

thanks,

Told my boss today and she was excited too

Husband was a bit more depressing though, along the lines of - but we need more money now! (true, but extra, workable, hours are almost impossible to get until I qualify.)

Anyway I'm still excited, can't wait - although I know the timing will be wonderful in terms of my youngest starting school etc. I always planned to start study again when that happened.

It doesn't start until October Molesworthy - ages away

Brilliant news pumpkin

Hello niecie - how's your TMA coming along? Is your course a general social research course or psych-specific?

hi pumpkin, is so great to do something that you are really enthuastic about!
My dh was less than about my courses when I first started I think he thought I would not stick with it but he is much better now and will actually look after the kids for 2 weeks over the summer while I go for the resi courses
Good luck for the TMA niecie.

leolioness, its good to hear that! I can see his point, but letting (simply) worrying about money stop me from improving my/our future financial/career prospects seems really stupid to me. Hopefully he'll be more supportive when I've completed my certificate.

In fact just announcing my commitment to study to my boss will probably have improved my chances of getting extra hours!

Did anyone else find they got a bit ahead of themselves - wanting to plan every course up to degree? If this one goes ok, I'm fairly certain which course I'd like to do next (Childhood)- looks totally up my street - and professionally very helpful.

I just really hope I will prove myself and not fall flat on my face! or that I might 'fall' pregnant, don't think I'd have his support if I implemented a ban on 'priviliges' though!

two weeks - I'm impressed - leolioness!

Niecie an MSc seems unimaginable, hope the TMA is coming along okay.

Hi again, no the TMA has stalled, despite your good wishes. I shall probably be up for the next 3 days trying to get it done.

Molesworth - The research is psychology focussed but could be applied to other social sciences - they do make reference to sociology and anthropology for example.

Pumpkinsoup - you would be surprised, an MSc is not really that much more difficult than a level 3 course. It isn't a huge step up from an undergrad degree. I think what you do study, you study in more detail. I got 90% for a TMA on my last course - I never managed that on an undergrad course and I haven't got that much more intelligent!!!

Better get back to it I suppose. At least I can send it electronically these days - gives me an extra 24 hours.

How is everybody else doing?

Oh pumpkin if you r planning on 'falling' pregnant then let me assure you it is still possible i finishsed my first course at 8 month pregnant so it can be done.

I was impressed by dh agreeing to 2 weeks too until I realised he plans to take them to my sil's place for the whle 2 weeks so she can help look after them and they will be occupied but their cousins, but hey what ever, as long as I get my 2 weeks right!

By the way I had my whole dergee planned our form the beginning but have changed my mind twice about whihc dergee I want to do in the last 3 years and had to replan the whole thing but that is half the fun.

niecie I am sure you will get you TMA together mine are always cobbled together after a last minute panic but seem to come out fine

lol, that sounds like my hubby, leo - he agreed to look after my girls when I went on a conference weekend a couple of months ago. I was so impressed - He only looked after them for one night - the rest of the time they spent at his parents! Still, everyone had a great time

I'm a bit wary of getting ahead of myself, but really like the idea of doing level 2 Childhood next (also probably best for keeping options open, and career development), then suspect it will be decided by career choices and demands. Would really like to do the level 3 personal lives and social policy if its still running by then - looks so interesting, and would probably do the research with children and youth course. Ooh its so exciting. I've begun working through some of the openlearn 'courses' to prepare myself.

I really should stop hogging this discussion though - especially as I haven't even started a course yet!

Im due to start DD100 next month. I went to an open day at our regional OU today and looked at the course material. Was very surprised to see how structured it seemed - dont know why. Im totally new to this so would welcome any advice/tips.

DD100 is an excellent course jampot; I hope you enjoy it as much as I did

thanks

Can I join?

I'm doing S194 (short course, introducing astronomy) at the minute to ease me into ou life.

I start U212 Childhood and ED209 at the end of the month. So worried I've taken too much on!

Pumpkin I'll let you know how good Childhood is lol. The books all look fab, have been totlaly shocked by the standerd and structure of it all.

Hi catch!
Good luck for you upcoming courses.

I thought I was going to be all alone!

Oooh my course materials are here. I'm actually really excited now!

I'm thinking of doing the short course Photography. I'm enjoying my creative writing and thought that an extra wee course would be lovely.

Hello back to leo

MadreInglese forgive my ignorance but are you starting the course soon or have you been studying it for a while? Oh I'm so happy there's someone else doing ED209 on here!

Mars, I studied photography very briefly at college and really enjoyed it. Stuck to doing Media and moving image instead though.

I think I've definitely caught the OU bug. Am already looking at other science short courses I can do. Ffs, haven't even started the second year of my degree yet, nor could I afford them. The books are all staring at me, longing to be opened. Am too busy learning about Orion and the angular size of Jupiter at the minute though!

Am also highly preoccupied by the sheer ammount of washing I now have. Dd thought that mushing chalk, chocoalte and biscuits into my lovely couches was a very amusing thing to do. Little -terror- cherub that she is. Thank goodness for removable covers eh?!

Starting this Feb, I had my first look through the books & leaflets yesterday (eek!)

Hi Catch, yes please do keep me updated as to how you find the U212. Wow - I'm impressed your doing them both! Have you done Uni study before - when you say you are shocked at the structure and standard, is that compared to a 'normal' Uni? I'm hoping so - think I might need it to keep myself motivated.

Which qualification are you aiming for?

Love my washable covers - except the one that has a broken zip and refuses to remove - now a different shade of white to all the others :-)

washable covers are a must with small kids I could not survive without mine. I have just started reading my book for S204 and there is sooooooooo much to remember but it is all really interesting (hoping my enthuiasm lasts the lenght of the course)

I am half way through using mathematics, and I do not know what to do next...
The follow on course to my maths course only has a February start date. The problem is, I am a SAHM and I try to fit my study in around the children's schoool days. A Feb start will mean that the course is in full swing during the long summer holidays. I find September starts quite easy to manage. I do not get much study done when the children are on a break from school, so I simply study hard to get two weeks ahead and then take a break with them. The problem is I do not think I could get 6 weeks ahead with a course that will be stretching me to the limit of my mathematical ability (and beyond ).

The answer is evening study, but then my course for fun suddenly becomes a lot less fun! I have found that lots of level 2 courses only have a February start date, which is not too good for me.

I'd like to see more autumn starts too, but the trend seems to be for more February starts

I'm in happy shock.

I just got 92% for my radio play adaptation of my first Creative Writing assignment (I got 78% for it in its original form).