Has anyone on the site done home study ?

[lil_me]

I am considering an OU course, just looking for personal experience of using this way to study.

 

Basically at the moment my Dr won't let me go to Work or Uni so I need to study from home. I am wanting to do a Degree so I can go into teaching when I am better.

 

Just looking for any advice/info as I don't know anyone who has used home study before.

[Flora]

lilme I've done a couple of OU courses.

 

Also a friend of mine who is a single parent qualified as a teacher last year. She studied for 6 years with the OU while she was working as a TA (started as a dinner lady), got a 2-1 then did teacher training and is now teaching KS1.

 

I'd highly recommend the OU. You get loads of support and the course materials are excellent.

 

Lauren

[polkadotty]

I am considering an OU course, just looking for personal experience of using this way to study.

 

Basically at the moment my Dr won't let me go to Work or Uni so I need to study from home. I am wanting to do a Degree so I can go into teaching when I am better.

 

Just looking for any advice/info as I don't know anyone who has used home study before.

 

Hi lilme

 

I have a good friend too, who's a single mum with an ASD son, aged 8 plus another older NT son, and she has just completed her degree with the OU. It's taken her about 6 years, and i think she got a bit fed up with it by the end (like any long education thing, stamina is what its all about!) but she has no regrets at all. She couldn't have done it any other way, and now she's working part-time in the field she really wanted.

 

I am hoping that i can also do a teacher training for primary via OU - but until my son is in full time school again, i know that i can't manage it. I think the main thing about home study is that it can be a great release from the day to day and the humdrum, but it does require quite a lot of self-discipline. I'm the kind of worker that does frenetic buzz and then nothing for an age, so not doing 9 to 5 works really well for me, though I panic over hand in deadlines, and am not overly organised. But homestudy does mean you can organise your own timetable and if you want to work at 3am becaues you cant sleep, then you can. Equally, if you don't have childcare, then you are just doing everything. But at least, a change is as good as a .. well, change is good, anyway.

 

Good luck with your decision making! Find out as much as you can and see if you can talk to advisors at the OU who can give you an idea of time commitment and how much study you'll need to put in each week / month etc.

 

xxxx Polkadotty

[Tez]

I have taken a degree in a traditional university and a degree with the OU. I loved studying with the OU and found it suited my learning style far more than the traditional route. The course material is excellent and the tutor support is brilliant. Personally, I didn't attend any of the tutorials after the first year and I always chose courses without summer schools but this is because I know that I would have found these things too difficult to benefit from them acaedemically, however, I didn't find this a problem, the course material contains everything you need and you can always phone your tutor for support if you're struggling.

[lil_me]

Thanks for the response so far, I think I was expecting horror stories.

 

What started this was an old peer from school asked a Mam at my sons school what I was doing now, and she said she was suprised 'She is JUST a Mam' as I was TOTC at most things in school, very academic, after loosing my temper a bit I realised I am starting to loose a bit of my identity as me and becoming 'JUST a Mam' It could be several years before I return to work, but I want to do something now so I have qualifications to do something with. Also need to get my brain working aswell as something to achieve. Teaching is something I considered when I was at school and when I was pregnant I was just about to move to Surrey for a job in a school I wanted to work at. But having my eldest put a stop to that. Inside if I am honest I think I've always been a little regretful about that.

[UltraMum]

My degree course has been totally online with Ultraversity over the course of 3 years - there's a load of info here if you are interested. It works out cheaper than OU (I think ...) and many students are using the degree qualification to lead into PGCE's and GTP courses.

[lil_me]

Just looked through that thanks, but looks like it is for those in work. I was also advise by the teacher training service to do a degree in a curriculum subject.

[Kathryn]

Thanks for the response so far, I think I was expecting horror stories.

 

What started this was an old peer from school asked a Mam at my sons school what I was doing now, and she said she was suprised 'She is JUST a Mam' as I was TOTC at most things in school, very academic, after loosing my temper a bit I realised I am starting to loose a bit of my identity as me and becoming 'JUST a Mam' It could be several years before I return to work, but I want to do something now so I have qualifications to do something with. Also need to get my brain working aswell as something to achieve. Teaching is something I considered when I was at school and when I was pregnant I was just about to move to Surrey for a job in a school I wanted to work at. But having my eldest put a stop to that. Inside if I am honest I think I've always been a little regretful about that.

 

lil me,

 

I can understand this feeling. I felt like this after my daughter was born and when she started school I went back to studying. It was so good to be valued for myself rather than known as "xxxx's mum".

 

Having done courses by distance learning, I'd agree with others that you have to be really disciplined and keep to deadlines. I found at home there were always so many distractions and demands and it was difficult to set time aside for academic work. It's important to do subjects you enjoy, then motivation remains high.

 

Go for it, it's never to late to achieve your ambitions. I'm in my forties, and I've only recently got the kind of job I've always wanted.

 

K

[carrieq]

I've studied both ways and for home study you relly do have to be very organised and set times to do your course work and don't let other things interfere with that time. I found it easy to put the study on the back burner and did alot of all nighters getting assignments out!!

Good luck and enjoy your studies!

Carrie