OU Students Past, Present and Future

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  • mum2one
    mum2one Posts: 16,279
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    I've passed my exam in B203, (business), absolutely amazed.

    So that now gives me, Higher Dipolma in Business and Foundation Degree in Business xx
    xx rip dad... we had our ups and downs but we’re always be family xx
  • bestpud
    bestpud Posts: 11,048 Forumite
    I've just signed up for K101 :eek:

    First OU course and I'm rather scared, to put it mildly!

    I have studied at HE level before but it's the organisation I'm worried about most.

    Are you guys all super organised people or have you found it takes some time to get into the swing of it? :D

    Also, has anyone had experience of the DSA process through the OU?

    It would be a great help to have accessible course materials but what happens if your DSA application isn't processed before the course starts?
  • SuziQ
    SuziQ Posts: 3,042 Forumite
    Bestpud, I have also applied for k101-maybe we will be able to support one another. I was sent all the DSA stuff although I don't thinbk it applies to me at all. I 'phoned up and had a careers discussion with an advisor: they explained all about financial help and DSA, he really was helpful and informative and I would recommend you ringing and discussing your own situation. I have had an email to say my financial help is being assessed currently.I believe that for k101 all the financial stuff etc has to be sorted by the 16th August?
    Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it!
  • juno
    juno Posts: 6,553
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    bestpud wrote: »
    I've just signed up for K101 :eek:

    First OU course and I'm rather scared, to put it mildly!

    I have studied at HE level before but it's the organisation I'm worried about most.

    Are you guys all super organised people or have you found it takes some time to get into the swing of it? :D

    Also, has anyone had experience of the DSA process through the OU?

    It would be a great help to have accessible course materials but what happens if your DSA application isn't processed before the course starts?
    It depends what accessibility options you need. You can have some of them without needing DSA - I got comb bond materials without applying, and there are other options they can do (I think tapes or large print etc). I can't remember how I applied for those, though, but I think they sent me a separate form. Comb binding has helped me loads - I now buy all my notebooks with it, and it's made things so much easier!
    If you do get books in a different format then you get the usual ones as well.

    You also write a statement about how your disability affects you which your tutors get. So if your needs aren't met straight away you can ask for an extension on any work and your tutor should be understanding. You may also get extra help if you need it.

    But DSA is really fast. Obviously apply as soon as you can but as long as you've got the necessary evidence you might be able to get it for your course start. I'm sure I sent the forms one week and they called me the next to arrange the asssessment, and once they had phoned my assessment was the next day. You do need a home assessment and have to be in for any equipment to be delivered, so if you're busy that may slow things down.
    Murphy's No More Pies Club #209

    Total debt [STRIKE]£4578.27[/STRIKE] £0.00 :j
    100% paid off :j

  • bestpud
    bestpud Posts: 11,048 Forumite
    SuziQ wrote: »
    Bestpud, I have also applied for k101-maybe we will be able to support one another. I was sent all the DSA stuff although I don't thinbk it applies to me at all. I 'phoned up and had a careers discussion with an advisor: they explained all about financial help and DSA, he really was helpful and informative and I would recommend you ringing and discussing your own situation. I have had an email to say my financial help is being assessed currently.I believe that for k101 all the financial stuff etc has to be sorted by the 16th August?

    That sounds good to me! Here's to a successful course! :beer:

    I hope they send the paperwork fairly quick then! Although mine is complicated as I'm still waiting for last years funding to be approved!! I believe SFE won't even look at this years until that is sorted but the OU may be a bit different.

    juno wrote: »
    It depends what accessibility options you need. You can have some of them without needing DSA - I got comb bond materials without applying, and there are other options they can do (I think tapes or large print etc). I can't remember how I applied for those, though, but I think they sent me a separate form. Comb binding has helped me loads - I now buy all my notebooks with it, and it's made things so much easier!
    If you do get books in a different format then you get the usual ones as well.

    You also write a statement about how your disability affects you which your tutors get. So if your needs aren't met straight away you can ask for an extension on any work and your tutor should be understanding. You may also get extra help if you need it.

    But DSA is really fast. Obviously apply as soon as you can but as long as you've got the necessary evidence you might be able to get it for your course start. I'm sure I sent the forms one week and they called me the next to arrange the asssessment, and once they had phoned my assessment was the next day. You do need a home assessment and have to be in for any equipment to be delivered, so if you're busy that may slow things down.

    That's good to know, thank you.

    I could do with having the audio versions but comb bound books would also be easier, I think, as I use a coloured overlay when reading and it sits better on flat books.

    I could very much do with a program to change the background colour on my computer but will buy that myself if it doesn't come through in time and ask if they will reimburse me.

    I already have a DSA application in the normal student finance system - it's been there over four weeks now and not even been looked at yet!

    They told me today they will take over that automatically so maybe that will make things quicker...

    I have a report stating what my problems are and a statement I was told to pass on to tutors at my current uni so I guess that part is much the same then.

    I have plenty of time to sort the extra exam time out so not too worried about that.

    Last thing I need is extra time to do assignments - best out the way or I will have a backlog in no time, so I would probably ask them to refuse any requests of that nature from me!! :D
  • juno
    juno Posts: 6,553
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    You may have to choose one special format, so either comb binding or audio, but I'm not sure. If you phone the disability people they'll be able to help you. And as I said, that is not dependent on your DSA application so you will get it and it will be on time.

    You don't need to sort exam stuff tll about halfway through the course - I've only just done mine for a course that started in Feb with an exam in Oct. And if you're starting at level 1 most courses don't have exams anyway.
    Murphy's No More Pies Club #209

    Total debt [STRIKE]£4578.27[/STRIKE] £0.00 :j
    100% paid off :j

  • bestpud
    bestpud Posts: 11,048 Forumite
    juno wrote: »
    You may have to choose one special format, so either comb binding or audio, but I'm not sure. If you phone the disability people they'll be able to help you. And as I said, that is not dependent on your DSA application so you will get it and it will be on time.

    You don't need to sort exam stuff tll about halfway through the course - I've only just done mine for a course that started in Feb with an exam in Oct. And if you're starting at level 1 most courses don't have exams anyway.

    Yes, I thought that would be the case and that's fair enough.

    I will call them once I get my paperwork.

    There is an end of course exam for this one - 3 hours long so it's going to be a long morning/afternoon if I use the 25% extra time as well! :eek:
  • mum2one
    mum2one Posts: 16,279
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    Your DSA assessment should get sorted soon, when I had mine done (I'm stuck on crutches, with dodgy back, hips and popping pain killers, that I'm sure I rattle!!)

    I had an advisor out, who assessed my needs and talked me thought everything, he was really helpful, then he sent the report to DLA side, who then authorised the payments and the extras. I'm on my 3rd year of study, although some of my needs have changed slightly, I've just rang up, or wrote a letter to the DLA, stateing whats changed and they sort it all out.

    Once a year I get a letter stating what the next years allowances is, ie tutorials etc, if they change because of location etc the DLA office staff are brilliant.

    Yep the K101 has an exam, at the initial assessment it will be discussed what exam arrangements you would need.

    Mine personally are location close to home ( they do offer to do an at home service - but I have a spaniel puppy and neighbours who are becoming the Waltons). For a 3 hr exam, I have a 30 min break, to be taken as and when I need them.

    The exams they usually deal with half way through the course.

    They send you an assessment of your needs plus spare copies - the idea being you can send them to your tutors - so they can take account your needs ie - You may need an extension, due to health conditions.

    Congrats on signing up - don't forget to apply for your NUS card, its £10 for a year, but you get a lot of discounts, wouldn#t be without mine. xx
    xx rip dad... we had our ups and downs but we’re always be family xx
  • bestpud
    bestpud Posts: 11,048 Forumite
    It's good to know they are helpful when it comes to DSA.

    It's dyslexia and visual stress I have so travelling is not an issue - it's mainly the time it takes to organise my thoughts and then get it on paper.

    That and my shocking short term memory but I'm trying to improve that. The OU is more helpful for that as I can go over it again and again if I need - that's more difficult with a traditional uni!

    What worries me is my organisational skills and I'm hoping I can still get some support from a dyslexia tutor with that as I would have at my 'current' uni. It's about finding ways that work for me more than anything.

    I'm going to give it my best shot though and go a little easier on myself now I know why I struggle!

    Ooh, can we get an NUS card? :j. Do we have to be doing a certain number of hours for that?

    Out of interest, I was reading elsewhere (hope it wasnt here or i will look a right plonker! :D) about bank accounts and Santander apparently do student accounts for OU students but they were protesting about OU students being treated differently by banks.
  • mum2one
    mum2one Posts: 16,279
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    bestpud wrote: »
    It's good to know they are helpful when it comes to DSA.

    It's dyslexia and visual stress I have so travelling is not an issue - it's mainly the time it takes to organise my thoughts and then get it on paper.

    In the nicest of ways, at least you know what you need help with, if mine is an on-line course, I need to print the work off, but they give me an allowance for ink and paper, all helps out.

    That and my shocking short term memory but I'm trying to improve that. The OU is more helpful for that as I can go over it again and again if I need - that's more difficult with a traditional uni!
    I have a brain like a sieve, driving now, I'd be lost without my sat nav, but joking apart thou when you come to do an assisgment you would of already covered the work, its a case of finding it and typeing away.

    What worries me is my organisational skills and I'm hoping I can still get some support from a dyslexia tutor with that as I would have at my 'current' uni. It's about finding ways that work for me more than anything.
    This might sound daft, but write down what support you have had, and it happens, and if your anything like me, on the spot my brain goes dead.
    I can laugh now, but when I was down on hols earlier yr, won £350 on bingo and after I shouted "here", made sure I was heard.. my mind went dead, the photographer on the site came and sat with me while they were checking the numbers, - she was telling me to breath, I was that gobsmaked I forget how to breath, funny as 2 tables back, they thought I'd gone into labour!!

    I'm going to give it my best shot though and go a little easier on myself now I know why I struggle!

    Your do brilliant honestly, u sound so organised, and your jumping the hurdles now, and planning rather than into the course

    Ooh, can we get an NUS card? :j. Do we have to be doing a certain number of hours for that?

    Out of interest, I was reading elsewhere (hope it wasnt here or i will look a right plonker! :D) about bank accounts and Santander apparently do student accounts for OU students but they were protesting about OU students being treated differently by banks.

    Just popped a few thoughts along the way.

    The NUS card, once your enrolled on a course and its started you go to the NUS website, and fill in on there, for UNi - you choose Open Uni, upload your own photo, the card is valid for a year, (Sept - Aug), doesn't matter what course your doing - ur entitled to a card. I get some looks in the shop when I say do you do student discount, as I'm not 16/19.. nearly 40... but a discount is a discount!! Some places are 10% off, others 20% off, but most attractions etc give you a great discount, remember going to Ironbridge Musuem, instead of £10 adult fee, I got in for £3.00

    The bank accounts, thats a saga in its self, basically as OU is classed as part time study, banks don't recognise that were a student. For the accounts (think it was HSBC or Natwest), use to give a student railcard away free, u had to be under 25.

    Certainly interesting the Abbey - have to take a peep.

    xx
    xx rip dad... we had our ups and downs but we’re always be family xx
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