A Question to students about where you study

redmel1621

Hi

My dh is starting f/t uni in sept and we are hoping for him to do most of his studying at university, he won't be stayng in halls so will have to commute each day about 50mins to hour each way.

The university library does have private study rooms, but I was wondering how feasible this actually is? How many of you do most of your work at uni, ie libraries, cafes, bar etc....

Mel x

The_One_Who

OK, let's try posting it again.

I tend to study in the library but during exam time is can be extremely busy and so quite distracting. It'll be my first port of call as long as I can find a quiet corner somewhere. If I'm not in there I might try doing some in the pub with friends, but again, can be distracting. I like cafes, and have had some quite interesting conversations with strangers. If it's a nice day then the park is good. At weekends I just stay at home to save myself from travelling.

Tre-beam

Hi,
When I was at uni I used to try and do some in the library but, as I tend to work better at night, I was a bit constrained by opening/closing times. I am currently doing an MSc with the OU and even though I have a library nearby I do most of my work at home (and some of the reading in the local cafe up the road). That's just me though and I appreciate that not everyone can do this.

I hope he enjoys his studies.

TB x

Oldernotwiser

I've been a mature student twice and both times I've done nearly all my studying in the university library. The last time I also found the main city centre library useful as well so this might be an extra option. Don't discount doing some study at home; depending on the age of your children it can be a great example for them to see that their parents enjoy studying and do it voluntarily.

melancholly

i tend to work at home - that way i can spread papers out everywhere in piles (obviously carefully and meaningfully arranged ). the best thing to do is see what his library is like - having been at 3 unis now i know there are some that i have worked in and some that didn't suit me at all.

redmel1621

Thanks for the quick replies..

the reason he is hoping to do most at uni because we have two boys who are 5&7 and a baby on the way...This is why he has decided to get himself off to a brick uni and away from the madness.
We have both been OU students for the last few years, so the boys have seen us studying and do know the value of education and we will definately make sure that continues.

Mel x

Oldernotwiser

redmel1621 wrote: »

the reason he is hoping to do most at uni because we have two boys who are 5&7 and a baby on the way...This is why he has decided to get himself off to a brick uni and away from the madness..

Mel x

Typical man - taking the coward's way out!:D

bestpud

I tend to work best in the uni library but I agree it can get very busy at exam/assessment times.

It takes me between 30-45 minutes to drive there, as a rule, but dd's school is on the way so I tend to drop her at school and go straight to uni, and then leave in time to pick her up again when she finishes. I do this on at least one day when I have no lectures, and I get a lot more work done than I do at home!

When the library is busy, I actually work quite well in the canteen, with my laptop (won't be when I go back though as it is broken).

To work at home, I need to be on my own tbh. I know a lot of mature students work in the evening but my brain starts to wilt at about 5pm and is positively useless by 9pm!

I could get quite a lot done first thing but unfortunately my dd(6) is an early riser so that's no good!

Really though, your OH probably won't know until he gets started so it may be better to keep an open mind and prepare to be flexible tbh. Plus, I have changed how I work over the three years I've been there too - there is much more research to do in the third year for example.

Have you got an area where he can shut himself away?

Tre-beam

I guess he will just have to work out what works best for him. I have known people who find it easier to work in the library in between lectures and give themselves set time limits etc (wouldn't work for me as I am far too lazy ). He could try that and also try the nearest cafes, parks etc and see how he gets on there. Depends how diciplined he is and whether he is easily distracted or not.

Hope this makes sense.....not really 'with it' today! :rolleyes:

redmel1621

bestpud wrote: »

I tend to work best in the uni library but I agree it can get very busy at exam/assessment times.

It takes me between 30-45 minutes to drive there, as a rule, but dd's school is on the way so I tend to drop her at school and go straight to uni, and then leave in time to pick her up again when she finishes. I do this on at least one day when I have no lectures, and I get a lot more work done than I do at home!

When the library is busy, I actually work quite well in the canteen, with my laptop (won't be when I go back though as it is broken).

To work at home, I need to be on my own tbh. I know a lot of mature students work in the evening but my brain starts to wilt at about 5pm and is positively useless by 9pm!

I could get quite a lot done first thing but unfortunately my dd(6) is an early riser so that's no good!

Really though, your OH probably won't know until he gets started so it may be better to keep an open mind and prepare to be flexible tbh. Plus, I have changed how I work over the three years I've been there too - there is much more research to do in the third year for example.

Have you got an area where he can shut himself away?

Well, we have the 3rd room currently as a study but that is going to be needed for the baby, so unfortunately not...
We are still 'debating' where all the desks and computer bookcases etc are all going to go!!!!

Mel x

Mel x

La-Cara

how is he commuting? if he's going by train/bus, he should be able to get some reading done there.
My uni cafe had an area for private study, and I used that a lot because most people worked in the library, so it was really quiet