The Open University degree - same as 'normal' degree?

timc85

I'm at the end of my second year of an OU Maths degree, doing 120 points in both years, and working full time. It's been pretty tough and, while I don't regret it at all, I would be very cautious about recommending it to anyone else. My social life has been a bit limited and I don't have time to do all the exercises and reading - I have to be pretty selective. I'll finish next year (hopefully with a first), and I can't speak highly enough of the OU.

FUBU23

Hi there,
Quick question in regards to the OU maths degree. I am about to embark on 3 years of maths with the OU in August or Sept( apologies for not knowing the correct month). 2 questions:
how well are they received on the financial community and second, will I be able to use my degree to apply for an internship with a major Wall Street bank?
All opinions are welcome.:)

Dunroamin

FUBU23 wrote: »

Hi there,
Quick question in regards to the OU maths degree. I am about to embark on 3 years of maths with the OU in August or Sept( apologies for not knowing the correct month). 2 questions:
how well are they received on the financial community and second, will I be able to use my degree to apply for an internship with a major Wall Street bank?
All opinions are welcome.:)

Unfortunately, excellent as the OU is, I think you've chosen an employment area (particularly the Wall Street bank) where this may not be recognised and valued.

As you want to do your degree in 3 years, have you considered going down a more traditional route?

dizzyrascal

Whilst it is great that you have ambition I think you may need to reconsider your goal and have other options available.
American Investment Banking is one of the most sought after roles and competition is very steep. Places have reduced since the recession and they can select from the best universities in the world. If you are a UK student there are lots of other barriers in your way with regards to immigration etc.
It would be much easier to get a job with a London branch of a US bank and hope to get transferred to the US, that way they do all the paperwork.
However, before you get that far you might need to consider studying to Masters level at Maths. You will be competing against many Masters level candidates and it might also be worth doing a dual honours with Economics to show you are more than just a mathematician and have studied a broader subject base.
You also need to be getting as much banking work experience as possible, follow every opportunity you can find to get your commercial awareness skills up to scratch. Look for university groups/societies that follow investment banking.
Follow the banks that you are interested on Twitter, they post there latest news there.
You should also look at the Fulbright Commissionhttp://www.fulbright.org.uk/ If you can get one of their internships you can really make some progress.
Also, if you look on any of the banks web sites they will have a section on Careers/Working for us. They will often post information about which Careers Fairs they will be attending. It might be worth going along to these to talk to the people who do the job, find out what they are looking for.
You will probably have to travel to London though (unless you already live there).

JimmyJar

I think OU people are really impressive. It takes a lot of commitment to complete, self motivation and determination. Great in an interview, and something to be very proud of. Anyone taking OU wish you the very best.

lifeiswar

I just want to weigh in on the discussion with - it's not the university it's the individual. However, exceptions for Oxford and Cambridge. I know people in my girlfriends family who have gone to Cambridge received a Chemistry degree and went straight into highly paid banking/financial jobs. And if you're going into certain areas e.g. hospitals, then certain Universities definitely help, like Nottingham University feeds into Nottingham hospital extremely well.

So depending on your chosen career path it definitely depends. I would recommend speaking to a careers advisor. However, my knowledge here (totally free). If your choices are limited then after receiving your OU degree you could do a Masters degree with another institute to bulk up your brownie points (providing you get a 2:1).

As for teaching, my brother did an OU degree with the OU and then his PGCE and is now a full qualified working teacher.

Despite what potential employers think and think they know. The OU has some of the best and most engaging course material around. If you make full use of what they offer then that will shine through. From how you present yourself, how you present your knowledge and the degree classification you earn.

I think it has a bit of stigma due to the vast amounts of people taking on an OU degree thinking it's an easy route to a degree. Then turning up at the door of an employer with a god awful degree classification acting like they deserve a job. That can taint an employers view, but again, it's ultimately down to the individual and will always be that.

dizzyrascal

Traditional university is not for everyone and employers understand that. Before the 2012 changes were imposed, 25% of OU students were under 25 and most were getting their fees etc paid for through financial support.
The rules on finance will change for the OU this September so it will be interesting to see if that figure stays the same or goes up. Traditional universities are expecting to have a greater % of commuter students due to the sheer cost of accommodation.
Perhaps more young people will take the view that a degree can be gained through the OU but at a lower cost? Things are certainly going to change.
Because of this, by the time you graduate, I would think employers will have started to see changes to the way people graduate and become more aware of the different routes in education.

ambervw

Hi,

I am currently studying my first module with the OU, its AA100 with an intention to complete an English Literature Degree. (I have previously studied 1 year at Aber uni doing Criminology) However I have done a complete U-turn and have decided to do a Science. My dream career is a forensic anthropologist (dealing with Human Skeletal remains) but this is obviously a very specialist subject which requires alot of studying. I just wanted to know if anyone has any info on if a Health science (focus on biology) will allow me to go on to gain a masters in forensic anthropology at a 'normal' uni?

Thankyou everyone in advance.

Voyager2002

ambervw wrote: »

Hi,

I am currently studying my first module with the OU, its AA100 with an intention to complete an English Literature Degree. (I have previously studied 1 year at Aber uni doing Criminology) However I have done a complete U-turn and have decided to do a Science. My dream career is a forensic anthropologist (dealing with Human Skeletal remains) but this is obviously a very specialist subject which requires alot of studying. I just wanted to know if anyone has any info on if a Health science (focus on biology) will allow me to go on to gain a masters in forensic anthropology at a 'normal' uni?

Thankyou everyone in advance.

Courses vary: you would have to contact departments offering the kind of Masters degree that interests you and look at their entrance requirements of ask them directly.

Do be aware that there is virtually no funding available for Masters courses (student loans are not available for them). So you might like to see whether potential employers provide any sponsorship, since the conditions for getting sponsored are likely to be a lot more rigorous than simply for getting on the course as a paying punter.

Djvasa

I am so interested in Health care and would love to be a Healthcare professional, I have just completed a Access course at college and now I really want to go to university. I have not been successful this year because of my interviews, and am being told that I should go into clearing. Should I Consider an OU Degree in Adult Nursing? or will the NMC not accept it.

any help will be greatly received.