Is it worth studying with the Open University? How is their reputation?

BillJones

bauhaus_modern wrote: »

If i had the chance again, i wouldn't study any higher than a degree level, regardless of quality of course or institution.
The economy is in a terrible state right now.

It really isn't. It is roaring ahead, joblessness is plummeting, employment is increasing, and the recovery is broad-based.

pmd123

I said this on your previous post, but must reiterate...

Speak with a careers advisor!

you are bouncing from one idea to another without having a clear idea what you want to do. You want a degree, that is great, is it linked to radiology which you wanted before? or do you want to focus on gaming? film directing? acting?

As others have rightly pointed out, the latter 3 are very hard fields to crack, and you would really need to stand out from the crowd in order to make good money from them.

Think about what want to achieve before jumping into this, if you decide on radiology, then it is a very specific degree you would be taking, however it may be more appropriate to do a more generic degree which would open up more avenues for you in the longer term, a careers advisor would explain these options to you and hopefully give you a little more focus.

GwylimT

I started a degree with the OU when I was 23, I left the course after two semesters as I didn't receive what was promised, our course literature stated we would have monthly practical blocks and monthly lectures from a particular physics professor, not a single one happened, but they didn't tell us in advance so I was money on travel and a hotel. So after that I attended my local university.

Murphybear

The OU does have a good reputation worldwide. It is quite difficult to compare it directly to other universities because of the way things are done.

I have not studied with them but have seen massive amount of the Maths course materials as I worked in the Maths Faculty for years, certainly no easy option. As an employer they were superb, best I ever had.

UriGagarin

Hi all , just joined up to add to the discussion on the OU.

Finished studying with the OU last year - initially it was a taster course - Diploma in IT.

Roughly equivalent to 2 years of normal Uni degree, give or take (same credit as 1 but need to do some 2 year stuff) .

Certainly some of the course work can seem a bit noddy if you know some of the subject matter beforehand , but they have to assume you know nothing so it breaks you in, but it does ramp up quite quickly, the Database theory one I took was very abstract and it wasn't until it went to the practical parts that I finally "got" it. Even then it was a struggle to get it all absorbed .

The only reason I stopped going further after that was the cost - effectively tripled per module*.

A tad annoying to say the least.

As for the quality - of the modules - varied wildly between excellent , dull and awful.

Can't say I really worked that hard - simply because of my prior knowledge but I had to revise hard and the assignments were time consuming, I took to starting that as soon as possible and to a bit each night or doing a whole bunch over a weekend to get it done.

Its not something that can be done in 5 minutes, it cost a whole lot more now than it used to and even in 1 faculty the quality varied. So much like any Uni.

would I have continued if the cost had remained the same ? Yes.

Would I recommend to others ?
Only if you are committed to doing the work - it does take time - and I was only doing 1 module at a time - doing 2 nearly killed me in terms of getting assignments and revision done and working and having things like food.


* Yes it should have been frozen for existing students until 2017, but that only applied to their existing course - I was in my last module for the diploma when the changes were made - so do I stick or twist ? I stuck .

Bonniepurple

I am half way through a BA in Business Studies, and I find that the course needs a LOT of time and discipline. The module I've just finished I could do my studying within my days off, the one before I would finish work, get home, get the girls in bed - and then study, most nights - AND 2 days a week.

I have a degree from a brick uni, and I wanted to improve my employability. Hand on heart, I work harder now than during my first degree. My then boss noticed a vast improvement in me when I started, as I was using my brain more. I now have a different job, which I would not have got without one of my modules - so it does pay off.

I find it easy to sit myself down and study, but many people have said to me that they couldn't do it. OP, before you sign up, try sitting down at a set time each day/week, and use the time to learn. Set yourself a target of learning something - and then go and learn it. See how you get on. You might find that you need set lectures to motivate you, or you might find that you just get your head down.

Jim_B_3

emsywoo123 wrote: »

If I could thank this 100 times I would.

The drop out rate would be fascinating to know, as from my time studying with he OU (just 14 months, but full time) more than half have abandoned studies as it's not the "20 mins a week" they thought it might be.

At risk of resurrecting an old thread, over the last few years I've seen drop out figures for the OU Masters in Maths. It's not quite so cut and dried, as you can start by aiming for a lesser qualification (lesser in length, not quality), but a bit under half of the people who start the recommended first class of the Masters in Maths pass the first exam.

There are five exams in total, and a dissertation. So the drop out rate over the entire course is huge. Half don't make it through the first exam, and there are four more after that, although the drop out rate for those is not so huge (presumably having shaken out most of the peple who won't make it in the first exam). It's really a lot of work, and it's really, really not simple or spoonfed.