Open University

albreda

Hi

Is there anyone who knows of moneysaving tips, hints and tricks for those of us doing Open University courses?

loopy_lass

i would say dont think for yourself, they like you to read and understand what they have provided you with, as long as you can regurgitate & understand their information youll be ok...

loops

skylight

Good luck with it!

I found some (and have recently re-sold!) my course books on ebay for a lot less than normal prices - try amazon marketplace as well. Plus theres notes scribled in the sides!

And for your weeks residential course, leave your cash cards behind and only take money! You'd be surprised at how many "get togethers" there are!

Phonix

And for your weeks residential course, leave your cash cards behind and only take money! You'd be surprised at how many "get togethers" there are!

Sounds abit dangerous. Always keep plastic on you for emergencies, even if you'll only be using cash most of the time.

Katgoddess

Residential trips are fun!

Get a OU student card. You'd be surprised how many places will take it.

Also check if your work union does grants. Mine (USDAW) gives me £65 for 30 point courses and £130 for 60 point courses Not much but works out about a third of the feees.

Go to tutorials. Your tutor will nearly always go over the tma's with you, and give you similar questions to practice on.

The OU budget account is a great way to pay for your course monthly by direct debit. Better than putting it on a credit card! Interest is 8.5% APR. You can ring them up and pay off a bit extra each month with your card if you are feeling flush.

You can get financial help if you earn below a certain amount. See Here .

Join First Class. It's an free online message board thing for OU students. There are many forums for people studying your courses, and OUSA ones for interest groups.

Any other questions PM me. I'm here all day.

albreda

Thanks everybody for your handy advice! I'll take all this away with me. I'm just coming to the end of my first year (A103 Intro. to the Humanities) and am looking forward to my next module (A220 France and the British Isles 17th Cent.).

stellagypsy

A tip for those going to Summer School in Durham - go for the vegetarian food option - neither choice is wonderful but the veggie choice was better than the other choice. I did 2 SS's in Durham at different colleges and this applied to both!

Also - watch out for the peppers if you go to Keele!

Stella - veteran of 3 OU Summer Schools!

Lara

I've thought lots of times about doing an OU course but could never decide which one to do. So good luck to all of you who are doing one now:).

BWZN93

This takes me back!! I did OU in 2000 and 2001 instead of A levels to get into uni as a 'mature' student! I did DD100, Social Sciences, and then W200, Understanding Law, and loved every minute of it! My sister and a couple of friends are just starting it, and Im going back to do a post grad certificate in Management next year.

Anyway, as KatGodess says, definately get an OU student card, it is becoming more widely accepted as a 'proper' student card, and gets you discounts, AS WELL AS admission to local university libraries (they send you a list of the Uni's you can use) so you can use their facilities.

If you need extra cash, the Student Loans Company now give student loans of up to £500 per year for OU students.

As for "dont think for yourself, they like you to read and understand what they have provided you with, as long as you can regurgitate & understand their information" well, I dont think thats strictly true of all courses at all! Law exams with the OU are the same as regular Uni, you still have to remember and absorb the same amount of information! Not an easy task to be fair, even with the OU! Personally, If I knew THEN what I know NOW, I wouldnt have gone to regular Uni, I would have stuck with the OU, I personally found it to be a much more effective way of learning a subject, I remember more law from the OU course than I did at regular Uni, and I enjoyed it more.

And if I had stayed with the OU?? I wouldnt have £15000 student debts.

Jo xx