One of my friends did a OU Degree and works for a big accountancy company he was told in his interview that they preferred people from OU degree as they usually have more drive and commitment as they usually do it as well as a full-time job. since some of its degrees are international its can be more challenging to be met by students who have done the international baccalaureate especially in sciences.
Open University anyone done it?
- Thread starter bakes0310
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Accreditation aside there are weekly tutorials for most modules and short residential courses. Its a mute point anyway as for most people studying with the OU they're already a bit older and working full time anyway - they likely already have better people skills than the average 18 yr old full time student. The OU simply needs to cover the subject, it doesn't need to round them as a person, provide a student's union, bar, sports clubs, societies etc... they've already grown up, found themselves and have simply decided to study something later in life.
I did CS at a normal Russell group uni but looking at the OU's CS modules there is one that involves a collaborative software project working remotely - something you wouldn't get at a regular uni but something that you'd experience a lot of in the work place.
The thing about the OU is that if someone is willing to give up their free time and commit to pursuing a subject then they're likely highly motivated - a lot of full time undergrads are at uni because they were encouraged to do so by their teachers, all their friends are doing it and/or they want a degree simply to improve their employment prospects.
OU also teaches 'different' people skills than a traditional uni. I've done both (BSc at a Russell Group uni, and coming towards the end of an MSc with the OU) and what I would say is that:
-Traditional uni gets you learning to live and study alongside like-minded individuals most of which are in the same boat - you are kinda 'thrown together' and thus you don't have to work overly hard to develop people/communication/teamworking skills
-OU uni still requires people skills, you have tutorials on some courses, online collaboration etc and the main difference I've found is that you need to different skills to get yourself heard remotely compared to in person. Also the mix of people is a lot different, there has been quite a wide range of nationalities and age groups on my OU course, whereas at uni it was mostly your typical late-teens/early-20s bunch. Furthermore touching on the 'thrown together' comment I made above, with the OU you have to a bit more pro-active to get the best out of it, you can cruise through uni to some extent and still come into contact with a lot of people, whereas with the OU you need to put yourself forward a bit more to get involved in things.
Not looking to knock traditional uni in anyway, just highlighting that the idea that OU is just some dude sat around in front of his pc working on stuff and never speaking to anyone is a bit outdated.
Moving back on topic the OU is surprisingly (to me originally at least) well regarded by employers.
-Traditional uni gets you learning to live and study alongside like-minded individuals most of which are in the same boat - you are kinda 'thrown together' and thus you don't have to work overly hard to develop people/communication/teamworking skills
-OU uni still requires people skills, you have tutorials on some courses, online collaboration etc and the main difference I've found is that you need to different skills to get yourself heard remotely compared to in person. Also the mix of people is a lot different, there has been quite a wide range of nationalities and age groups on my OU course, whereas at uni it was mostly your typical late-teens/early-20s bunch. Furthermore touching on the 'thrown together' comment I made above, with the OU you have to a bit more pro-active to get the best out of it, you can cruise through uni to some extent and still come into contact with a lot of people, whereas with the OU you need to put yourself forward a bit more to get involved in things.
Not looking to knock traditional uni in anyway, just highlighting that the idea that OU is just some dude sat around in front of his pc working on stuff and never speaking to anyone is a bit outdated.
Moving back on topic the OU is surprisingly (to me originally at least) well regarded by employers.
I'm also thinking about the OU atm. There doesn't appear to be as much of a variety of course choices (perhaps for obvious reasons), but I was still impressed with the selection available, though I'm not sure if quite the right course is there for me. It is something I am now seriously considering. Fortunately, I am someone that doesn't find studying at home difficult, so distractions shouldn't be a problem if I do decide to go down that route.
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I'm not sure if the mix of students is necessarily an OU thing though. You are comparing an undeegrad course with a postgrad course and as someone who has done both the type of person on each is very different in a real university setting as well. My masters course is full of people you mention, old and young, international and home students (in fact it's around 50:50 for both international/home students and age).
I'm doing an Open Degree, as it means I can get pretty much all the courses I want to do. (Classical History) I'm hoping that because it's not a 'named degree' that it won't count against me, though. 
But it does require a lot of discipline, and willpower - being able to give up your free-time and make the most of it. It can be difficult if you work full-time, as I do, sometimes you just want to come home and do nothing. But you can't, you have to work. And that's the only real obstacle I've come across.
But it does require a lot of discipline, and willpower - being able to give up your free-time and make the most of it. It can be difficult if you work full-time, as I do, sometimes you just want to come home and do nothing. But you can't, you have to work. And that's the only real obstacle I've come across.
Fair point when it comes to postgraduate study, but I suspect there is a difference between undergraduate courses with the OU compared to traditional unis. From what I hear from people, read on forums etc a lot of people taking undergraduate courses with the uni tend to be a bit older, went into employment without a degree and are now topping up their education later on. It seems more common than people just going straight into OU study at 18.
Associate
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- 11 Jul 2011
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My 2pennth...
I loved the course I did with the OU, I could do it at my own pace (dash and rest rather than long slog) and doing it later meant I was much more open to it than when I did my red-brick degree. I've done mine OU course with the intention of eventually using it to get me into a physical Uni again for a career change and to see if I can study again now.
I'd recommend starting with an openings course - partly as you haven't got any formal qualifications and partly as it's less of an outlay if you realise you've made a horrible mistake.
I'd also suggest going to an open day or something at your nearest centre for a chat as you may be able to get funding as you haven't got A'levels or a degree as yet.
With regard to comparing an an OU course with a tradition Uni, it really depends on the industry you're wanting to go into and the traditional Uni you're comparing it to. I know that with regard to employing people I personally, and a few employers I know, would look on it that you have cracking motivation and sticking power! You would get you extra points on an application to me as I know how hard it is to stick at it.
I loved the course I did with the OU, I could do it at my own pace (dash and rest rather than long slog) and doing it later meant I was much more open to it than when I did my red-brick degree. I've done mine OU course with the intention of eventually using it to get me into a physical Uni again for a career change and to see if I can study again now.
I'd recommend starting with an openings course - partly as you haven't got any formal qualifications and partly as it's less of an outlay if you realise you've made a horrible mistake.
I'd also suggest going to an open day or something at your nearest centre for a chat as you may be able to get funding as you haven't got A'levels or a degree as yet.
With regard to comparing an an OU course with a tradition Uni, it really depends on the industry you're wanting to go into and the traditional Uni you're comparing it to. I know that with regard to employing people I personally, and a few employers I know, would look on it that you have cracking motivation and sticking power! You would get you extra points on an application to me as I know how hard it is to stick at it.
I'm on a OU degree myself, I started when I was 18 as I have no GCSEs or A-levels but I do have good knowledge of GCSE level stuff but with no way to prove it the OU was the only way I could get a degree. I'm on my final year of my ICT degree and will be submitting my final project work in september and am garunteed at least a 2:2 (very slim chance of a 2:1, which I could have quite easily have got if it wasn't for some big family issues right before 2 of my exams which lowered my exam score (although my continous assessment score was very high)).
As for getting a job with an OU degree I have no idea how it will turn out, I just hope that an OU ICT degree with no experience or GCSEs (although I should be able to pick up a CCNA quite easily as one of my modules was a CCNA course) will be sufficient to get me started at the bottom of the ladder, with the aim to eventully work towards a nework admin role down the line with a bit of experience under my belt.
Even once my OU degree is finished I still plan to continue learning, as there is so much stuff I am interested in and want to learn, but the main thing is just the hope that I will even be able to get a job at the bottom of the IT ladder.
As for getting a job with an OU degree I have no idea how it will turn out, I just hope that an OU ICT degree with no experience or GCSEs (although I should be able to pick up a CCNA quite easily as one of my modules was a CCNA course) will be sufficient to get me started at the bottom of the ladder, with the aim to eventully work towards a nework admin role down the line with a bit of experience under my belt.
Even once my OU degree is finished I still plan to continue learning, as there is so much stuff I am interested in and want to learn, but the main thing is just the hope that I will even be able to get a job at the bottom of the IT ladder.
Im starting S104 (Exploring Science) in October and really looking forward to it. Its the first step to getting a degree in Natural Sciences.
I had similar questions before I signed up, however I have only heard good things about the OU so I would definitely say go for it.
Now I just hope that I can complete my studies and hold down my 40 hours per week job at the same time.
I just wondered what the S104 module is like as I'm very interested in getting a degree but unsure which scientific discipline to head into.
My wife's doing an MBA through it at the moment and the quality of the course is way better than the MBA I did in the US (although that was 15 years ago so no doubt things have moved on). The materials are excellent. You do have to be a self starter though.
There is another thread for the OU - with pretty much the same title.
S104 is brilliant, just coming to the end of it now. They say you'll need to put 16 hours a week into it, but I found it took a lot more than that. I had quite a shock when the truck load of books turned up. If you've got a science background already you might be quicker than me though, my background is mostly maths.
Anyway I totally recommend S104, it's needed for any of the OU's science pathways, so it doesn't matter if you don't know which one you want to study yet.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to get hold of a second hand set of books now (there's 8 big books) and get a head start before the course starts in October.
I am currently about a third of the way through my OU degree, being payed for by work.
B62 - BSc (Honours) Computing and IT
So far completed - M150, T175, M255, M253. I am doing M227 at the moment and have the final exam for M257 tomorrow.
It is a really fantastic way to learn in my opinion, although as others have said YOU are in control, dont do the work its all on your head. As a (getting) older gentleman I have found this easier, and the flexible time really makes it easy to bend around family life.
I am purely doing it for the letters after my name, I am doing well at work and dont feel it will benefit me too much, except perhaps in what I actually learn, in terms of my actual career.
The other good thing is you can sign up to do one course, pick one you are interested in, if you like it take it on from there. If not then you will have the knowledge gained with no pressure at the end.
B62 - BSc (Honours) Computing and IT
So far completed - M150, T175, M255, M253. I am doing M227 at the moment and have the final exam for M257 tomorrow.
It is a really fantastic way to learn in my opinion, although as others have said YOU are in control, dont do the work its all on your head. As a (getting) older gentleman I have found this easier, and the flexible time really makes it easy to bend around family life.
I am purely doing it for the letters after my name, I am doing well at work and dont feel it will benefit me too much, except perhaps in what I actually learn, in terms of my actual career.
The other good thing is you can sign up to do one course, pick one you are interested in, if you like it take it on from there. If not then you will have the knowledge gained with no pressure at the end.
Soldato
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Our Windows Admin is in his last year doing a Bsc Physics (Hons) through the OU.
The main thing he likes is the flexibility (He has two children and couldn't afford not to work full time at the same time).
The biggest struggle was self motivation and finding other people to study with, he was lucky in that someone else he knows was also taking the course (completely by chance).
I'm doing a 4-year part time degree in the evenings (At a London uni, I've just finished my second year), and find that I prefer having lectures and classes to go to. It forces me to focus on getting some studying done rather than work or play.
I'm a terrible procrastinator and will do things I prefer to do, rather than things I should be doing, so having a taught course is much more useful to me.
Lots of universities offer Distance Learning too, so there are options to suit your life. Think about how self motivated you are as a person and pick a course around that, because when you're up to your eyeballs in dull reading material, you're going to need some kind of discipline to get it all done. Good luck!
The main thing he likes is the flexibility (He has two children and couldn't afford not to work full time at the same time).
The biggest struggle was self motivation and finding other people to study with, he was lucky in that someone else he knows was also taking the course (completely by chance).
I'm doing a 4-year part time degree in the evenings (At a London uni, I've just finished my second year), and find that I prefer having lectures and classes to go to. It forces me to focus on getting some studying done rather than work or play.
I'm a terrible procrastinator and will do things I prefer to do, rather than things I should be doing, so having a taught course is much more useful to me.
Lots of universities offer Distance Learning too, so there are options to suit your life. Think about how self motivated you are as a person and pick a course around that, because when you're up to your eyeballs in dull reading material, you're going to need some kind of discipline to get it all done. Good luck!
Just had my first iCMA and I forgot how boring revising is - doing T183 (Design and the Web) just as a way to get onto one of the degrees which I need to decide upon (either Engineering, Computing or Design and Innovation)
Impressed by the quality of the material and the way its all laid out - really regretting not doing this much much sooner! Once I get a bit more organised Ill be fine
ps3ud0
Impressed by the quality of the material and the way its all laid out - really regretting not doing this much much sooner! Once I get a bit more organised Ill be fine
ps3ud0
I came in to post this. It can't be said enough.