(no subject)

[bubosquared]

So I'm finally seriously getting serious about going back to school, and so far, I've come to the conclusion that this first yaer or so, I'll probably be better off doing some Open University courses.

After all, iIt's been five years since I last studied at all, let alone full-time, and I'm a mature international student looking, at least this first year, to study only part-time. Just getting in would be difficult, considering that the last time I successfully finished a year was in 1998, when I graduated from secondary school, in a "major" that isn't really all that relevant to what I'm looking to study now. I'll have a lot better chance both of getting in in the first place and of getting a grant/bursary/student loan next year if I do a handful of courses and successfully pass them this year.

Plus, there's the fact that I just left this way too late this year. Next year, I can (and will!) start looking into this in spring, so I can see which, if any, options I have for part-time studying. Which isn't looking too good, and still requires me to take daytime classes, sadly, but if I feel like I can, I may get a student loan and go to school full time, get a student loan, and get a part-time job to cover my high rent and all. Or I'll take more OU courses and go the full-time route the year after next. We'll see.

Comments

[kroki-refur.livejournal.com]

Yay OU! I'm doing OU courses this year too. We can be OU buddies!

Watcha gonna study?

[bubosquared.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm hoping to do English Lit and/or History, so I'll be startin with one or two level one humanities courses, but I'm not entirely sure yet which one. Right now I'm eyeing Shakespeare: An Introduction (literature studies!), Start Writing Essays (a skill I need to learn/refresh, and cheaper than the other courses), and Start Writing Fiction (writing! but OTOH, I feel weird about actually taking writing courses, especially at such a low level).

Or maybe I'll try something else entirely, instead of or in addition to these, if something else interesting catches my eye.

What about you?

[kroki-refur.livejournal.com]

yeah, I know what you mean about the writing classes. It always feels like the sort of thing people do so they can fill their work with pretentious symbolism and the like. I didn't know you could do them much here, thought it was more of an American thing. Still, what do I know? After all, I've never taken one ;).

I'm going for the Earth Sciences route, so I'm taking level one Discovering Science (http://www.open.ac.uk/science/discover/), which takes you from scratch up to A-Level standard. I get a rock kit included in the price! Yay!

[kroki-refur.livejournal.com]

Also, the essay-writing course looks like a great idea. Too many colleges just expect students to be able to write essays without giving them any guidance, even if they didn't take essay subjects at school (not that I'm bitter). Should be very useful.

[bubosquared.livejournal.com]

Yeah, plus, I think my writing experience is a bit too high for this kind of course, but the higher level, longer Creative Writing course is too expensive, and doesn't start until February. Maybe I'll do both, and see if I can get them to let me pay in instalments.

Ooooh, cool! I take it that's a bit longer course than my 12-weeks one, right? And yay rock kit!

[bubosquared.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm almost definitely taking that one, because it's a skill that was kinda wobbly to begin with, and after five years in which the closest thing I've ever written to an essay were assorted posts to LJ and mailing lists about my Harry Potter theories, I could use a refresher. :D

[kroki-refur.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you can pay in installments using this special account thing they set up for you (they charge interest, though).

I think my course is nine months. Then I will give birth to a bouncing baby science thingy! Maybe a glacier. Or an equation.

[bubosquared.livejournal.com]

They also have an option where you can pay when your course actually begins, rather than when you register, and that one has no interest. That one could help a lot alraedy, for me.

Heeee! Um, congratulations? :D

[jamaisneutral.livejournal.com]

go you and your determination!
I wish I could go back to uni...