Breaking the Stereotype
Being a student with The Open University entails masses
of work behind the scenes which people tend not to realise, and although I had
thoroughly investigated this beforehand, it definitely took me by complete
surprise.
I have had conversations with several people regarding my
decision to become a member of The Open University, especially when I first
came upon the decision during the end of my Sixth Form life. Many of my friends
were planning on attending “brick” universities – I was over the moon for them,
but this just wasn’t the pathway I wanted for my life and my career. As a
matter of fact, I didn’t actually know what I wanted until I began my studies
in October 2015. Some may say at nearly 19 years of age, this is rather late in
your academic life to begin thinking about possible career paths, and it wasn’t
as though I hadn’t thought about them, in comparison to, I hadn’t decided on
which path was most suited to me.
It blew me away, the amount of people who made comments such
as, “Do you get a real degree?” “But this is only a practice run for Uni, isn’t
it?” “Surely that is so much easier than a ‘normal’ university?” Before I begin
to answer these questions, I think it’s important to define what a ‘normal’
university actually is. Trust me, you will get many responses to this. You can
use the Dictionaries definition of a University:
“an institution of
higher learning providing facilities for teaching and research and authorized
to grant academic degrees; specifically : one made up of an undergraduate division which
confers bachelor's degrees and a graduate division which comprises a graduate
school and professional schools each of which may confer master's degrees and
doctorates”
But, in simpler terms, here is how I would define a university;
- Enables you to gain a degree through study and research
- Enriches your knowledge and understanding
- Broadens your capabilities
- Something that makes you more aware of the society around you
- A place of diversity, which is challenging and rewarding
Honestly, I can’t imagine a university, better equipped than
The Open University to fulfil my definitions. If this is the case however, then
why do I (and many other OU students), still get plagued with the same
questions regarding its authenticity as a place of higher education?
The answer is simple: STEROTYPES.
Before I had established an opinion or an understanding of
what The Open University entails, I sat on this high-horse of judgement,
creating a personal stereotype about how this type of distance-learning works. It’s
bound to be easier right? WRONG. Now-a-days, I think it’s wrong to assume that
the only way to carve a successful career for yourself is in the shape of these
“brick” universities who have specialised tutors, guidance in the form of
lectures and end-of-year examinations. Not forgetting the prestigious status of
being a member of “The University of….”. Suffering with anxiety, I did look
into attending a ‘normal’ university before coming to the realisation that it just
wasn’t for me – attending lectures for hours at a time, each and every day, was
not something I could have managed at that time in my life. If I’m brutally
honest, YES, I did believe The Open University would be the ‘easy option’ of achieving
a degree – something which I soon realised would not be the case.
I am enrolled on 2 modules currently - each module lasts about 6 months (AA100 & A105 will make
up YEAR 1). Combining both these modules, I have a total of 10 books, all with corresponding
Audio CD/DVD’s. This breaks down into 41 chapters of reading, with an
additional 7 set books. All this work, including 14 assignments and 1 exam, in
less than 12 months.
Not to mention the fact it is completely independent, with
little help from your assigned tutor unless you request it.
An Open University student, compared to a “brick” university
student, has the struggle of teaching themselves the entire module. We have the
challenge of having little direct tutor contact, unless we decide to email or
call for help. This means as a student, we have to unravel any
mis-understandings ourselves, or through a forum pathway. We have tutorials at
our local university campuses about once a month (some modules may have only 3
a year) where we are taught specific pieces of module material to aid our
knowledge. On the other hand, a “brick” university have constant teaching
lectures to help with their studies.
It’s a challenging process, but one that I am very glad I
have taken. The main point of this blog post, is as the title suggests – a chance
to break the stereotypes that seem to be connected to the OU. I have met some
of the most hard-working, diligent and conscientious people through my studies,
who have come across challenges and pushed through them. Yet we are still
classed as the lazy university. Trust me, we are anything but.
Love, Hannah
