OU blog

Personal Blogs

Michael Gumbrell

Post exam remorse

Visible to anyone in the world

If you can have buyers remorse, can you also have post exam remorse...

The feeling you get when after the exam, you remember all the little things you forgot to mention in your exam answers....

That is me today... reflecting on how i could have squeezed more marks out if i had mentioned certain things.... oh well it is done now, it is what it is....

Permalink Add your comment
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

The grind

Visible to anyone in the world

Just a little note to reflect on what a grind study has become.

The exam in June will mean the 4 and a half year mark of study with the OU, it will also mark 2 years remaining until the bitter end.

I do recall, and my first blog posts reflect it, being all keen and excited at the beginning.

Then it started to drag by year 3, towards the middle of year 3 it became a grind, i have ground out the next 18 months to get here...

Have any of you hit a slump, or have you managed to remain motivated?

I may have mentioned before that studying has just become a habit for me now, i do not recognise much enjoyment in it anymore.

Is that quite a common feeling for anyone else?

As well as my study partner quitting, many other people who started on the P.P.E pathway in 2015 have quit or switched courses. As far as i can tell only me and my other study partner, Stephen, remain.

Since we all sit in rows, by subject, in the exam, it will be interesting to see how many P.P.E students remain in the row at the next exam in a couple of weeks, i have a feeling we have become very thin in the ground.

I do hope that DD316 next year is a good module that will bring back a bit of the spark in interest for me again. 

Permalink Add your comment
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

Getting ahead

Visible to anyone in the world

I have managed to get one week ahead of the study planner, which is good news and extra revision time... the exam is only 16 weeks away now.

Permalink Add your comment
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

and the results are in...

Visible to anyone in the world

And the results are in...

64% in the exam.  

60% already from the OCAS...

So a grade 3 pass then..  i will take that considering how much i loathed the course.

I hope everyone's results were good.

Permalink 3 comments (latest comment by Simon Reed, Monday, 16 July 2018, 21:26)
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

4 more days to go...

Visible to anyone in the world

My exam result date is Tuesday 17th of July....so

4 more days to go...

Do we get our results on the same day? do some of you get them before or after that date?


Permalink 6 comments (latest comment by Michael Gumbrell, Saturday, 14 July 2018, 15:26)
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

335 to go...

Visible to anyone in the world

The revision is going well...and

Only 335 views to go to hit the magic 20,000 views, with 2 days left to the exam.

Permalink Add your comment
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

One week to go.

Visible to anyone in the world

So by this time next week, i will have done the exam.

Hopefully everyone's revision is going well.

I have one week left to pick up 600 blog views to hit my 20,000 target by the time i have finished the A222 exam.... here's hoping!!!!

Permalink 2 comments (latest comment by Michael Gumbrell, Tuesday, 29 May 2018, 20:33)
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

Exam tutorial

Visible to anyone in the world

Well the exam tutorial this year was the opposite of the last 2 years.

For the last 2 years only 4 or 5 of us turned up to the tma tutorials, with suddenly 16 people turning up for the exam tutorial.

This year we have averaged 10 for the tma tutorials and only 4 of us turned up to the exam tutorial.

Hopefully everyone who did not come to the exam tutorial is well advanced with revision and confident for the exam.

Permalink Add your comment
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

Exam revision plan

Visible to anyone in the world

So six blocks, 2 exam questions per block.

So i can revise 3 books for the exam. I fancy block one, five and six.

The philosophy of the self, 

The philosophy of the mind

And

Political philosophy

And if pushed the philosophy of religion if i have time to revise it.

Permalink Add your comment
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

Exam done

Visible to anyone in the world

I completed the DD211 exam this morning. I thought it went well. Lets hope my confidence is reflected in the mark.

My wrist did not even hurt and the time just flew by. I might even say i enjoyed it.

Permalink Add your comment
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

Lijpharts model applied to the UK and US systems

Visible to anyone in the world

Here is the infographic that applies Lijpharts model of liberal democracies to the UK and US democratic systems.


Permalink Add your comment
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

Lijphart continued

Visible to anyone in the world

Slide 2 for block 4 lijphart flashcards


Permalink Add your comment
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

Ideology: Socialism

Visible to anyone in the world

Here is the flash card for the ideology of socialism (excluding the ideology of welfare).


Permalink Add your comment
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

Block 3 revision infographics

Visible to anyone in the world

Here is the ideology flash card infographic for block 3: Ideology.

Again, just making this was a great revision activity.

Permalink Add your comment
Share post
Michael Gumbrell

Block 2 revision infographics.

Visible to anyone in the world

those of you who follow my blog will know I am a big fan of infographics.

I decided to produce some for my revision study of DD211.

so I have posted them here, if any one is interested, I would be very proud if any one else used them in their own revision program.

Just producing them was a very good revision activity.

Lets start with Block 2: Political concepts.

Freedom:

Equality

Power

I found it very useful to produce these, a act of revision in itself.

Permalink 2 comments (latest comment by Michael Gumbrell, Monday, 8 May 2017, 17:25)
Share post

This blog might contain posts that are only visible to logged-in users, or where only logged-in users can comment. If you have an account on the system, please log in for full access.

Total visits to this blog: 518904