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Year 2 - Here I go.

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Right, I am back from my holidays and ready to get going on my second year of study. My books have arrived, I have my tutor details and I have booked all my tutorials. Now all I need to do is get my arse into gear and start studying. It is so easy to procrastinate and find other things to do. I'm glad my husband is around to nag me, without him I would spend all my time reading. 

I have looked through all the books and read the assignment booklet and though it looks harder this year the modules look really interesting. There appears to be a mix on self study, searching for information outside of the OU website, some collaborative working and the dreaded exam at the end of the modules. I have glanced at a previous exam paper and that has relieved some of the anxiety. The OU's website is fantastic and full of resources, I could spend all day looking through it but I shouldn't procrastinate. Tonight I will hit the books. Wish me luck 

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End of first year of studying

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It feels very surreal that this time next month I would have submitted my EMA and my first year of studying with the OU will be over. Overall I have enjoyed my study time, although there have been times when I have had to supress the urge to throw my laptop and books across the room. Most of the subjects in AA100 have been engaging and interesting and I have been surprised to find that the history subjects have been my favourite which, considering I am studying towards English Literature, has me a bit worried. Here's hoping I get more than 40% in my EMA.  

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started in October but the OUs text books and study guides have been super helpful. All the tutorials have been at a pace that has suited me, it can be a bit daunting when other students seem to know more, or have grasped the subject better than me, but my assignment scores have been good so perhaps it is just me feeling insecure. 

I am struggling with deciding what module to study next. I am useless at exams so A105 is freaking me out, but it seems it is the most logical choice. I'll just have to prepare, prepare, prepare and then freak out!! 



Permalink 1 comment (latest comment by Judith McLean, Thursday, 25 Apr 2019, 14:08)
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Dreams

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I received my first marked assignment back earlier this week, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with my mark. Considering I left school at 16 with no qualifications I think it's a bloody miracle. The only reason I don't have any qualifications is not because I am, or was stupid, or even struggled at school, in fact I loved many of my lessons especially English, it's because I didn't  take any of my exams. Home life at the time was chaotic.

My lack of qualifications has not held me back though, I suppose I was lucky to have started my work life when jobs were easy to get into. I started my first job at 16 working at Gatwick airport and moved on to an office job starting as an admin assistant and worked my way up to being a PA to the Head of Legal. After 17 years I took redundancy and now, at the grand old age of 50, find myself working towards a degree. 

I'm very excited about studying, I won't pretend I find it easy, but I know when I get my degree in 6 years time I will have accomplished one of my dreams. 


Permalink 2 comments (latest comment by Lisa Hartwell, Friday, 23 Nov 2018, 19:43)
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TMA submitted!!

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I submitted my first TMA this evening. big grin It's very scary pressing the submit button but extremely satisfying also. Now it's a long wait until I receive my marked assignment together with my feedback. I'm going to have a couple of days of relaxation before I hit the books again. 
Permalink 3 comments (latest comment by Simon Reed, Wednesday, 7 Nov 2018, 08:12)
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Understanding the assigment question is key

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I haven't done as much studying as I would like this past week. I attended a two day course with work on Coaching and Feedback with an overnight stay. It took me well out of my comfort zone. It was a mixture of listening to the facilitators and group work. I was ok about working with one other person but it was the 'Quad' group work that I really didn't like. Being watched by two observers as you have a coaching conversation with someone you have only just met is not nice for someone who is quite shy. In my head I was having the perfect conversation but it came out of my mouth as a jumbled mess of spaghetti. Good luck with untangling that. 

Despite this hiccup the rest of the course was very enjoyable. In the evening I manged to connect to the Student Hub Live session on 'Understanding your Assessment Question'. using the hotels WI-FI. I came away with some useful resources on how to decipher the assessment question which, this being my first year of study,  is harder than I thought. Getting to grips with the definitions and really understanding what the question is asking you is key. That is the biggest learning I took from it. Take time to read it through several times, read it out loud and write down the definitions of the process words. After the session it was straight down to the bar for a large glass of whiskey to relax and unwind. 


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