Thinking about dropping out to go to Open Uni

Hi,

I just started an English Language degree and commute. The course is not what I expected, I find the lectures either pointless or long and boring. I have little motivation for the work and have been trying to get into it and enjoy it a bit more for nearly 2 months now...

The reason I chose English Language is because I was best at it at A-Level and it is a "general" course, as I am still not 100% on what career I want. Since I started I have got more of an interest in becoming a solicitor, so am looking at possibly a law degree with OU. I have read law is a very strong subject to do with OU, but I am notorious for changing my mind. For this reason I am also looking at possibly social policy & criminology or humanities, as then I would have an option to do a GDL if I still wanted to do law when I finish my degree. I am busy at home so feel like being able to do my work just at home would be better rather than having to drive 40 mins to my campus and back for every lecture.

My dad is absolutely against me dropping out, but I feel 3 years is a long time (and a lot of money) to be doing something I'm a bit "iffy" about. Mum says to carry on up until Christmas and see how I feel, but I'm not sure if I will feel any different so don't want to continue wasting fuel and time if I do end up just dropping out.

Anyone else been in a similar situation? OU experiences? What should I do? :confused:

Reply 1

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

Hi, firstly there is an OU forum here, you will probably get more replies there.

I think you should only do law if you have a strong academic interest in law or you are certain that you want to be a solicitor/barrister. As you say, you can enter law with any degree so, for now, I think you should focus on choosing a degree that truly interests you. After all, your degree classification is what is most important and you will be more likely to get a first if you are studying something you enjoy.

Original post by Ellen_95

I am also looking at possibly social policy & criminology or humanities

Apart from law, are sure these are the only two degrees you're considering, or are you likely to change your mind in favour of engineering or child studies at the last minute?

First question you need to ask yourself is, do you want a named degree (e.g. BA Social Policy and Criminology) or an Open degree (BA Open). The advantage of an Open degree is you can study any module you want and there are no compulsory modules. This means that you are free to combine different subjects. The disadvantage is the name.

If you want to do an Open degree, you just need to find a level 1 module you like and start from there (see list). If you want a named degree, there are a few things to consider. In the OU prospectuses you will see that each named degree has certain compulsory modules. The Social Policy and Criminology degree for example has two level 1 compulsory modules which means there is no room to take any humanities modules, you have to be sure this is the degree for you before you start. If however you wanted to do one of the humanities degrees, there is only one compulsory level 1 module so you would have space to try out a different subject.

If you were to finish the first year of your current degree, it would be possible to transfer into the second year of an OU degree, but it would either be the humanities degree or an Open degree.

I did a CertHE Humanities with the OU (1/3 of a degree), so if you have any questions about the humanities level 1 modules, ask away. These YouTube videos are quite informative, have a watch. Your Dad might benefit from seeing the first one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWB9rlgMEE8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGD6L-4yceY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppnBA9ELXZQ

Thinking about dropping out to go to Open Uni

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