OU degrees, mature students and graduate schemes

bachus2015

I'm nearly 29 and considering starting a BA(Hons) Business Management degree with the OU in October on a full time study basis (30-40 hours a week) whilst working part-time and living with parents. I was in the police for 8 years and want a career change for something more academic and business related.

My main motivation for completing a business management-related degree is graduate scheme. Clearly I'm hoping for at least a 2:1 (isn't everyone?) which seems to be the unofficial prerequisite for most grad-schemes.

However, having read a few articles about the many schemes, it seems most graduate schemes have around 70-150 applicants for every single position, which seems almost impossible. I'm interested in companies like John Lewis, BP, BT, Sky, Volkswagen/Audi, EE etc

Will an OU degree be a disadvantage with big companies' HR teams? Obviously it's not an Oxbridge degree but most graduate applicants will be from regular bricks and mortar universities. Will my OU degree hold up against other candidates with degrees from those places?

Secondly, I'll be 32 when I graduate. Will this be a further disadvantage when applying to graduate schemes? I always thought the typical grad scheme candidate was 21, fresh out of uni, president of the rowing club, head boy types.

So basically....

1. Will an OU degree disadvantage me when applying to graduate schemes?
2. Will my age (32) be a factor when applying to graduate schemes?
3. Will the combination of those two factors disadvantage me?

Probably 80% of my motivation for completing a degree at my age is a graduate scheme, the other 20% to boost my knowledge and to enhance my CV. If my chances are slim of landing a job then what's the point, right?

Reply 1

bachus2015

bump

Open University

Milton Keynes

Reply 2

TwinsWS

This doesn't come from experience, but is the gist from what I've read in the past:

1. No, and some companies prefer it (showing commitment, self-improvement etc).
2. Apparently depends on the company - check the criteria of entry for your preferred firms. Also note that many have a UCAS points requirement too.
3. Taking an average of 1 & 2, probably not, but you're always going to have a better chance with a higher classification (1.1, 2.1).