How time-consuming is the FT GDL?

I'm doing the full time course via distance learning, and I don't find it that bad. Of course, I'm only doing 3 modules, rather than 7 due to exemptions, so that's probably why. I know that people dealing with all 7 of the foundations of knowledge are pretty busy for a good part of the course.

Then you're not really doing the GDL are you

Fair point I have to admit, serious revision for me is starting this week, and I would not want to be doing all 7 of the modules at once - I need to take breaks whilst revising, all work and no play after all (as the staff at BPP recommend we do) so I don't envy the proper full-timers!

Yeah i heard BPP had its last teaching week this week... when do you guys have your exams?

I'm at CoL and we've still got teaching after Easter until early May and the exams are in June.

This year has flown by!

Are you sticking with CoL for LPC/BPTC, or moving elsewhere?

At CoL and BPP there is the option to do the course either in 2 full days per week (9-5 over Monday-Tuesday or Thursday-Friday) or divided over the week (but we always get Wednesday off). I do know one or two nutters that do the 2 day timetable and have pt jobs as well, but you tend not to see them outside the classroom so i guess they sacrifice whatever remains of their social life.

I've applied for the two full days thing, because I kinda thought that it would've given me MORE free time since you have five free days off a week. Is this not true? Have I signed my life away? Oh, the humanity.

You'll do the same amount of class time, but it really comes down to the work you do outside of class tbh, its like an exaggerate form of a seminar in uni, if you've not done the reading there's no point turning up and the reading does take hours, not as long as the seminar instructions say but it does take a lot of time. Remember you are cramming the fundamentals of a three year degree into one year.

Having a job is definitely do-able with the 2 day option but you'll need to manage your time well, at CoL the course only became a lot of work around November - December tbf.

Sorry about continuing to pester you for information on this, but can I ask how many hours you do per day on the 2 day, and the 4 day course? Also, do you personally think that it'd be easier to hold down a part-time job on the 4 day course?

I'm happy i can help in any way

In terms of hours, it actually fluctuates week by week as our timetable is different for each week. For instance this week im in for 5 hours of lectures and 2 2 hour workshops so 9 hours in total across Tuesday 930 1430 Thursday 1045 1430 and Friday 930 1145. A pretty easy week, but then the reading and prep for the workshops could be extensive and can take up to 8 hours or more.

Next week is probably the worst week so far, 6 workshops and 3 lectures so that will be just work work work that week.

I think the 2 days have a more reasonable spread across weeks so there is less fluctuation (my timetable this fortnight is pretty extreme)

I definitely think the 2 day is better for the doing a PT job because you know that you will be in on two days from 9.30 - 4.45 and you can plan your job and the rest of your life accordingly.