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Should I study at the Open University part-time or full-time? I have ADHD.

I need advice on what to do.
[TL;DR - got ADHD, studying is hard but I want to go to uni. would doing a part-time degree be a good idea to lessen the workload?]

I want to start a degree as soon as possible. I've chosen the OU. I currently don't have a job (trying to get one but no luck and being legally disabled doesn't help.)

My issue is unmedicated ADHD (not likely to change for at least a couple of years and I don't want to have to wait that long before starting uni) which caused me to underperform at A-Level. I'm worried a degree will not be any different, but if I'm able to halve the workload by studying part-time I may have an easier time studying. If it goes well I could potentially switch to full-time after the first year or so. I'm not bothered about the degree taking longer - I just want to be back in education so I can move on with life.

I've also considered starting with an access module (hopefully for free since I fit the criteria) but I hear the content is very easy and mostly unhelpful, and I've only been out of education for a year.

Reply 1

MDB512024

I am a current Open University student and might be able to help you out but I will do the best I can.

The primary question I need to ask is what subject are you looking to study for your degree ?

In reference to your ADHD, I also have it aswell as aspergers, dyspraxia & dyslexia and I can certainly say that if you contact the student support team and tell them about all your issues, they can and will put in place a vast amount of help which can include 1 to 1 over the phone.

It surprised me just how much help is available ( certainly far more than I ever thought possible ) and the help was put in place very quickly including printed materials for all the modules I have done since my 2nd year of study ( now preparing to start my 6th year ), I fully recommend getting the printed materials as they allow you to be able to study at your own pace and with looking at a computer screen for any number of hours per day.

Also, once you begin studying, there will be a module forum for discussion of topics being covered at the time, please do ask any questions that you need to get help with as your fellow students aswell as your tutors are all there to help guide you and to help you understand the work you're doing at the time.

I myself during my recent module had to ask for help and the guidance I received was so helpful I really do recommend seeking help and advice if you ever need to. In the module forums during the introductory period, I often advise new students to never be afraid to ask for help and during my recent module, 1 of my fellow students turned my advice back at me and suggested I ask for help so I did.

Part time studying is much better although it means your degree will take 6 years to complete instead of 3 years for full time study bit to me, the advantages of part time study is that it is more flexible in respect of when you do your studies whereas with full time you might be doing easily 5 - 6 hours per day.

Hope this helps and please do ask any further questions and I will do my best to answer them or you can contact the open university student recruitment office on 0300 303 5303 and the advisers will help you with any questions you have.

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

Original post by MDB512024

I am a current Open University student and might be able to help you out but I will do the best I can.
The primary question I need to ask is what subject are you looking to study for your degree ?
In reference to your ADHD, I also have it aswell as aspergers, dyspraxia & dyslexia and I can certainly say that if you contact the student support team and tell them about all your issues, they can and will put in place a vast amount of help which can include 1 to 1 over the phone.
It surprised me just how much help is available ( certainly far more than I ever thought possible ) and the help was put in place very quickly including printed materials for all the modules I have done since my 2nd year of study ( now preparing to start my 6th year ), I fully recommend getting the printed materials as they allow you to be able to study at your own pace and with looking at a computer screen for any number of hours per day.
Also, once you begin studying, there will be a module forum for discussion of topics being covered at the time, please do ask any questions that you need to get help with as your fellow students aswell as your tutors are all there to help guide you and to help you understand the work you're doing at the time.
I myself during my recent module had to ask for help and the guidance I received was so helpful I really do recommend seeking help and advice if you ever need to. In the module forums during the introductory period, I often advise new students to never be afraid to ask for help and during my recent module, 1 of my fellow students turned my advice back at me and suggested I ask for help so I did.
Part time studying is much better although it means your degree will take 6 years to complete instead of 3 years for full time study bit to me, the advantages of part time study is that it is more flexible in respect of when you do your studies whereas with full time you might be doing easily 5 - 6 hours per day.
Hope this helps and please do ask any further questions and I will do my best to answer them or you can contact the open university student recruitment office on 0300 303 5303 and the advisers will help you with any questions you have.

Thank you so much for the lengthy response. It was very helpful. I really appreciate it :smile:

Reply 3

MDB512024

Original post by Anonymous

Thank you so much for the lengthy response. It was very helpful. I really appreciate it :smile:

No problem at all, if you have any further questions you need answering please do ask them.

Reply 4

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

Remember you can always start off just taking a smaller credit load (e.g. a single 30 credit module, or two 30 credit modules or a 60 credit module) then if you feel confident in keeping on top of that, try and do more credits the following year. Since OU study is so highly unstructured and really down to the student to manage their time and keep on top of things, I think it might be pragmatic to start with a smaller number of credit and see how it goes especially if you struggled in the past with your condition.

As noted however you can get support from the university and through SFE (by applying for DSA) potentially :smile:

Reply 5

greentiger

I’ll reply to this on the basis of how my brother is doing. He’s doing his masters part time alongside work and has ADHD, no longer medicated as he knows how to deal with it, he does manage it but again I know everyone’s different and it effects people differently but for him it’s been completely fine

Reply 6

JennyPeabody

I’m studying psychology with OU and I was diagnosed with ADHD in May last year.

In my first year I selected two modules. I wanted to get my degree as fast as I could so opted for full time. I also work full time and have a family to support so true to form with me I just piled on more stress lol.

In all honesty I really struggled but I managed to get the work completed to a good standard considering I’m a mature student out of education for 28 years.

The bonus of two modules out of the way in the first year is that they don’t count towards your degree classification in year one so as long as you pass you can progress and it eases some pressure.

I took this academic year (23/24) as a study break as I was starting ADHD medication and wanted to have some breathing space.

I start my second year this October but I’m just choosing a single module. I’d rather put all my effort into doing one module to a good standard than try to juggle two again as this time they count.

I would say be really honest with yourself about what challenges you may have.

I was very unrealistic about what I could handle and I delayed getting started on the work because I didn’t know where to start sometimes.

I often struggled focusing to get through module materials and making time for this. And planning and starting TMAs was such a huge task to me sometimes that I would avoid it until the last minute and I’d be up all night before deadline day.

This year I have applied for DSA which I hope can help me with the areas I struggle in so I’d suggest you prioritise applying for that as soon as you enrol on a course and inform the student support team so they can be aware you may need reasonable adjustments.

Good luck 🍀

Reply 7

DebbieYould75

Im undiagnosed with ADHD I believe, I initially started a Psychology degree with the OU, but had to stop as I found it impossible to cope with the pace, I had a break and went back last year to the Open degree, thinking the flexibility on course modules would help, however I still struggled to retain any information and ended up deferring in February. I missed it so much that I'm going back in October, but know I will struggle with my ADHD. I did ask Student Support for help before but without a diagnosis they were unwilling to help. I'm going to upfront with my tutor and say that I will no doubt struggle and I just hope I get an understanding one.