Has anyone done a degree with Open University?

I studied for a BSc in Mathematics in my spare time whilst working, completing it about 6 years ago. It took around 5 years doing it part-time. It was ideal for me. There was the option of attending tutorials, but I walked out of the first one after 10 minutes as it seemed pointless (and was surprisingly poorly attended) and did not go to any after that. One tutor refused to provide an address for sending assignments until I had attended a tutorial, which the OU accepted was inappropriate when I complained, and they were happy to swap me over to another tutor. A limited example, but they were supportive and understanding in that situation.

There were regular assignment deadlines, most counting towards my final mark, and only one group project, but other than that I had control over my schedule. The learning materials were good. I would have preferred 100% coursework, but most modules involved an exam, which turned out to be OK (looking at loads of past papers was the key, which could be purchased at minimal cost from the student union). Unlike another respondent, there was absolutely no coursework over the summer, and the timetable largely mirrored a regular university. I was fortunate in just completing it under the old fee regime, which was about one-third of the current cost, so it felt like good value for money at the time.

It is worth contemplating whether a modicum of social contact as part of any course would be advantageous, if you are going to lose the day-to-day interactions of work. Psychology seems like the type of subject that probably only really comes alive when you are discussing the concepts with other people. Debating ideas with others in person can be stressful and intimidating at times, but I think that I benefited from that when taking my masters in town planning, giving me greater confidence in what I was learning than would have been the case by simply reading.

I studied for a BSc in Mathematics in my spare time whilst working, completing it about 6 years ago. It took around 5 years doing it part-time. It was ideal for me. There was the option of attending tutorials, but I walked out of the first one after 10 minutes as it seemed pointless (and was surprisingly poorly attended) and did not go to any after that. One tutor refused to provide an address for sending assignments until I had attended a tutorial, which the OU accepted was inappropriate when I complained, and they were happy to swap me over to another tutor. A limited example, but they were supportive and understanding in that situation.

There were regular assignment deadlines, most counting towards my final mark, and only one group project, but other than that I had control over my schedule. The learning materials were good. I would have preferred 100% coursework, but most modules involved an exam, which turned out to be OK (looking at loads of past papers was the key, which could be purchased at minimal cost from the student union). Unlike another respondent, there was absolutely no coursework over the summer, and the timetable largely mirrored a regular university. I was fortunate in just completing it under the old fee regime, which was about one-third of the current cost, so it felt like good value for money at the time.

It is worth contemplating whether a modicum of social contact as part of any course would be advantageous, if you are going to lose the day-to-day interactions of work. Psychology seems like the type of subject that probably only really comes alive when you are discussing the concepts with other people. Debating ideas with others in person can be stressful and intimidating at times, but I think that I benefited from that when taking my masters in town planning, giving me greater confidence in what I was learning than would have been the case by simply reading.