Open University, Degree in Spanish Studies

Question

Hi, I was wondering if anyone is, or has previously studied Spanish at the Open University. I am considering studying for the Certificate Course. This may be followed by the Diploma then Degree. This takes approx 7 years part time study in all. Any tips or comments would be appreciated! Thanks, Richard

Answer 1

T H E OU is not like that Charlius - it is now one of the "best" Universities in Britain.

The use of modern methods of communication make this way of learning a very efficient way of studying.

I did the Social Science degree via the OU.

It involves about 30 hours a week of study over 4 or 5 years for a BA.

It is hard work but you are not alone. Local areas have systems for arranging regular meetings between those studying at the OU.

During the summer recesses the facilities of the "real" universities are used by students of the OU.

Give it a go Richard.

PS: the OU was started by the British Government in the 1960s.

Thanks for the personal perspective on the whole thing, Ian....I, like Charlius, had never before heard of the OU either. - Izanoni1, Apr 16, 2010

Answer 2

Like I said, I've never been there. IanHill has been there, so I'd give his opinion a bit more weight than mine. I guess here, you have 2 opinions on opposite ends of the spectrum.

My recommendation is to do more research..research being finding out more information from a variety of sources. Going to the website of the OU is NOT research. What do you expect them to say, that 'Our classes suck, but give us money anyway!!'. No, you're going to hear 'Our classes are the best' regardless of whether it is true or not. Good luck.

I checked out your spain pictures..nice. Are you in Spain right now?? Where are you originally from?? I'm actually in Andalucia right now, at least for the next 1 and a half months..

-Charlius-

Answer 3

Hey, sorry that I don´t have an answer for this question. Instead, I myself have a question. What´s the Open University??

If you could explain what it is, I could maybe help you. I have a major in spanish from the University of Central Florida.

-Charlius-

Answer 4

Ahhh, NOW it makes sense. Alright, I myself have never been to this Open University, but as I see it, this is basically like doing an online course. Most, if not all of the studying is done at home, and you have ´support´ of the professor/tutor via Internet, email, or any other ´cold´ method. Although I haven´t taken the Open University courses, I HAVE had the unfortunate opportunity of taking an online course during my 5 year tenure at UCF.

Let me tell you..it was a terrible experience! Well, exagerrating a bit I think, but the thing is, you get the feeling the whole time you´re doing the ´course´ that you´re wasting your money. It´s like ´Hey, I´m teaching myself everything, why the !"$$ am I paying all this money??´ Then the answer arrives: You´re paying all that dough for that ´piece of paper´ that you get at the end that says you know the thing that you studied. Online classes might work for some people, but if you´re like me, you need to have the professor in front of you talking, and have other students around you to bounce ideas off of and simply have interaction. That online class was SO ´pesado´. I hated every second of it.

The only ´good´ thing about these types of courses is that you can take an obligatory class that you have take that´s included in your major and take it online on an accelerated pace so you can get it over with a lot faster. If you actually care about the subject material like I think you might since it´s spanish, it´s probably in your interests to go in a ´real class´. Since you´re thinking about going to this Open University, I can only assume that you must be super ´liado´ and don´t have much time and have a ton of things to do making my suggestion an impossibility, but hey, that´s just my 2 cents. Good luck with whatever you choose to do finally.

-Charlius-

T H E OU is not like that Charlius - it is now one of the "best" Universities in Britain. - ian-hill, Apr 16, 2010

Hmmm, like I said, never been there. Is it really one of the BEST?? - Charlius, Apr 16, 2010

Yes - even a lot of pure research is done there nowadays. - ian-hill, Apr 16, 2010

Not to mention the degree you get in the end is worth as much, and took as much work, as a degree in a regular college. Employers, and colleges where you might apply for a post gradulate qualification, take it just as seriously. - rabbitwho, May 17, 2011

Answer 5

Hey Charlius

Picked up your visit from Sevilla on my stats! Nice to know my system is working.

Rich

Answer 6

Hi Charlius

I am from London currently living in Kingston-upon-Thames. No, I am not in Spain at the moment but plan to visit northern Costa Blanca (also called Marina Alta I believe) in June. Plan to emigrate to Spain when I retire (in 2016). Britain (at least the tiny south eastern corner) is very crowded and people in London, certainly, have no respect for one another, there being a huge overcrowding problem!

That said, the culture is diverse and London now hosts a huge Hispanic population. The Latin American Carnival each August is very popular. My pics will appear soon on my site in the Cybernet Images section.

Rich

Answer 7

Hi Ian

Thanks for your input. Great to hear both sides of the argument!

Rich

Answer 8

Hey Charlius

Many thanks and I take on board your comments. Will give the matter a great deal of thought. I have attended classes in the past but frankly was not impressed by the tutor who was more intent on 'being liked' than on the course material. I guess I was unlucky. I eventually learnt more by myself. Perhaps a combination of both!! The OU does have a very good reputation here.

You may be interested in viewing my new online collection of pics from Spain. I expect uploading my whole collection to take about twelve months!! Please go to www.spainoncamera.com.

Answer 9

Hello again, Forgot to mention the OU is also backed up by the excellent Learning Zone on BBC2 - restarting this May. Rich

Answer 10

Hi, the Open University (OU) is a UK university open to ALL regardless of qualifications, background, age, etc. It comprises, primarily, modules for home study with tutor backup either online, by post or phone. This may be supplemented by weekend classes. Recommended average study time for the certificate is 8 hours per week rising to 16 hours for the diploma and degree (though I would expect to at least double this for the degree as the politics, culture, economy etc. of Spain [and I guess Latin America to an extent] is studied!) Rich

Answer 11

Double post, sorry! This site has been acting up on me recently.

-Charlius-