Studying From Home

I am an Open University student and have just successfully completed my first year of distance learning. Although I am satisfied with my grade, a lot of mistakes were made to get it. I don't claim to be the perfect student, nor am I anywhere near finished with my journey. I still have a few more years and a lot of work to go, so I am not writing "DO THESE THINGS AND YOU WILL GET GOOD GRADES!!!" Or something similar, because I don't think anyone can tell you how to do that, for sure. We are all different and learn in different ways. These are just a few things that made the first leg of my journey a bit easier.

Connect with other students.

This is probably the most important thing for me. I don't think I would have been able to manage the workload without a schedule for what and when to study. Having a plan also gives you plenty of time to work on any assessments you have to write.

Connect with other students.

Whether it be by online forums or Facebook study groups, if you can connect with students studying alongside you I would definitely recommend it. When distance learning you can't always get a quick response from your tutor, so it's beneficial to be able to speak to your peers about the information. Connecting with fellow students is like having a support group of people that are experiencing the same thing as you and I have certainly found the support of my peers invaluable.

Enjoy it.

I know it is unrealistic to enjoy every single part of a course, however, if you're not enjoying a good portion of it then maybe you have chosen the wrong subject. Not only does enjoying your discipline improve your state of mind about studying, but it makes it easier. Studying doesn't seem like a chore if you're learning about something that you are passionate about.

Utilize your tutor.

As you may not get a lot of time to speak to your tutor it is important that you use the time wisely. Ask all of your questions, even if you think they seem a bit silly. Take their feedback and advice, and discuss the work in as much detail as you need to.

Get ahead.

I know sometimes it can be hard as a distance learning student to fit the workload in around your life, but it can be super beneficial to get ahead, even if it is just a week or so. Doing this allows for things beyond your control, like illness or an emergency, to be dealt with without them having any major impact on your education. Of course, don't race and get too far ahead, there's no need for that and it might do more harm than good in the long run. For the majority of my module, I stayed a week ahead and that worked well for me.

Reward yourself.

Reward all of your achievements because you certainly deserve it. Not just big achievements like a good grade, but even just a productive study session, something you struggled with falling in to place. Anything that gets you closer to your goal is worth celebrating.

One last thing…

Don't let anyone tell you that your degree, knowledge, or other qualification is worth less because you obtained it through studying with the Open University or another distance learning provider. The skills you learn studying from home are worthwhile and you should be proud that you managed to gain a qualification alongside all of your other commitments.