Open University for an Aspie?

[Mr Allen]

Link.

The Open University has been advertising on TV in the UK a lot lately so I looked on their site at courses (link above, probably not relevant to North Americans or Canadians) and found something I was interested in.

Anyway I put in my contact details, and they rang me up on the Landline last night but I was out, I still have the message so I might ring them back at some point.

But yeah, a University level course for an Aspie, would this be suitable?

 

[Progster]

I don't see why not... though it's a big committment - takes a lot of time, very expensive, and also: they need you to go and attend conferences or seminars once in a while. If you are willing to put in the resources, dedication and time, there's no reason why you shouldn't.

 

[xudo]

Being on the spectrum alone shouldn't stop anyone from thinking about higher education. So long as help is available where needed, and the individual realises as @Progster mentioned, the time effort and expense involved.

I went to university straight after my A-levels, and although I received some help, I didn't know I was on the spectrum at the time. Knowing that would have helped enormously.

 

[Mary Lyn]

Anyone who has long past school, and is thinking of university, needs to do some access course to find out if they are able to study with the pressure of time limits in getting work in. I have found that this pressure causes me too much stress even with extra time allowed.

 

[Bolletje]

It’s possible for some people.

 

[scrp14]

i went to an average university the conventional way, after college but didn't cope because of the social aspect and that they were insistent on prioritising social life over academic life. The support in place wasn't fit for purpose, they just asked me to go in their office and check on my progress and direct me where I should go next, they never even set foot outside the building to assist me as i easily got lost in the unfamiliar area that I was in and always resorted to going back home because i couldn't face the unknown by myself. Maybe not all universities are socially oriented where its considered a rite of passage to take your mates out for a drink or nightclubs at freshers.

 

[Gracey]

If it’s been a while since you’ve studied Rich, mention this to an advisor if you do decide to call them back.

It might be that they suggest some sort of introductory course to get you used to the level at which you’ll be studying,
you know,
how to organise your time to complete assignments before you decide to go for the bigger commitment of a degree over a numbers of years.

I like the idea of the OU.
Not having to spend all day, every day at a strange institution in the company of many other students.
Work from home and attending the odd tutorial here and there.
Emailing the tutor with queries or TMAs
(Don’t have to leave the house)

 

[Mr Allen]

I should probably mention that this wouldn't be the first time I've done a Uni level course, a few years back I did a course at Sheffield Hallam Uni in Microsoft Visual Basic 4, which I passed, and then a bit after I did a course in web design, using HTML, thing was though, I excelled at self paced learning on my own, but couldn't do the group project, as I hate group work, especially when it's a large group.

 

[Judge]

Seems to me you should go to the source rather than ask anyone here such a question. After all, it's up to you whether you're ready for something like this. Whether one is one the spectrum or not.

If you're considering the level one modules that introduce you to key concepts in computing and information technology, why not take their online quiz shown in their entry requirements "Am I Ready?" to see where you stand?

To get a feel from their perspective of what they are expecting of potential students.

http://www.openuniversity.edu/courses/modules/tm111#am-i-ready

 

[Sid Delicious]

I've studied degrees at both a regular 'brick' university and via the Open Uni and found the latter harder in terms of grade boundaries (less spoon feeding), but far easier due to the lack of 'filler'. The students were also far more motivated since they either worked full or part time, wanted to progress and weren't there to party and 'find themselves'. You can work at your own pace, have as much or as little interaction with other students as you want, most in-face lectures or classes are optional and all the teachers I had were brilliant (generally they'd retired from regular unis and/or careers in the field and were really passionate about their subject).

I'd advise joining a few of the Facebook study groups for whatever the subject/module is and chatting to current/past students. You can also get resources on there to get an idea of the sort of work required.