So I just sent off for an OU prospectus

[Mount Suribachi]

I've been thinking about doing a history qualification for a few years now...I never even did a history GCSE, ended up with a BSc in Chemistry instead http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/rolleyes.gif

I was wondering if anyone here has studied with the Open University and could give be any advice. Anyone who has done a history degree and could give me advice would be appreciated too.

[frogbeastegg]

I did a history A Level and am in the middle of an archaeology degree now, does that count (not with the OU though)? All this is written from the view of a British student.

Firstly read the small print of exactly what you will be studying. A lot of courses (in my ecperience) advertise something without giving you the full details. This means you can sign up for something you might not like, for example my history A level was advertised as China and Europe - they neglected to mention that it only covered modern history, something I dislike. I found out 2 months after my degree began that I could have done the unmentioned classics/archaeology degree which would have been more interesting and less digging. Make sure you look around and ask after any course you think should be there but is not advertised.

Be prepaired to have to buy loads of expensive books. It's part and parcel of a degree, history especially.

Read up on your subject in advance, no really - you should try to do most of the work before teaching begins. This allows you plenty of time to think about how events affected history, consider all the evidence, become intimate with all the dates, names and facts etc. If you leave it until teaching begins you will have much less time to do this and it will show in your work. These days history is all about why things happened and how we can prove it. The old dates and big events only approach is gone. Dates, events and names are now more of a back drop that needs mentioning in your analysis, rather than the whole show.

If you have a (tries to think of a term other than learning disability - that is so insulting. Sorry I can't think of one) learning disability mention it You will get help and the staff will (should) be understanding. I mean help in a good way, like extra time in exams or a note attached to your essay so staff don't take your work out of context. I don't mean bad help like "poor icle dyslexic, we'll just ignore your spelling and give you a garanteed pass because your stupid". I'm dyslexic and I get an extra 5 minutes per hour to compensate for my godawful handwriting (gives me time to slow down and write semi legibly) and staff are warned of my creative spelling. I also get extra help with number work if I want it. I do have to work hard still, the same as everybody else, I get no extra marks by default or anything like that. In the off chance this applies to you don't be embarresed to mention it, attitudes have changed recently in the universities, you won't be treated like an idiot or anything like that.

Having done a degree before you should already be aware of how much work is involved but I'll say this just in case other readers are thinking of giving it a go. History is not a soft option I do twice as much work as my cousin who is doing a physics and chemistry degree. It takes me about 20 hours to research 1 essay, 6 hours to write and type it. I have to do about 2 essays for each module (around 6 modules per semester) as well as exams, presentations, portfolios, practical work and reading. It doesn't help that most of these essays have similar due dates

Scrub up your writing skills, you will need to give a very comprehensive overview along with more indepth observations in about 2,000-3,000 words (that's my universities word limits, 2,000 for first years and 3,000 for second years). If you do your research properly you will have enough for at least 6,000. You must learn to be highly selective in what you include and learn to use as few words as possible.

Well, that's an overview of some basic advice. The final piece is the most important. Why are you doing this? Do you want the qualification for a job? Are you just doing it because you find history interesting? If it's the former, knock yourself dead. If it's the later you should think carefully. Interest alone is probably not a good enough reason for years of hard slog. You could learn just as much on your own, buying or borrowing books that interest you and disscussing history with others. Degree programs often force you to study areas you may not like and often miss subjects you may be interested in. You will be taught only what you need for the exam, there isn't time for much else. Also some subjects are just not mentioned or are carefully avoided for reasons of political correctness. Topics like the British Empire, the hundred years war, slavery and Napoleon are avoided because they are not PC. If they do crop up they always follow the PC version and deviating from it gets you clobbered. If you write an essay on how Napoleon was anything less than a European hero (or similar) you can expect to find yourself marked down. If you want a more even view of history don't look to the education system as it hates rather a lot at the moment. This retro sensorship and altering of fact is not very popular with historians but if you don't follow it you will be isolated and become an outcast.

Er, I hope I've not put you off http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif

[Red Peasant]

The OU has a good rep but it was pricey, which put me off. I opted for a part-time flexi degree at my local uni (Liverpool - though most unis must run these kind of courses) which was much more affordable and gave me a chance to attend a top institution studying ancient history/history. Best move I ever made, and it influenced my decision to go full-time in the second year. It wasn't a 'career' move for me, it was a love of the subject. Like you, I never even did the history GCSE, having allowed myself to be 'manoeuvred' into science subjects by pushy high school teachers. However, I did A level history as a preparation and that proved an invaluable experience in getting my 'study skills' back up to scratch after many years out of education.