Confessions of a student: I did a really stupid thing last week...

I did a really stupid thing last week. It’s something I’ve done before but it’s not something I’m proud of and it’s not something I wanted to do again – I didn’t start my TMA until the day before it was due. When I say ‘start my TMA’ that includes the studying required for it. And when I say ‘TMA’ I should really pluralise it because there were two TMAs I did this for.

Oh God I know, I know, I’m just a truly horrendous student. I had one due on the Tuesday and one due on the Thursday so I did them on Monday and Wednesday respectively. I dunno why I left it so late because I hate doing uni work in the evenings after I’ve had my tea but still, there I was slogging away at charts and graphs and analyses at 10pm on both nights. With some amount of what could only possibly be a miracle I managed to get an eyebrow-raising 79 and 67 for the two of them – not great but a pass none the less. I think I get a bit complacent when I’m doing level 1 modules so this level 3 crime module I amstarting in a couple of weeks cannot be treated with the same negligent attitude.

I’ll have to do a bit of planning too because the EMA for one of these modules is due while I’m on holiday and I really don’t want to be sat in a log cabin in Scotland doing OU stuff. I think Gordo would get a *tad* annoyed at that.

'So I might not be the world’s greatest student... but everything in my life revolves around my studies in some way, shape or form and I’m happy to be that way'

Anyway, changing the subject entirely *getting away from my failure as a student*, Sunday 16th September has seen me add another accolade to my repertoire – I’m now a half marathon runner. I made mincemeat of the Great North Run and despite doing only three runs in the past three months thanks to injury I ran the entire 13.1 miles start to finish without stopping/walking/collapsing/having any existential conversations with myself. I’m now the proud owner of a finisher’s medal and t-shirt which will be tucked away in a drawer for me to occasionally stumble across and smile at.

I fear if you cut me through the middle, however, my rings probably spell out student, because as I crossed the finish line and mentally patted myself on the back for not stopping I made a comparison between running the half marathon and studying for a degree with the OU.

On the run I had found it easier to keep running than to consider stopping. Once you’re going and your legs have the momentum (although my momentum was only a millisecond faster than those walking) it’s quite easy to just keep that rhythm up. I knew that if I stopped, my legs would freak out and turn to jelly or stiffen up so it was easier and less troublesome to just keep going. I found exactly the same with studying – I had to take a couple of years off for various reasons and found it difficult to get back into the swing of it but once I was back on track I found it easy to keep going and now I just don’t want to stop. I daren’t stop. If I stop I might never get started again.

So I might not be the world’s greatest student and at times I ought to be shot for how lackadaisical I am but I’m a student none the less. Everything in my life revolves around my studies in some way, shape or form and I’m happy to be that way.

It’s less than three weeks until my graduation. Less than three weeks until I get the OU equivalent of my Great North Run finisher’s medal. Oh man, I’m looking forward to that day.