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Category: Student stories
‘Don’t let exam results hold you back – you can still succeed’
With Results Day on everybody’s mind, OU graduate Jess Barrett, 30, knows all too well how it feels to not get the results you’d hoped for. Despite failing two of her exams, Jess has since gone on to succeed, graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) last April. “Failing felt like a punch in the face” […]
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‘Can’t decide between work experience or a degree – why not have both?’
After finishing his A Levels, Abiola, 28 was on course to take up his place at a brick university, until a “eureka” moment changed his path completely. Abiola recalls the U-turn that transformed his career prospects and set him apart from his peers. “I always thought I’d take the traditional route to university. I got […]
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‘I’m supporting young people to believe in themselves, thanks to the OU’
Masters student Audrey, 29, had a thirst for learning from a young age, but always felt stifled by the education system. Audrey recounts how studying with The Open University (OU) inspired her to pursue a career in education and support young people to find their confidence and self-belief. “I didn’t think I was fit for […]
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‘The OU empowered me to fulfil my dream and switch careers’
Zimbabwean student Samantha, 25, had always loved academia, but despite being offered opportunities to attend universities in several different countries, the course costs were a barrier she was unable to overcome. Samantha was determined not to give up on her dream of postgraduate study and a career in translation, so she set her sights on […]
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‘I loved the OU so much I came back 50 years later’
Celia, 77 from Bristol returned to study with The Open University (OU) after nearly 50 years, as a way of keeping her mind active during retirement. No matter your age, Celia’s story shows that it’s never too late to learn. Pioneer student Celia was part of the first cohort of students to study with the […]
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50 years on – Michael looks back on the OU’s “awe-inspiring” first graduation ceremony
In 1973, Michael Shaw and fellow pioneer students made history by crossing the stage at The Open University’s first graduation ceremony at Alexandra Palace. Fifty years since graduating, retired head teacher Michael shares how at 82 with an esteemed teaching career behind him, collecting his OU degree scroll is still one of his proudest moments. […]
‘I’ve made life-long friends through the OU’
After recently moving to the UK, Khudayja, 25, hadn’t expected that her BA (Honours) English Literature and Creative Writing degree at The Open University (OU) would introduce her to life-long friends and a huge community of fellow book lovers. “I moved to the UK from Pakistan with my family four years ago. My family are […]
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‘OU study has changed me,’ says globe-trotting adventurer
Presenter and content creator, Gwilym, 38, travels the world to share his experience of climate change and its impact on the environment and nature. After wanting to better understand the sights that he was seeing, Gwilym chose to study a BSc (Honours) Environmental Science with The Open University (OU). As he nears the end of […]
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‘A health scare pushed me to pursue my dreams’
After a life-threatening illness, Lisa, 43, took the leap and enrolled to study a BA (Honours) Early Childhood with The Open University (OU). Since then, she’s never looked back and says her degree has helped her to land three promotions at work. Mum of two, Lisa was working term-time in a nursery when in the […]
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Award success for entrepreneurial graduate
Open University graduate and tech entrepreneur James Markey has won a prize at the Santander X Global Awards, Santander’s prestigious international university entrepreneurship competition with his company UNI SIM. The Santander X Global Awards brings together the best start-ups across Europe and South America to compete to win funding and support to help develop their businesses. […]
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