{"id":21814,"date":"2022-08-15T08:00:59","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T07:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ounews.co\/?p=21814"},"modified":"2022-08-15T08:00:59","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T07:00:59","slug":"the-ou-was-my-perfect-option-after-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/student-stories\/the-ou-was-my-perfect-option-after-college\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The OU was my perfect option after college\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Kianna Graham, 21, had to decide what life would look like after college, she says The Open University was the only option. Being able to continue working a job she loves and being surrounded by friends and family whilst furthering her education with a BA (Hons) degree in Business Management<\/a> ticked every box.<\/p>\n

University on my terms <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Kianna recognises that whilst \u2018going away\u2019 to a brick university is still popular, it\u2019s not the best option for everyone her age.<\/p>\n

She says, \u201cThe OU has always been on my mind since college partly because the main campus in Milton Keynes is local to me but also I really liked that I could still work my retail job, which I love, whilst being able to further my learning and my studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my case, none of my friends were going to uni so it\u2019d mean leaving home when I have everything I need right here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kianna\u2019s friends and family were fully supportive of her decision too. She adds, \u201cThey don\u2019t view the OU any differently to a brick university. If anything, I feel more independent because I\u2019ve decided I want to go to the OU, not because my friends are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opportunities made possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Reflecting on her first year, Kianna already knows the OU is going to open so many doors for the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would definitely say the OU has changed me,\u201d she shares. \u201cThis degree is going to change my life and inevitably is going to better my future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI decided to study Business Management as I have always enjoyed studying business and would like to have a career within the field. What interested me about the course specifically was the opportunity to learn more about the different areas of the ever-changing business world and business skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continues, \u201cSomething I really like about the OU is that there isn\u2019t a limit regardless of what age you are; it\u2019s really diverse. There are some older students on my course, and they have really helped me. Everybody has their own story here and I think that\u2019s something we can all learn from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Proving yourself<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Excited to get started with her second year, Kianna is proud of how she\u2019s proven she\u2019s capable of conquering even her most challenging subjects: \u201cSo far, I\u2019ve found parts interesting that I didn’t think I would, especially accounting and maths. I was like, am I going to be able to do this? In school I was awful, but I now find the subjects actually really enjoyable.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, Kianna\u2019s proudest achievement has been achieving an 80% pass mark in her accounting exams. She says, \u201cWhen I got my TMA (Tutor Marked Assignment) back and it said 80%, I couldn\u2019t believe it. I mean I was happy but surprised as I didn\u2019t expect that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She says that the tutor support has also been amazing and added to her experience at the OU: \u201cThe tutors would always hang back after a tutorial and [encourage you to ask questions which has been great].\u201d<\/p>\n

From one student to another <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Being 21, Kianna recognises some students might believe they\u2019ll miss out on the student experience through distance learning. Keen to dispel that myth, she shares: \u201cBeing a younger student I was a little worried at first, but there are many social groups and clubs which are very diverse, like gaming clubs and gardening clubs. There is a club that every student would be interested in joining as there’s such a wide range to choose from.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudent support groups are also available to join though the University which is a brilliant way of meeting others and having additional support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her top tip for prospective students is to plan, plan and plan some more.<\/p>\n

Kianna says, \u201cOne of my modules was called \u2018Making Your Learning Count\u2019 and had a study planner for OU courses. So, I decided to make my own study planner for my own life. I use it every day!<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you’re going to work alongside, try and liaise with your management team. I find having set shifts and days makes it easier to find your study time.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a lighter note, Kianna adds, \u201cAlso, make sure you’re not hungry. If you’re trying to study when you’re hungry, it’s not going to work. You\u2019ve got to feed the brain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Planning for a brighter future <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Looking to the future, Kianna shares that she\u2019d like to continue her study with the OU. \u201cOnce I\u2019ve graduated, I actually want to go ahead and do a MSc in Human Resources<\/a> as that’s the field of work that I’d like to go down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been interested in it, and we briefly touched upon people in organisations and morale and things like that in one of my modules, which I really enjoyed. I’d love to have two degrees under my belt, especially from the OU.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspired by Kianna’s journey? Start your own<\/strong>
\nDiscover your perfect career-boosting course at the OU and get the flexibility to learn around your life. Register by 12 January 2023 for courses starting in February.
\nChoose your course.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Kianna Graham, 21, had to decide what life would look like after college, she says The Open University was the only option. Being able to continue working a job she loves and being surrounded by friends and family whilst furthering her education with a BA (Hons) degree in Business Management ticked every box. University […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21810,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[874,1525,1640,1643,2471],"class_list":["post-21814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-stories","tag-fbl","tag-news-home","tag-ou-home","tag-ou-news","tag-young-student"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}