Earning and learning, thanks to the OU

Athanasia Argyriadou, aged 29, is from Greece and lives in Scotland. She is working full-time and learning at the same time, thanks to the Open University’s open access ethos and supported distance learning methods. Athanasia shares her study journey in this short blog.    

[This blog is also available in Greek].

I must admit that I did not have a plan for a glittering career from a young age, but I was determined to live and study in the United Kingdom.

Uprooting my life from Greece in 2015 and moving to Scotland was grueling by itself. When you do not speak the language, and you are not familiar with the norms and culture of the place in which you live, then aspects of your life such as looking for employment, buying groceries from the local store, participating in community events, and even meeting new people become incredibly difficult. 

I researched and applied for various UK educational institutions and all of them required a Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) application, academic references, and an International English Language Testing System assessment. Also, most of the institutions would not offer online learning. That being the case, I had an extremely hard decision to make. I was seriously considering stopping working full time - which would have an enormous impact on my financial circumstances - to be able attend face to face classes in a brick-and-mortar university. 

A university that is open to all, with no qualifications required for most courses."

During this exceedingly tough time a friend informed me that there is a university that is open to all, with no qualifications required for most courses, and that I could register and study my dream course online from the comfort of my own home.

Also, I could have access to an online library where there is a wide range of freely available information sources including e-books, full text journals, reports, statistics, and source materials.

At that time, I would not believe that I was only a few clicks away from starting a journey in the fascinating field of psychology with The Open University. 

The OU is Europe’s largest provider of university-level education in psychology and the degree is recognized by British Psychological Society (BPS). Registering as a BPS member has opened the door to collaboration, communication, and connection with people from all over the UK, to discuss the latest advances in this multidisciplinary field.

Being an Open University student has given me the opportunity to participate in student forums and career events. In March 2021 I attended an online Open University careers event, which resulted in me securing full-time work with the OU, where I work as a Student Recruitment and Support Adviser.

The balance of working full-time and studying for an undergraduate degree is not undemanding. Online classes, work, study, more work. When I use a study planner to plan my study week and month I feel in more control of work and study life. Studying in unexpected places comforts me. I try different coffee shops that offer nice wide tables, delicious coffee, and Wi-Fi. 

I am also a proud dog mama, so downloading the Open University study app allowed me to listen audio materials while me and Pluto (my furry friend) go for long walks to discover the atmospheric glens, picturesque lochs, and fabulous forestry in Scotland. 

As a student who is not a native English speaker, I would recommend using the Oxford Dictionaries from the OU’s online library. I also do not hesitate to contact my tutor, who is always happy to share their knowledge and discuss complex scientific concepts and terms.

So far, I have completed four modules towards the OU’s Bachelor of Science honours degree Psychology. I am currently studying the module ‘Investigating Psychology 2’, which is a core module for the degree. The module draws on the four core areas of biological, cognitive, developmental, and social research in psychology to investigate how we understand others and the world around us. 

Studying at The Open University is a rewarding experience. Like with fingerprints, there may be no two brains that are alike. My top tips to fellow OU students would be to embrace the uniqueness of your brain and do not rush through it, great things take a little longer.