no subject

[taimatsu]

Ah well, seems I don't in fact need a plan re. Clearing as there won't be any English places from Reading in it. Unless I discover there's a mystery fabulous university within minimal public-transport distance that I didn't previously know about, I therefore won't be going to university this autumn. I guess I'd better work out what I want to do for a year, other than hibernate. Anyone got any suggestions?

Edited to add: There are a few possibilities for other universities in the area, but they are mostly more difficult to get to than it is sensible for me to commit to. I need to make this as easy as possible for myself, given the mess I made of my last attempt at higher education. I'm considering taking one or two courses at the OU, the credit for which would probably then be transferable to the Reading degree the following year. I was previously worried about OU study because I felt I needed in-person group work, but if I don't plan to do an entire degree with the OU that would probably be all right.

Comments

[purpleheather.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear that. Are there any part time courses you could take alongside work to maintain your interest in courses?

[mirabehn.livejournal.com]

*nods*

That's what I'd suggest as well.

[bibliogirl.livejournal.com]

Open University? Or somewhere with a distance-learning option?

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Open University english courses are really good... or were a few years back. lathany has one, in fact.

Question is, can one get accommodation funding when doing them ?

[taimatsu]

I'm not quite sure what you mean. I will be living where I currently live in Reading, and would be working part-time at least. Even with full-time study I am basically not eligible for any funding ever, as I have already had two years of student loan, and even though I earn from nothing to peanuts, both my father and my boyfriend earn way over the geting-funding limit. I'm going to be studying on whatever I can save and charity from my parent.

Did you mean something else? :)

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Ah, OK, that's cool then. Just me being confoozled.

In that case I'd definitely recommend Open University. They rock.

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

What about Royal Holloway? I know wildrogue commuted from there to Reading. Maybe some of the other London colleges? OU isn't a bad idea either. I'm thinking about giving that kind of thing a go.

[bibliogirl.livejournal.com]

Yes, RHUL would be commutable from Reading (train to Egham plus approx. 15-20 minute walk). But it's the only one really near enough; beyond that, you're getting into central London.

Brunel Uni also has a campus in Egham but I have no idea whether they have an English department (have a feeling they're more technically-oriented)

Kingston Uni is probably a bit far on public transport, though still do-able by train (probably one change from Reading)

[purpleheather.livejournal.com]

Brunel have moved everything off the Runneymede, Twickenham & Borough Road sites onto the Concrete Hell that is Uxbridge.

[bibliogirl.livejournal.com]

Ah, okay, fair enough. It has been somewhat over 10 years since I was in the area ;)

[purpleheather.livejournal.com]

Yeah - it was still functioning over 4 sites when I was there 1999-2002, but I've heard from a current psychology student that they have moved it all.

[atreic.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Is it possible to get together your application for Reading for next year now? Sounds like you've already put effort into writing emails to ask for references etc, and it would make sense to continue with that. Then you'd be ready to apply at the start of September with the very first lot of sixthformers.

[riksowden.livejournal.com]

Its too early now, applications for 2006-7 will start being processed at the 1st September (if i'm remembering right), its towards the end of September we start getting forms in.

[j4.livejournal.com]

London? Oxford Brookes? I assume they're either too far or you've already looked & they're no good... :-/

[taimatsu]

If I'm studying 'live' somewhere, I need it to be as hassle-free as possible to get to. I'm looking at the OU at the moment...

[riksowden.livejournal.com]

A couple of my housemates are doing degrees with the OU, and seem to be getting on okay with them.

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

Oxford Brookes also isn't a bad idea. They are pretty good, and I know I found Oxford very commutable from Reading when I was living there.

[mirabehn.livejournal.com]

I've considered the OU at various times. My Dad used to teach for them and one of my friends did a course with them for a bit. Everything I've heard is very positive. *nods*

[riksowden.livejournal.com]

Oxford Brookes is a train then a bus to get too, but both are regular routes. However...its an hour+ journey, and might well not be worth the harassment.

[meirion.livejournal.com]

i'd poke my eyes out sooner than recommend oxford brookes as a place to study at the moment, particularly for an arts subject. i don't think english is on the hit list just yet, but all departments in the school of arts and humanities have been told they're at risk. once they've offed modern languages, i'm sure they'll be taking a long hard long at any other 'non-profit-making' subjects.

http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/comment/story/0,9828,1527544,00.html is a pretty accurate summary of the culture/atmosphere there right now.

-m-

[claire-smith.livejournal.com]

Try giving them a call every week once term's started. Or even immediately after the registration days for Freshers. Even if the course is allegedly full, a HUGE number of students simply don't turn up, or drop out in the first term. Many courses will take on students late, if they have a place.

There's also the Continuing Education department (http://www.rdg.ac.uk/ContEd/) - I don't know whether they might have anything useful to you? I know that some of the courses are worth credits which you can take with you towards a degree, but I don't know whether any of them are appropriate to English.

[riksowden.livejournal.com]

Even if the course is allegedly full, a HUGE number of students simply don't turn up

Thats true, though most of the students who don't appear (for us at least) are overseas students - the government pays for a limited amount of Home fees (UK and EU) students only, once those places are filled they are filled... However, some of those won't appear, for whatever reason, so it might well be worth doing - i'd call the week before the start of term, the day after Freshers and after 1 week in. We'd not accept anyone onto the course after the first week - historically at least.

[taimatsu]

To do that, though, I'd presumably have to have a completed UCAS thingy and CEF and everything?

[riksowden.livejournal.com]

Or complete an RPA (Record of Prior Acceptance), which is a reverse UCAS form (the institute contacts UCAS rather than the other way round) but you have to go down and fill it in there and then...

[taimatsu]

Blimey. This stuff really is jolly confusing. :)

I think I might plan for the OU stuff rather than the Reading stuff. I don't know... I do want to get in if at all possible, but if I leave it that late I won't have arranged the OU stuff in time.

[riksowden.livejournal.com]

*nods*

Is there a set time with OU registrations?

[taimatsu]

Not that I can see - it's per course, and the basic English level 1 course is first week of Sept, to start October.

[riksowden.livejournal.com]

Ahh right, sounds like you either need the OU course or to pin hopes on Reading - the OU is a more solid bet by far.

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

Yeah, English at Reading did sound like the sort of course that probably fills up a bit quickly. You know my views, otherwise OU sounds sensible. The other universities that haven't been mentioned (but don't really do straight english afaik) are Thames Valley in Reading (Arty stuff historically and still largely the case) and South Bank at Guildford (media, counselling, childcare, not English...)

[taimatsu]

Do tell me your views once again. I can't remember which of your views I should be thinking of at present. :)

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

The one where you should be studying more of your sign language and things, more of your art and crafty things, and some childcare courses, and making yourself a career in, sayforinstance, play therapy for deaf children (or y'know, something in that general field) rather than muddling through a degree course that doesn't actually lead you anywhere practical just for the sake of getting a degree.

But all my other views obviously, they're all good and right and true as well.

[taimatsu]

Mmm, yes... Seeing as I will need to work for a year before university, I hope I can do something other than office administration. Work with young people seems a good choice, and if I can get something and I like it, I can always cancel the university plans. :) But I do want a degree.

[barakta]

If you had years of experience with children it is highly possibly you could do some degree level stuff, or even a degree in early years education or similar - a lot of the time you can get funding/time/paid time to do that on top of your work. Also if you have good sign (i.e stage 2 or above scarily) then you would be easily able to get a teaching assistant job with deaf kids both oral/signing.

[bibliogirl.livejournal.com]

TVU doesn't seem to do a straightforward English course, and I have a feeling that they have had major financial problems historically. I need to confirm my recollections with the person I believe attended part of a course there...

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

They have indeed. My brother graduated from TVU in 2002, and is glad he got out when he did.

[purpleheather.livejournal.com]

Hmmm - good point, can you get to Guildford for Surrey? it's a direct line from Reading.

[purpleheather.livejournal.com]

*reads the edit*

Very sensible!

[borusa.livejournal.com]

Doing a couple of modules from an OU course would, perhaps, be quite a good idea - it would satisfy that desire for a "taster" that you seem to have.

In practicality, the situation is no different to what you thought it was a couple of months ago, before you were aware of a possibility of entering via clearing - you've missed the entry date for this year, and you have a choice of accepting a _less good_ University (Sorry, but TVU and OB are not as good, overall, as Reading, and have no particular reputation as good places to study English), or waiting another year.

I'll support you in whatever ways I can, whatever you decide to do. If you do decide to wait another year, using it constructively in some way is probably a good idea.

I do not think that you are suited to a heavily vocational course.

[taimatsu]

I'm not thinking of doing a heavily vocational course as such, just making some plans to explore the possibilities of youth work again, as I've always been interested in it.

You're right about other universities; while I'm living in Reading I wouldn't want to study anywhere other than Reading or the OU.

I want to make sure that as it's almost definite I will need to wait for 2006 entry to Reading, I spend the year doing genuinely enjoyable, useful, fulfilling things which improve both my qualifications and my experience. There's no way I want to spend a year slogging away at one mind-numbing office job after another.

The OU now is less as a taster (though that's also a good thing) and more as an actual accumulate-credits-towards-degree thing. I no longer feel I actually need to do premilinary study before a full-time degree, but as I have to wait anyway I might as well get started on something interesting and useful.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

OBU is rated extremely highly for English, as it happens, 5 to Reading's 5* (and that was the year when the Head of English died unexpectedly in the middle of spring term, and threw everything into disarray). It has a very good reputation as a place to study English, as it happens, not least because it has easy access to the resources of the Bodleian and UofO's English Library, as well as some staff who teach at both institutions. In certain league tables it's beaten Oxford, in fact. Doesn't make it easier to get to, or negate the bad politics meirion hints at, but don't just dismiss it academically!

[the-alchemist.livejournal.com]

The OU has in-person tutorials - how frequent and where they are depends on the course. But if you did a popular course (as most of the English ones are, they would almost certainly be in Reading.