The Open University - OU Speciality : English Language & Literature
programme: English Literature

I love the flexibility of being able to study at University level with distance learning. I am in my third year of an English Literature degree and I love being able to study alongside working full time. I also love that there are no entry requirements for my degree, so I’m not penalised for the fact that I didn’t do as well as I wanted to in school. I’m doing much better in University than I did in the school environment so my lack of GCSEs is not a reflection of my academic ability and I like that my University acknowledges that. I feel very well supported during my studies with loads of resources and additional help available if I need it. My only concerns are that my tutors are not always easy to get hold of. There is a 10 day service level for getting a response from a tutor and I feel this is too long. Especially studying via distance learning, I would like to be able to contact my tutor more easily. I also feel that the marking is somewhat unclear, I get feedback from my tutor when they’ve marked an assignment but there is no clear guidance available to students about the marking criteria so I wouldn’t know if I’m being marked fairly or not, I’m just reliant on what my tutor tells me. It’s not a concern for me as I am happy with my marks but just an observation. Overall, I am having a great Uni experience and would recommend the OU to anyone.