Terrible Misconceptions About OU

When I enrolled in UP Open University, I thought it would be a breeze. After all, how hard could online classes get, right?

I couldn’t be more wrong. 

As of this writing, I’m already on my 2nd week on my first term as a BA Multimedia Studies student. The first week was too easy. All we had to do was to introduce ourselves to the class through an online forum, and that’s it. When the second week came, though, and upon starting to actually study and do something, I realized I had terrible misconceptions about studying in OU. I wish I knew about what it is really like even before the start of classes. That way I could’ve prepared myself more.

Here are some of the things I wish I knew before the start of the first term:

1.) Leaving a good first impression is a must! Introductions matter.

Just a few hours ago, I stumbled upon sir Al Librero’s blog post about why introductions matter. I was horrified. Not only was I too complacent about the first week that I posted my introductions late for ALL my subjects, I also wasn’t too serious about it and just wrote about very basic things about me.

Sir Al is right. In OU, what we post on the discussion boards are just about everything that the professors will know about us. Our posts and how and when we post them say a LOT about us — our work/study ethics, how we handle deadlines, how expressive and articulate we are in proving a point, and a whole lot more! Make your introductions count!

2.) UP Open University isn’t a walk in the park.

I’ve always had this impression that UP Open University wouldn’t be as demanding as traditional studying would. I don’t know where I got that from. Maybe because personally, deep down, I’m not really convinced about the effectiveness of distance learning. I wasn’t so sure.

Upon seeing the deliverables of the 2nd week, though, that impression changed radically. I was met with a barrage of readings with terms I could barely understand, a couple of assignments, and a whole lot more. Suddenly, I felt the pressure. It’s also then, though, that I was sure UPOU would help mold me to become a leader in the field of multimedia someday. Now, I’m inspired to soldier on and face the challenges. Laban!

3.) Late submissions are fine, as long as you still submit them.

I also had this mindset that it’s okay to submit my deliverables after the deadline — that professors in UPOU would be more lenient when it comes to this. I was dead wrong. I forgot that UPOU is still UP, which means that it still demands honor and excellence. There’s no room for complacency, for mediocrity and for tardiness. I’m only on my second week, but I already know that UP OU wants nothing short of the best that we could give.

For many of us, we might have already forgotten how it’s like to study. I, myself, didn’t study for a couple of years, and doing it right now feels like I have to start learning the ropes all over again. However, that’s not an excuse to do things the wrong way. Let’s all trust the process and be faithful in studying and submitting our deliverables on time.

4.) Classes would be boring without classmates with whom you can physically interact with. 

This was one of my greatest concerns when I enrolled in OU. As a friendly person, studying just doesn’t seem complete without having friends with me always, eating lunch together, studying together, and doing things together. I was proven wrong.

It doesn’t have to be that way all the time. In OU, I discovered (and I’m actually planning to) that it’s actually very possible to meet up with your classmates who are near you, and to do those things together from time to time. It also came as a pleasant surprise to me that discussing and debating on the forums could actually be more productive than real-time face-to-face interaction.

5.) There’s no need to make time for studying, I can do it when I’m really free.

UP OU has been marketed to me by some people as a virtual school which you could go to anytime. To me, it meant that you could study on the sides when it’s completely convenient, and I could still go on with my carefree freelance life. While that may be true to a certain extent, for me, it’s a very dangerous mindset.

UP OU is a school. That means, if you want to excel in your studies, you HAVE TO study, even when it’s not always convenient for you. It’s true that you could study anytime, but we must keep in mind that we’re enrolled with 12 units — which, in traditional studying, means that we have to allocate 12 hours of our week to actually study. We HAVE TO make time for OU. It’s a commitment we made, and it’s a commitment we should be loyal to.

These are the things I wish I knew before the first week started. I hope this proves to be helpful for incoming students (if ever you do stumble upon this post). I have to admit, though, that I wrote this so that there’s something I could come back to everytime I fall into the trap of complacency again.

Let’s all do our best! Para sa Bayan!