My Studying
I have always enjoyed studying, and my original love was physics, the subject of my first degree, awarded in 1972 by Leicester University. In my final year I became very interested in wave mechanics and quantum physics, and I was asked if I would like to do a PhD in Quantum Molecular Physics. However I decided not to do that, for two reasons. First, I did not think my maths was good enough for the research, which was essentially developing and testing complex computer models of how atoms behave in molecules. Secondly, that particular research group was notorious for being difficult to work in - a PhD should normally take 3 years to complete, but periods of up to 6 years were not unheard of. Getting grant funding for more than 3 years was not easy.
So, as detailed in My Career, I moved into the world of work. I studied accountancy from 1972 to 1976 (not particularly exciting as a topic of study, but it was a means to an end), and after qualifying as an accountant I started an Open University degree in 1977. My then-wife had studied with the OU, and I was fascinated by the wide range of courses on offer. So I picked subjects that I thought looked interesting and I was so picky about it that I was quite happy to pull out of a course half way through if it had lost my interest. In 1982 I graduated with a BA in Maths, Economics, Systems Theory and Cosmology, which I have always thought to be an unusual mix! That was an ordinary degree, without honours; I always thought I might return to studying at some point later, do a couple more courses and convert the degree to honours. Which is not what actually happened.
I did no more formal studying for some 25 years, although I did loads of professional courses and seminars. However, after I retired in 2007 I discovered that the OU do some very interesting short courses, and I took one about Digital Photography, which I really enjoyed. I then got completely carried away and signed up for an MSc in Science and Society. Big mistake - it was more like sociology than the sort of science I enjoy, so I pulled out and used the refund to finance a couple of short courses on Website Design.
In 2011 I took a short course on Writing Fiction. This was prompted by my grand plan to write a science fiction novel. I have had the basic plot idea for a long time, and have been doing detailed research for a few years. The problem was I couldn't start to actually write the story. Hence the OU course, which I passed, but I have not really progressed much further with the novel.
However, while I was doing the Fiction course (which incidentally I always refer to as my first and last Arts course) I started to get emails from the OU about continuing study. I realised that the OU was affected by the Government's changed approach to the funding of higher education, and would have to triple its course fees. Existing students like me would have a transitional period during which we could continue to study at the old fee levels. This got me thinking about my old plan to turn my OU BA into an honours degree.
I therefore started making enquiries, but initially ran into a problem. I wanted to study science courses, but I was told because my original degree was a BA I would have to study Arts courses. I pointed out that this was rather silly, because originally the OU only awarded BA degrees, no matter what subjects had been studied - the awarding of BSc degrees came much later. Not a problem said the lady at the other end of the phone. It turned out, much to my surprise, that I could use all my old OU credits again, plust the credits from my short courses, towards a new degree. Furthermore, this could be a BSc if more than half the courses were science related. Result!
So I started studying for a BSc in Astrophysics. I took a second level course (actually they call them modules now) in Astronomy in 2012, which I enjoyed immensely. In October 2012 I sat my first exam in 30 years, and much to my surprise I passed with distinction. My best exam result EVER! I took the 3rd level Astrophysics module in February 2014 - similar to the Astronomy course, but much more mathematical. I had to solve equations of a type I last saw in 1969. No pressure then! There was also a project which involved analysis of quasar spectra that have not previously been worked on by anyone. Cool. I got a distinction in that module as well. So, my joint best exam result EVER!
I did an Astrophysics Project in 2016, which also generated a distinction - three in a row. My final module was in Quantum Physics, in which I got a grade 2 (but only 4 marks from a distinction - drat!). However, taking all the results together, I managed to achieve a first class honours degree in Astrophysics and Creative Fiction. Two grades better than my 1972 degree, and the same as my wife's (not of course that we are in competition......much).
I am now studying with Liverpool John Moores University for a part time distance learning MSc in Astrophysics, which all being well I should achieve in 2019.
