Robin Smith

Lots of hard work and help from an “incredible support system” from the OU and her family led to Robin Smith achieving her lifelong ambition of gaining a degree and pursuing her passion for creative writing.

Originally from the United States, Robin Smith began college there but had to drop out because she couldn’t afford to keep studying.

Following the breakdown of her first marriage, little did she know that she would marry a Scottish man, move with her family to Scotland, and be graduating with a First-Class Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature and Creative Writing degree from The Open University (OU) in Scotland at the age of 57.

Now living in Perthshire, she shares: “Earlier in my life, it was hammered into my head that I was a failure at everything I did. I wish I could hire a billboard in my home state, displaying me in my graduation gown and holding my degree!”

Creative writing has always been Robin’s passion, as she explains: “I have written stories since I can remember.

“I self-published a book in 2013 and it was amazing to know that people from all over the world were reading it. I love writing and I wanted to fine-tune it, so I could be a more effective writer and improve my skills.”

She comments: “The OU has an outstanding reputation. It was the obvious choice. It had also been over 30 years since I’d been in formal education and applying for a brick-and-mortar university wasn’t an option for me.”

‘Supportive tutors’

I couldn’t have done any of this without support from my tutors!”

Robin says that access to the Part-Time Fee Grant was crucial in enabling her to study, explaining: “I wasn’t in a financial position to pay for the tuition fees, as I was always under the threshold income. If I hadn’t had access to that, I wouldn’t have managed to get the education I’ve received.”

She adds: “I couldn’t have studied had the flexibility not been there for me to learn in my own time. I was the main income earner, and I had to work to keep us afloat.”

The flexibility and support offered by the OU was key in supporting Robin to complete her degree after her husband, Peter, had a health scare, and at another point when her laptop died and she lost all her work just before an important tutor-marked assignment (TMA) deadline.

On one occasion, her tutor calmed her down during a panic attack when she had misread an end-of-module assessment (EMA) question and had written an essay based on the wrong reading material.

Robin says her course tutors were incredibly supportive during these challenges and being granted two extensions was critical in helping complete her degree and achieving a First.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without support from my tutors! They are the main reason why I’d like to be an OU lecturer – I’d love to be that support for someone else,” she comments.

‘Incredible connections’

Along with support from her OU tutors and family, Robin says that she has made lifelong friends through the OU. She is now working on a short story anthology with other female OU students who she met through her tutor group and the arts and humanities common room workshops available online.

She says: “I have so many incredible connections and many of them – probably all of them – wouldn’t have crossed paths with me in any other way. I will treasure them forever!

“During the COVID-19 lockdown, a small group of about fifteen of us stayed in touch via a collective group chat. We supported each other and I’ve met so many of them since – even though several of us have gone our own directions after our course. I see one of them and their family every year.”

The OU has changed me. It has forced me to prove to myself that I can do whatever I decide is best for me.”

Robin comments: “The OU has changed me. It has forced me to prove to myself that I can do whatever I decide is best for me. It has opened doors – I do writing workshops on the OU website, and I’d never be publishing this anthology had I not met the other women on this project.

“It has given me self-confidence that was always there within me – the OU just helped pull it out of me.”

Discussing her degree, Robin says: “This felt out of reach for many, many years. I wasn’t raised in a home where going to university was easy or even something to aim for my future.

“After starting this journey, with a support system that absolutely believed in me, I thought a couple of times I would have to defer. If I did, I was worried I wouldn’t pick it up again. But I managed it, despite my doubts.

“I’m not ashamed to say I sobbed when I realised I had managed it. I'd thought that people like me don’t get things like that, but I did it! The OU helped me find that level within myself and I am a proud OU alumnus!” she concludes.  

Photograph by Kathryn Tuckerman