I will be honest with you from the very beginning. I am a strong supporter of school-studying as home-studying did not work out for me at all. Of course, I know that there are people with different personal circumstances and potential and home-studding is very good for many of them. Nevertheless, it was a failure for me.
Home studying
When I started studying with CIMA a year ago, I decided I would go for home-studying. I bought both books and on-line study system just to make sure I am not losing out on anything. The on-line class turned to be nearly same as books but arranged in different order enhanced by few interactive questions. I was impressed at the beginning but as my studying progressed I started to be annoyed by the number of mistakes which have been made. Even with something as simple as typing error, it could take me an hour or two to figure it out that it was not me who was wrong but a book. I want to believe that everything is improved and is much more efficient by now. Unfortunately, back then it was very misleading and I started to lose my trust. Also a complete lack of benchmarking against my progress wasn’t helpful.
People like me, who are perfectionists, have difficulty fighting the inclination to “dig” one subject forever. Not knowing when to stop and move on is just pure waste of time. Also the complete lack of verification of how much I already knew and on what level was destroying my confidence which is so needed during the exam.
I believe the person most likely to benefit from this type of studying would be someone with working experience in a particular field, who needs systematisation. If someone has no other choice but home-studying, then I would suggest a bit more expensive on-line real time classes or pre-recorded real lecturers. This gives a great illusion of interacting with actual person which is more useful for memorising things. In any case I would recommend applying for a school-based revision.
Time and money
The strongest points for advocating on-line systems would be time and money. That is some advantage but not as big as it seems. Time is a strange creature and not easily tamed. We like to think we control it and deciding about it but very often we don’t. There are so many distractions, that this advantage might turn into a burden. Making our own time for studying is hard, especially when we have a full time job and kids and still want to go out and meet our friends or just relax on a sofa. What usually would happen is that we would turn into "thieves" of our own time with a constant bad feeling of guilt. At school time is fixed and there is no excuse. Everything else needs to be arranged around it and even our family and friends seem to be more respectful about that. As to money, well... there is a question of how much you are prepared to risk?
My decision to home-study was made on the foundation that I will save some money but it never happened. I failed two exams sessions by three exams, each which I paid for. On the top of this I paid for books and the on-line facility which I have to treat not as an investment with future profit but pure loss now. Also I delayed my progress and lost a bit of my confidence, not to mention distress to my family.
School time!
Finally I realised that if something did not work two times it probably won’t work at all and I applied for school for two subjects at once. There are no guarantees that I am going to pass exams this time and I still need to spend a considerable amount of time studying at home but I already can see how precious is the help of lecturers and class mates. There are some questions which I would never even think of and yet I am getting answers to them. Also level of motivation is high and my self-esteem started to heal. I have clear directions what to do to pass exams and all my doubts about subjects are answered and explained well.
Careful decision
It is important to choose a good school as only quality teaching is worth its money. I live in Dublin where I really only have a choice between two schools. Before I decided which school I would go for I researched and asked people who already have been in both of them. Their feedback was crucial. I went for a school which is generally considered to be the second best one, as people gave me better opinion about it. I guess the best one got into the routine and the second best is still improving. My choice did not disappoint me. I am happier with it every day and have no problems attending to my evening classes.
As I said, I believe there are people who are doing well home-studying and it would be good to hear from them as I think everything is possible if you only know how to do it. I would also like to hear from all of you: how your studying is progressing and what your biggest worries are.
Dear All
Is anyone based in Harare, Zimbabwe. I am looking for information on a good tuition provider, institution or individual. I have passed various subjects on my own so far and I am sitting P1 and F2 in May. However I am finding studying on my own challenging and would really appreciate some class time. As with all things I am looking for value for money, and would like to get in touch with a committed tuition provider.
Any pointers?
Ruvimbo
Great topic.Is there any school over here within India who are allowing evening or weekend classes?Plz reply to my mailid- [email address removed by moderator, please use website messaging facilitiy to contact other users]
Thanks in advance.
Rgds.
Hi Anna,
That is a great topic.
For the last 18 months I have been studying CIMA on my own whilst working fulltime in the finance department of a PCT (NHS) in Essex. Since I hadn't joined the organisation through the NHS grad scheme, I couldn't get my employers to sponsor my CIMA studies so I decided to go it alone. Money was an issue and time to attend the classes was another. Hence I opted to studying on my own using text books so that I could "save money".
It was tough trying to balance work, study and my social life as I aimed to do two papers per exam sitting. I managed to pass F1 first time but failed P1 and P2. I eventually redid them and passed them both just by reading the text books from home, after work, and practicing the exam techniques.
Change.
Due to the frustration of my previous failures, I made a tough decision to take a year out of work. I applied to a college in manchester where I am currently studying for the May exams; E1, E2, and F2. After which I plan to complete the strategic level in november and then the Case study - T4.
From my experience, home study works best if you can apply the theory easily in the real world, like I did in F1 where I applied most of the theory during the year-end procedures at work. It also requires alot of commitment, self discipline, prioritising daily activities, self motivation and a supporting environment. It also helps alot if you have a study partner who you can discuss with (i didn't have one).
Attending Classes however, gives you even more chances of understanding the material. The further we dig into the CIMA syllabus, the harder it becomes so understanding the subject matter is very important.
So far, I have found that school is alot better than home study. I get the opportunity to discuss industry related issues with my tutors and with classmates which helps me to understand even more.
I am a big fan of Albert Einstein's quote that goes "You don't really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother". It really helps discussing and sharing knowledge with other people. It is a great way to test your understanding and that's where Tuition classes beat home-study.
Time management.
As you mentioned in your blog, this is very vital. I am sure we've all heard people saying they are trying to "save time". In my opinion, time can never be saved. It is not like putting away a percentage of your earnings into a savings account and not use it for a while. Time, as Socrates puts it, can only be used appropriately and, the best use of time is when we are doing the most important or productive things.
Procrastination is indeed a thief of time and it leads to a pile-up of work that we later have to deal with causing us stress when we fail. So, Drawing up a clear plan to approach the CIMA studies and following it genuinely is very helpful to both the home-study and college approach.
All in all, we all have different styles by which we take in information. For me, attending tuition classes has added that extra kick that i needed. It is alot more expensive but taking into consideration the money spent on re-sits and time spent studying for them (remember, time is money!!), then I think the college option is better in all ways. Also, it is important to choose a college with great tutors because they add depth to the material. I am loving my college so far.
Good luck in your May Exams.
Regards
Enoch
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