OAA Brush up course question(s)

[Skymaster15L]

Hello again members,

for those of you who have done your ATPL theory via DL with Oxford, I have a few of questions regarding their 2 week review courses you have to attend.

1) Is there any particular type of dress code you are expected to wear? I know their own flight students, as with any integrated program, are expected to wearing uniform, but wasn't sure if for us part time modular guys just doing the bookwork, if casual wear is fine, or if "unofficially" dress pants and dress shirts are still the norm?

2)With regards to housing for the time you are there, apparently you can do on campus accommodations (availability permitting) or find your own nearby. Is there any general preference to one over the other, that those of you who have gone there have found to be most beneficial overall? Are there any out of campus B&Bs or guest homes you might perhaps recommend? I haven't contacted their accommodation office yet as my date is still far out, but wanted to get some feelers out there ahead of time.

Thank you :ok:

[babez89]

Hello Skymaster, there's no particular dress code required for the 2 weeks. About the accommodation try to book it at least 2 month in advance if you want to stay on campus. There's a couple of B&B at walking distance from the school..like the highwayman hotel (50/55£ per night)
Bye!

[mad_jock]

The onsite accom is in the main Uni style bed rooms and sharing with assorted young idiots. And bloody expensive for what it is.

Just wear what ever you like. But personally I would suggest chino's and a shirt (but not some uniform rubbish) its more to do with getting your professional head on, frame of mind and all that. But its really not required.

In reality your modular most people there will look down on you as scum and inferior to the intergrated students. They won't have much to do with you. But hold no doudt's if you then go on to get a job you will be listed as a great success story for oxford.

[Skymaster15L]

Thank you for the honest opinions so far. Yes, I was aware of their on site accommodations being more expensive, I was just kinda hoping the extra expense was at least justified by permitting you to get some quiet study time in.

mad-jock, I am sorry you felt that way during your course-did you feel that this was blatantly made clear to you on a regular basis, or was it more subtle and you kinda had to pick up on it? I'd like to believe a school is a school, you get in, get your work done, and move on, but I bet it feels unpleasant having done that you when you are in effect their customer.:rolleyes:

[mad_jock]

The modular instructors were fine and there was no great hassels. They used to have a set which only did the brush up courses.

Its the youngsters in thier uniforms that have a bit of an attitude.

Its get in and get out and go for a pint with your course mates.

I just find it very cheeky that modualr students getting jobs through no effort what so ever from Oxford are then used as bragging rights to get intergrated students in.

It seems that if you take a dump on site your fair game to be an oxford success story.

[student88]

Mad Jock sums the place up perfectly. OAA is losing its way and there are now other FTOs which offer a better quality of training with less students running around the place who think they're Top Gun. It seems that OAA issue rose tinted glasses as standard when you sign up for an integrated course with them.

[chrisbl]

On my brush up course on of the mature students was a lady doctor.

There was a smattering of pretty blonde girls in their pilots uniforms preening themselves in the coffee shop. One gave our doctor a condecending look which did not go down well.

As she went past them our doc muttered GPS.

GPS? we queried, yes she said Golden Pussy Syndrome.

We were clear on what she meant.

[Artie Fufkin]

The majority of Mad Jock's posts on this website are informed and interesting, demonstrating an individual worthy of respect, however, when it comes to integrated training, he has a huge chip on his shoulder, rendering him less than impartial.

He's right , it is Uni style accomodation, and is ridiculously expensive for what it is. However, the "young idiots" treating modular brush up courses with disrespect was, in my experience, somewhat wide of the mark.

When I was there, the modular ground school course had a major chip on their shoulder and largely refused to talk to me, being integrated. The few times pleasntries were exchanged, I was told I was a ******.

Relations were better with the modular flight training course, who called themselves "Modular Scum", the name amusing themselves more than us. We shared instructors and got on well, largely forgetting which route each individual student was pursuing. It wasn't an issue.

Wear whatever you want.

[mad_jock]

I don't really art, the product doesn't really suit what I do for a living.

When I was there I suspect it was slightly different with alot of fully paid for cadets and lots and lots of foreign students.

I nearly did the waypoint thing when it was at Glouster but quite quickly decided that I didn't want anything to do with the flight training side of things.

[mad_jock]

Oh and I actually do recommend the modular ground school from Oxford.

The course books are a bulky but useful reference for the rest of your career and personally I prefer them to the other schools that I have seen.

Between BGS and Oxford there really isn't anything in it apart from accom and ease of transport.

The style of the notes suit some and not others. But either place will get the job done if you apply yourself.

[Skymaster15L]

Will make a mental note of the alternate meaning of GPS should I ever need to relate to it ;)
A couple of follow up questions if I may;

when it comes down to sit the JAA exams, how did you guys find it to work best for you in terms of dividing up the number of exams to take, while still giving you adequate spacing to focus fully on each one? I mean, taking at look at the way OAA and other schools split up the theory into phases, Phase 1 covers roughly half of the 14 subjects. Does that mean most people take the 7 exams, which means about two per day when testing days come around, or have some of you waited another month to pass before undergoing the remaining 3-4 exams. Curios as to what overall strategy is preferred without rushing into something just to "get it done".

also with housing again, is it worth pursuing the private sector in looking for cheaper rent? Some prices I've found seems considerably cheaper than hotels or the academy's own facilities, but wasn't sure if families are willing to rent out a room for shorter periods than the standard 3 or 6 month blocks just for a temporary stay student. Just curios if anyone went down this route before.

Regards

[mad_jock]

I just went for the two phases and sat them after completing the brush up.

You can only have a certain number of sittings.

There used to be a BnB oppersite one of the crash gates which was cheap and pleasant.

There was a list of cheap accom that the lady in charge of admin for modular used to give out. If not google maps might help out.