ABSTRACT
This chapter looks in some detail at who the younger students were. The younger students came from a great variety of educational backgrounds but generally had not obtained the minimum entry qualifications for a degree course. However, by enrolling for an OU degree they all showed that they considered themselves capable of higher level study. It appears that many did not consider their school performance to be a true reflection of their abilities. Having looked at the initial ‘exit points’ from the normal route to success in higher education, the chapter considers the subsequent educational routes taken by younger students before entering higher education in the form of the Open University. In the case of ‘intelligence’ the results were open to conflicting interpretations for, although on average the younger OU students scored somewhat lower on the intelligence test, the great majority obtained scores quite commonly found among other students in higher education.
