Mature Student and Money

alyth

Queen, you didn't ramble on, thank you for such a fantastic and inspirational post! I'm a legal sec so I totally understand your situation your textbooks will cost a fortune.

It's reading your post that motivates me to follow my dream, I know it's going to be tough, I can't rely on getting the money from the sale of the house with ex, although it would be good if I do get it! However I want to follow my dream which is to study English as that's all I've ever wanted to do for years. I'm the same as you, if I go to uni then I'll clean, mop floors, do anything in the holidays, I've no pride or shame, I'll be doing what I want to do. Fair play to you and your partner for doing what you want to do, I'm so proud of what you've achieved!

You've given fantastic advice, I'm going to print out your post now, if you don't mind. Your money saving ways aren't geeky at all, I have enough savings to last me a year at the moment, as my income is so low, so I'm doing all the geeky things you're doing at the moment in preparation for if and when I do get to uni.

Thanks for your ramble, I really really do appreciate it, you go girl and follow your dreams, good luck with your degree, what year are you in? Are you going to become a lawyer? I worked in law in London for years as a sec, mainly media law so the last thing I want to study is law!

Queen_of_NO_MATTER_WHAT

Aw I'm glad it helped, experience is the most valuable thing we've got eh?

I'm in the first year at the moment, and it's kicking my a**e! Well not totally but I do sometimes feel that I'm doggy paddling to keep my head above water, some of the students in my classes seem to do very little (no prep, do assignments the night before) and get away with it but not me. I'm not actually sure what I want to do, oddly enough I started the social science access course because I thought I wanted to be a social worker, after the first day I knew I wasn't like the other people in my class and it wasn't for me. I spoke to my tutor who swapped me to the law and criminolgy access course and I fell in love; so taking law at uni was a natural progression I guess. There's something in me that keeps whispering to go into teaching adults, but I'm not sure yet. I'm 26 and in my first year, so in reality if I wanted to qualify as a lawyer I'd be 32 before I got there! Plus there is still very much a glass ceiling and I'd like to have a family at some point and working 12 hour days don't quite fit in with that. My partner wants to go that route though, and good luck to him, maybe when he's a rich lawyer my shoe addiction can return...funded by him! I think for me I'm just taking it a term at a time and I'll maybe start thinking of the next stage over the summer.

I've got a friend who is studying english as a mature student, she's 31 and she loves it. She originally started a psychology degree but deferred after a few weeks because it really wasn't for her, then she returned the following year to do english and hasn't looked back since. I thought Law was a lot of reading, she reads about 2 to 3 books a week! I personally couldn't imagine reading lit. for study rather than pleasure, I love the escape too much.

Go for it! Don't put it off! I sat year after year at my desk at work wishing I had the balls to grab life and start living it, instead of letting it pass me by and wondering what if.

alyth

Thanks Queen for the background information on you, I really appreciate it! I'm 39 this year and trying to follow my dreams, and I've been thinking about you a lot today! You should be so proud of yourself, you and your boyfriend, I hope he gets a briliant traineeship and is able to keep you in your shoe addiction!

I was swithering about doing an access course, but now I'm just taking it one step at a time, I'm doing my OU course this year, will see how the money pans out from the house sale (if it ever happens) and hopefully apply to Dundee Uni for a place next year!

Your friend sounds like me, I love reading literature books and read about 4 books a week even now!

Thanks again queen, really appreciate your post, apologies for not replying earlier but I was studying!

Oldernotwiser

alyth wrote: »

Your friend sounds like me, I love reading literature books and read about 4 books a week even now!

I did a degree in Literature as a mature student, someone paid me (sorry, this was in the days of grants) to read books all day; it was absolute heaven!

ben_farrin

Ive come across a smart site for students which gives you cashback for shopping online. They are called thestudentpocketguidecashback.com

Worth a look!