Any single parent students on here?

LaFetarde

Hi everyone!! I am a newbie here. I am so glad to see that there still are parents who study and raise their child. I know this feeling too. I am 32 years, my daughter will soon be 5 and I am passing my final exams. Next year, I would like to study at Cardiff Met University (International Business Administration) and have no idea how I will manage it. But something tells me that I will cope with the stress, with the fact of being a single mother, studying and struggling with money. I have to organise an accommodation for us, to find a school for my girl... and so on. I hope to read and learn from you as to how to stay positive in spite of all these difficulties.:j

saleb

Hi,
I am a single parent of 3 and a nursing student near the end of my 2nd year.

The only experience I can share is that you may feel like you are going mad, I recently was on a full time placement, had 2 essays to complete whilst on placement (they do require a high standard) plus one of my children was playing up at school, one was ill on and off with infections! I have never cried and felt so at the end of my wits in years.
I did it though and this is the thing with the degree as a single parent, I have little support available, placements are always a struggle but they are only 20 weeks of the year. I have found it a case of dragging myself through. I have made many good friends, I have passed all of my essays and exams (although I suspect I could have got better marks if I lived a single life), I now only have just over a year to go;-D.

I dont want to frighten you off with my experience, as I laugh about how I get stuck in these situations.... I know it will be worth it and improve mine and my childrens life next year that is all I focus upon.
I think if you are determined you will suceed no matter how hard the challenge is.
Good luck with your access course, and your application.

Mids23

Hi I'm also a single mum and start is my 1 year access to nursing course at college in September and i have never worried so much in my life about financial side of things and my uni app! I'm determined to do it to give me and my young son a better financial future. I am very lucky that i have a great support system around me......but i still worry! I have a mortgage to pay. Im a teaching assistant in a primary school at the moment and so have got to hand in my notice and have signed up with a nursing agency. It would be great to see how other single parents are finding it both practicality wise and the financial side of things? Would be great to hear of other's experiences!

Kay.Samuels

Nice to see there are other parents in the same boat -or about to be! :-)

It must be hard when everything falls in the same week like that, but I guess you just have to push on through it.

I am unsure of how my finances will be during access course and then degree but I live on a shoestring now and manage so for me it will be a case of continuing to be frugal I guess.

redmel1621

Hi good luck on your degree.

I am not a single parent, however I am a mother of four children, my eldest is 11 and my youngest is very nearly 2... I am starting university in September and fully expecting a busy 3 years!!

wiggywoo9

Hi I'm a single parent student, just finished 2nd year, starting 3rd year in October. It's hard- especially since ex hasn't done anything to help or paid a single penny throughout little one's entire life. I found out I was pregnant just after starting my first year, and a few weeks in, found myself alone, pregnant and doing a degree!
It's a lot better these days as my son grows up and hopefully ace my last year Just keep calm, count pennies and carry on!

rubytuesday

I was a single parent mature student some years ago and managed very well with the course and also financially.

However I was not doing erratic hours - my children were both in nursery and school and I had access to an after school club.

If you can get reliable child care sorted you will be fine I'm sure.

Good luck.

nikki02_2

I'm a single parent to 2 children ( 4 and 8 ) and I've just finished my first year at uni.

It is tough yes, but it's achievable. There have been times when my children have been sick, placement to attend, and assignments to write and the stress was immense, but if you're determined to do it, you will.

Maybe we could get a support thread going for single parents and study if there isn't one already?

fishybusiness

Hi,

I'm ex - Access course and I can thoroughly recommend it as a step in to a degree. It is not a year wasted, all of the skills you learn really do help with a degree, especially when you have children, and time is limited.

I'm not a single parent, my partner and I are both degree students with children and at times it is chaos in our house. No doubt yours will be the same :-)