Mature student worries

engineer_amy

i went back to uni part time aged 23 and was classed as a mature student. There was a little group of us mature students that all started at the same time and we formed a little support circle. Ages ranged from 23 to 50, we worked together on group assignments, help on homeworks, revised together. it was us against "the kids" (the full time 18-19 year olds) and we all still keep in touch. All of us had different circumstances, single, married, divorced, kids, no kids, working etc but having an extra little bit of support helped massively.


I too did 2-3 evenings a week and although I don't have any kids, I was working close to 60 hours per week in a stressful job and helping out with some caring commitments for my grandparents so it was tough finding time to study.


My advice would be if you set aside time to study, actually use it to study. The procrastination during revision for exams was ridiculous. However my house had never been cleaner!!!
If its possible, let your husband take the kids out for an afternoon at the weekends, 2-3 hours, leave the ironing and hoovering, turn off the TV and get stuck in. its amazing how much you can get done without any distractions, whether its just reading ahead in the textbooks, assignments, essays or revision. Full days of cramming didn't work for me, my mind wandered and I always found something more urgent that needed doing. a small block of a few hours at a time was best.


And yes, it is more difficult as a mature student, getting back into the swing of assignments and exams, trying to balance life issues that younger students just don't have. But the sense of achievement you will feel when you graduate is massively rewarding

emsywoo123

Mrshaworth2b wrote: »

What funding don't you get? Turion fee loan? Maintenance loan?

I get the tuition fee loan, but nothing else.

clairec79

I went back to uni when I was 26 (left school at 18 so similar gap to you) had three young children and it was fine

You don't have a'typical student experience' but that wasn't what I was going for - I did do a lot of essays etc once the kids were in bed to try and make sure I had some time with them (I studied midwifery which is a lot more hours in uni than many degrees plus placements)

missbiggles1

clairec79 wrote: »

I went back to uni when I was 26 (left school at 18 so similar gap to you) had three young children and it was fine

You don't have a'typical student experience' but that wasn't what I was going for - I did do a lot of essays etc once the kids were in bed to try and make sure I had some time with them (I studied midwifery which is a lot more hours in uni than many degrees plus placements)

I went to university when I was 25 and I definitely had the full student experience but then I was single with no children. I went again when I was in my late 40s and it was quite different and I really didn't enjoy it or get a lot out of it, for various reasons.:(

p-pincher

It's really interesting reading everyone's replies.

I've always wanted to study for a degree in English but the OU is the only way I would be able to do it. For the last 2 years I've bottled it at the last minute. After leaving school at 16 with no qualifications it just seems to much. Now with 2 kids and a full time job I'm not sure how I'd fit everything in. Good luck Op x

no1catman

When I started doing Further Education - it was not with any ambition to do a Degree.
Way back in full-time education, I wasn't very good at 'O' levels - me and Exams don't get on well!
I had been on quite a few courses with work, which inspired me on - wanted to do Marketing but that was to Exam dependent, so opted for BTEC Business Studies - National Certificate (NC), by that it can be seen that it was part-time - two evenings three hours each. Anyway, after two years I passed and thought WOW - I have the equivalent of two 'A' levels!
What next? HNC - another two years - at least with this I got a graduation ceremony!
After a year off, I started an Honours Degree course, three years later, at aged 49 - I had my Degree.

lau_dicker

I have been back to uni recently at 30. I did my degree at 19 (Food, Nutrition and Health Science - took a year out after A-levels before I went), did a masters straight after (Clinical Nutrition), went to work full time, first waitressing until I got a job in a laboratory. Started at the bottom of the tree as a lab technician in a biophysical characterisation lab, worked my way through departments, had a son in 2012, and decided to go back to uni a few years ago to do another masters (Biomedical Science). I worked full time and did the second MSc by online learning from Nottingham Trent, wrote my dissertation on the work I was doing at the time (molecular biology). I was lucky in that work were quite supportive and I had my partner at home to help out. I'm now running an animal health laboratory working with vets with my own team of 3 lab techs, and moving jobs next month to run a bigger lab with my own team of 10.

It can definitely be done, it just takes some organisation! I failed one exam twice in the last masters, just couldn't keep everything in my head! But I passed overall with commendation which I was happy with. Right now, I'm just getting organised for my new job, but I'm 99% sure I'm not done with learning yet. One day, I'll get my doctorate ... just not sure which day! Sooner rather than later hopefully, just can't afford to drop to the stipend you get from the wages I'm on right now.

I'm working my way through free online courses in my free time now, and my next plan is to update my French skills ... I think I have a problem! Just can't stop studying!

engineer_amy

lau_dicker wrote: »

I'm working my way through free online courses in my free time now, and my next plan is to update my French skills ... I think I have a problem! Just can't stop studying!

Im similar - I want to do another course, maybe not a degree, but something with a recognised qualification at the end of it, but I just haven't settled on an area yet. I think its because studying for my degree was such a big part of my time for a number of years, and now that's gone, im thinking I need to do something more to fill the time again.

Threebabes

Hello

My husband started a degree when I was pregnant with our first, he worked fulltime and got a first. Then he went straight on and did a phd for 7 year, and we had two more children.

I found him doing the degree hard with a baby/toddler but we managed. I was long days too 9am - 8pm, part-time. Then a lot of time at home studying. It wasnt easy though, up through the night with a poor sleeper but he did it.

After his degree he did a 4 year course in his field which was also a lot of work.

If you want to do it, you and your family will adapt.

Good luck.

Mrshaworth2b

Thank you all you've put my mind at ease. It is overwhelming to think I will have to run the house and look after two children and then study and revise and write essays but I am super organised so I'm sure I will manage it once I get going. Just don't want to fail I guess.