Mature Students 2016 Entry (Nottingham)

Im 30, taking Mathematics. I know how you feel as ill be staying in halls too, have you gone on an open day yet?

Yeah i loved it! I took a quick tour of the accommodation and it all seems lovely too. The "downs" as they call it is pretty epic. The whole place is so green and such a nice environment. I honestly can't wait!

I feel the same way. I've visited others and there was just too much concrete everywhere. I thought the campus was beautiful on a cold windy day so it must be epic in the summer. What are your circumstances (if you don't mind me asking) going back to uni? I'm taking my A levels for the first time aged 30, its a bit of a lonely experience as I have no one to really relate to but I get along with everyone just fine. If anything its nice to be around other people who are so excited for life and the future.

Sorry to hear that. Hope all is well now. I was a hairdresser for 7 years after not doing so well at school. I admit going back to education after not doing anything for awhile was tough but honestly its like riding a bike. Its something you learnt how to adapt to from a very young age and after a few weeks you wonder how you ever had any worries.

About the feeling different now, I think thats a positive. You know exactly what you want now, and are less deterred by things that get in your way. Many of the friends i grew up with are now married with children in stable jobs, houses etc. Sometimes it makes me sad by comparison but in other ways the freedom of opportunity is a nice idea to hold onto. As we grow up I think we lose the belief in magic. Im not talking tricks, maybe just we become a bit jaded through past negative experiences. A good deal of naivety is a good thing to keep in my opinion. Hopefully that doesn't sound pretentious or contrived but I'm quite a reflective person!

It doesn't sound pretentious at all. I can relate a lot to the way you think. I've been sad in the past because of seeing other people graduate and start their own families, but now I'm learning to appreciate this different path that I've taken. And to be able to start a degree when I've had time to think about it and think about life can only add to my university experience, I think.

Hairdresser to mathematician must mean you have diverse skills!

Keep me informed of your progress and how you get on with visits etc. Its nice to have someone to chat to in a similar boat.

I initially went to uni back in 2009, but I had to leave after six weeks because I was struggling with illness. I've been trying to get back on my feet since then and my aim was always to get back to university study (I've switched from English to Economics since then). I kind of wish I was taking my A levels now, because it's a bit daunting thinking about going back to full-time study after not doing anything formal for 7 years, but I can imagine it being strange if there's no one to relate to in classes.

I suppose there'll be a few mature students across all the subject areas at Nottingham, but it still feels weird knowing that the majority of students will be straight out of school. I feel so different now to how I felt at 18. But overall I'm excited too, and it's nice to know that I've had time to really think about what I want to do at uni and to be starting afresh when most of my friends have already graduated from uni.

I'm just wondering whether there are any other mature students who are hoping to begin their degree at Nottingham later this year? I'll be 26 when I start my degree and I'll be studying Economics. It would be nice to get to know some people before arriving.

I'm a bit worried because I'll be staying in uni accommodation and I don't think Nottingham gives you the option to stay in a flat with other mature students. I'm kind of super quiet as a person and I don't really want a repeat of people playing football in the corridor in the middle of the night like I had at my last uni (I know that people straight from school won't all be up for partying every night, but it seems like a big lottery who you get housed with and I feel as though being with mature students would have made it a bit less nerve-racking for me).

It sounds like we're in similar situations - I went to uni initially in 2009 but left pretty soon after because of anxiety/depression and am only now at the age of 25 ready to go back to uni (hopefully this year). I'm worried about everyone else being so much younger and louder, I'm quite a reserved, timid person so don't know how well it's going to go tbh!

Have you heard back from your unis etc and got your offers already? I hope getting back to uni goes well for you, it sounds like you're more prepared this time around at least. It's good to know what you're getting yourself in for, having gone before. Good luck!

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Hey I'm applying to Broadgate as a postgrad, and when I spoke to them on phone they said mature undergrads and postgrads would be housed together if the undergrad requested, I was in similar position myself but my old uni didnt have a postgrad community, so if this is the case would def recommend as my experience of a first year fresher community was, well to put it nicely, terrible at 23) I'm 27 and going into the postgrad block and bgp have been super helpful in answering any questions - they also have similar flat set ups in Raleigh apparently

It's so great to hear from someone in the same position as me (although the position we're in obviously isn't the greatest - I feel as though time is the only real healer for depression and anxiety and it's great that some kind of recovery eventually happens but boy, it can take so long). My reason for leaving was anxiety too (and chronic migraines, which didn't help the anxiety). I'm also super quiet and I don't want to be frowning at the louder, more excited 18 year olds. I think there's generally enough of a variety of different people at uni that you should be able to find people who you fit in with - at least that's what I'm hoping!

I originally applied to Nottingham a couple of years ago and have had to defer my place over the past two years, which they've been great at agreeing to do for me. So I'm in the position of knowing exactly where I'm going, which is nice. Where have you applied and how many have you heard back from? Good luck to you, too!

I agree! It feels good to know that I'm not the only one going back to uni at this age - I'll be 26 when I start as well and sometimes I feel a bit too old for it all, haha. I'm sorry to hear you struggled with the same issues, it definitely takes a lot of time to get through but how awesome we both feel ready enough to go back to uni now! Some people sadly never get to that point.

Ahh that takes some of the pressure out of it for you then! Congrats on getting in! I've applied to York to study Applied Social Science (Extended Degree) so it will be for four years and is specially for those who might be more mature or have less formal qualifications. I have A Levels but they were so long ago, I'm quite happy to have a foundation year first to get used to being in proper formal education again before diving into the proper degree.

Thanks for the luck! I haven't heard anything back yet but hopefully soon. It's my only choice so we'll see! What made you pick Nottingham in the end? Is it a uni you especially liked? What made you switch from English to Economics? Sorry, questions!

Thank you! York is a great university. Everyone I know who went there loved it, so I hope you get good news soon!

I applied to universities that are relatively close to where I live, because I thought it would just be more practical for me to be able to get back home when I wanted to. I was at Cambridge before, which took about 4 trains because they have you travel all over the country if you want to get there from where I live in Yorkshire. I would only have been able to get back home at the end of each term. Nottingham is one train away, as is Sheffield, so they were my two main choices. I got offers from both but decided on Nottingham because it's campus based rather than in the middle of a city. I didn't fancy being surrounded by noise and pollution every day. Nottingham seems to be such an open campus with so much space, which I like the idea of. They've also been really great to me whenever I've spoken to them, which I think is a good sign. Some universities don't seem to have the patience to answer student emails and I don't think that bodes well for when you're at the uni and need help.

I switched from English to Economics because I found myself getting really bored in English. I love reading and analysing books but sitting in class and having books explained to me didn't really hold my attention. I also found myself missing maths after a few years out of school so I thought that economics would be good for me in allowing me to do some maths work and some essay work. I think it's a nice balance between the sciences and the humanities. My highest marks at A level also ended up being in Economics. I just really enjoyed it in my A2 year and kind of regretted applying for English.

Don't worry about the questions!

Thanks! I definitely think I'll enjoy it there, I visited in December of last year and it was lovely!

Ohh I see, that's comforting to know home is quite close by then. I definitely would prefer to be going to a uni closer to home ideally but York has been my uni of choice for some years now so I'm making a compromise on location. I agree with you about a campus uni over a city one... Maybe it's because we are more introverted? I would hate the idea of going to a city uni. The uni I went to before was a city uni but it was very close to home (which was why I chose it). Nottingham sounds like the best choice for you then! Do you think you will miss home a lot whilst you're gone? I think it is my main worry, tbh. Gah doesn't it just depress you though that we'll be close to 30 when we graduate? My degree is four years plus I'd like to do a Masters in Early Modern History so I'm looking at being 31 by the time I finish uni.

Oh that makes sense then! At least you know more what you want to do now, leaving sixth form/college it feels like there's so much pressure to pick what you want to do with your life and really for a lot of people they're too young to know yet. I was studying Criminology with Law the first time around but it was really just because I had no clue what else to do and I kinda liked the Criminology module we did in A Level Psychology.

Do you know what career you'd like after graduating? Or would you do a Masters etc do you think?

I think I will miss home, mainly because I just really love knowing that a place is mine and I don't know if I'll be able to replicate the feeling of home in a small uni room. And not having all my things around will be strange. I'm so attached to my piles and piles of books and I know I won't be able to take them all. Obviously being away from people who know me will be weird too. It's nice to be surrounded by people who you can be yourself around, especially if you're kind of introverted. I just hope I settle in well at uni and meet some people who I feel I can be myself around there.

I think I'm less worried about being 30 when I graduate than I used to be. It used to really worry me that I was so far behind everyone who I originally went to uni with, but now I see that some of those people would have chosen a different degree if they had waited, and some are having problems finding a job, and it makes me realise that even if I had graduated at 21/22 I might still not be in a perfect position now. I do worry a little when I start wondering whether I'd like to start a family or something, though. It would have been nice to graduate and spend some time working to build up some kind of security whereas now I'm thinking that if I want to start a family I'm going to have to do it quite soon after uni. And I worry about my lack of work experience compared to people my age, but I guess I can't help having got ill.

I think choosing a degree in the middle of your A levels is one of the most difficult things. You do end up just basing your decisions on random modules that you enjoyed, and you're making decisions without even finishing your A2 year - so many things change so quickly when you're still in your teens. It's not surprising that a lot of people end up changing their degree once they get to uni. I wish we had a more American system where you have a broader first year at uni.

I'm hoping to do a Masters too. I've always been interested in doing some kind of research at uni and lecturing, but I'll see how I feel once I've been studying for a while. Funding for postgrad study worries me, but I'd really love to become an academic because burying myself in books and research sounds like heaven.

I think I will miss home, mainly because I just really love knowing that a place is mine and I don't know if I'll be able to replicate the feeling of home in a small uni room. And not having all my things around will be strange. I'm so attached to my piles and piles of books and I know I won't be able to take them all. Obviously being away from people who know me will be weird too. It's nice to be surrounded by people who you can be yourself around, especially if you're kind of introverted. I just hope I settle in well at uni and meet some people who I feel I can be myself around there.

I think I'm less worried about being 30 when I graduate than I used to be. It used to really worry me that I was so far behind everyone who I originally went to uni with, but now I see that some of those people would have chosen a different degree if they had waited, and some are having problems finding a job, and it makes me realise that even if I had graduated at 21/22 I might still not be in a perfect position now. I do worry a little when I start wondering whether I'd like to start a family or something, though. It would have been nice to graduate and spend some time working to build up some kind of security whereas now I'm thinking that if I want to start a family I'm going to have to do it quite soon after uni. And I worry about my lack of work experience compared to people my age, but I guess I can't help having got ill.

I think choosing a degree in the middle of your A levels is one of the most difficult things. You do end up just basing your decisions on random modules that you enjoyed, and you're making decisions without even finishing your A2 year - so many things change so quickly when you're still in your teens. It's not surprising that a lot of people end up changing their degree once they get to uni. I wish we had a more American system where you have a broader first year at uni.

I'm hoping to do a Masters too. I've always been interested in doing some kind of research at uni and lecturing, but I'll see how I feel once I've been studying for a while. Funding for postgrad study worries me, but I'd really love to become an academic because burying myself in books and research sounds like heaven.