mature student doing first degree with young children

I did my undergrad degree when my kids were 5 and 3. It was very hard I'm not going to lie, I tended to do the bulk of my uni work on an evening after I'd got them off to bed (thank goodness for CBeebies bedtime hour- they were convinced the whole world had to go to sleep when that ended!). I also had a fab Mother In Law that would take them on a Sunday all day if I had an assignment due or a lot of work on. It is manageable, but you will have days where you want to pull your hair out. Just take it steady and plan your time, you can do it.

Reply 42

Original post by LilBlueBug

THIS! This weekly family planner has saved my sanity for the last....I can't even remember life without it. The kids know...if it doesn't appear on this calendar it doesn't happen.

I have just started using the plastic overlay now the kids are doing clubs each week. Will see how that works for Uni. I also have Palgraves Student planner. Saw me through my HNC last year. The calendar at the front has the school and Uni holidays marked in for the year so I can see where conflicts are possible before they happen.

That is perfect!!! Ordering now thank you!

Reply 43

I've got three kids aged 12, 6 & 5 and I'm starting a social work degree next week! Nervous as to how I'll cope when the work starts piling on, but I managed to complete my access to HE course this last academic year with an almost clean sweep of distinctions... There was a lot of last minute assignment writing and all nighters though - partly down to some bad time management on my part! I've got all mine in breakfast/after school club and child minders all week though, and I was planning to treat my days at uni as 9-5, even on days I'm not scheduled in to try and minimise evening work... Though that may be wishful thinking/go out the window as I still have a house to run haha

Reply 44

Sounds like you're off to a great start PrittyVacant,congratulations on your distinctions! I applied for social work and didn't get in :frown:

but realise now I wouldn't have been any good at it.
I bet it's a fascinating course

Reply 45

Original post by Zame

Sounds like you're off to a great start PrittyVacant,congratulations on your distinctions! I applied for social work and didn't get in :frown:

but realise now I wouldn't have been any good at it.
I bet it's a fascinating course

Thanks Zame :smile:

I'm sorry to hear you didn't get in, what are you doing instead?

Reply 46

Business, ideally I had wanted to do a vocational degree but when I didn't get onto social work I thought business would give me some good all round skills I could apply to most jobs. I considered applying again for SW next year but really wanted to get cracking with uni! My children are both school age now and I work in the evenings and at weekends so have been bored at home all day while theyre at school!

Reply 47

Original post by Zame

Business, ideally I had wanted to do a vocational degree but when I didn't get onto social work I thought business would give me some good all round skills I could apply to most jobs. I considered applying again for SW next year but really wanted to get cracking with uni! My children are both school age now and I work in the evenings and at weekends so have been bored at home all day while theyre at school!

ah that's fab, best of luck to you :smile:

I can understand the need to get cracking and not delay things further.. I didn't even have a back up if I didn't get onto the social work degree... I guess I'd have went away for a year and tried to gain some more experience in the field.. I toyed with midwifery when I first started my access course last year but feel I've made the best decision.. Eeeeek, nerve wracking! I'll be a bag of nerves tomorrow morning!

Reply 48

Are you starting tomorrow? I've got my induction week on the 21st, getting scared! I've stocked up on stationary and the calendar linked to earlier arrived yesterday so i need to make sure I actually use it!
Best of luck for tomorrow, let us know how it goes x

Reply 49

Original post by Zame

Are you starting tomorrow? I've got my induction week on the 21st, getting scared! I've stocked up on stationary and the calendar linked to earlier arrived yesterday so i need to make sure I actually use it!
Best of luck for tomorrow, let us know how it goes x

Yep, I start tomorrow. Proper lectures/seminars start from next week... To be honest, I feel somewhat overwhelmed.. I've got the books from the reading list out of the library and they kind of seem hard to digest. I feel like a fraud haha. I'm sure they'll be easier to read once I have some context.. *touch wood*

Good look for your start next week! :biggrin:

Reply 50

Ive just completed induction. Omg! If it wasnt for our MSA i think i would have run home crying!
The courses are opening now and the reading lists and lesson and tutorial plans are coming in now.
42page handbook for one subject....for one semester.

What have i done :redface:

Reply 51

GangBang

1

Good luck guys, I am also part of the mother returns to education team! Cannot wait to get started tbh but the induction week looks very long winded and boring, hopefully this wont be the case! I have put the toddler in another morning at nursery when I am not at uni so at least I know I will have a few hours to hopefully knuckle down and his dad has him on a saturday so abit more free time for me to study. Well that's the plan haha

Reply 52

Original post by GangBang

but the induction week looks very long winded and boring, hopefully this wont be the case!

Some things are worth pushing through. We were given a step by step guide on how to use the library...which did my head in.
I personally avoided one of the induction lectures that spoke to the majority of (younger) students about homesickness, leaving home for the first time...and how to do your laundry.

I have calmed down a bit now. But it all kicks off for us next week.

You will love it. Just go with everything and dive in on all the freebies. I have a nice collection of free shot glasses now...

Reply 53

GangBang

1

Original post by LilBlueBug

Some things are worth pushing through. We were given a step by step guide on how to use the library...which did my head in.
I personally avoided one of the induction lectures that spoke to the majority of (younger) students about homesickness, leaving home for the first time...and how to do your laundry.

I have calmed down a bit now. But it all kicks off for us next week.

You will love it. Just go with everything and dive in on all the freebies. I have a nice collection of free shot glasses now...

My uni better be handing out free shot glasses lol oh gosh lordamercy if I have to sit through a laundry sesh, exciting times huh!? Can just imagine people asking tons of questions at the last minute which they could have asked all day lol but that's me just being negative, gonna be a ball I hope hahah

Reply 54

Ooh I like freebies :smile:

do you have to do any icebreakers or anything during induction week? They're possibly my least favourite thing ever. I'm starting Monday, getting very nervous

Reply 55

Klix88

17

Original post by LilBlueBug

Some things are worth pushing through. We were given a step by step guide on how to use the library...

I'd be wary of missing a library sesh, simply because some of them can be very automated these days. My undergrad uni had automated book checkout, automated hand back, an online library catalogue, computerised roller racking systems and three different types of copier/scanner (which could charge you 15p a sheet unless you watched whether they were in black & white or colour mode). Not knowing how to check a book back in when you return it, can rack up the library fines as well.

I missed that tour/demo and it took me ages to figure out how to use it all. It would have been worth an hour or two of my time, to save ongoing hassle throughout the first year. Having said that, I was 44 when I started and it wasn't like any library I'd used before. Presumably slightly less mature students will have run across the technologies before.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 56

Original post by Klix88

I'd be wary of missing a library sesh, simply because some of them can be very automated these days. My undergrad uni had automated book checkout, automated hand back, an online library catalogue, computerised roller racking systems and three different types of copier/scanner (which could charge you 15p a sheet unless you watched whether they were in black & white or colour mode). Not knowing how to check a book back in when you return it, can rack up the library fines as well.

I missed that tour/demo and it took me ages to figure out how to use it all. It would have been worth an hour or two of my time, to save ongoing hassle throughout the first year. Having said that, I was 44 when I started and it wasn't like any library I'd used before. Presumably slightly less mature students will have run across the technologies before.

Definitely agree with you on this. when I first attempted uni I decided to give the library tour a miss. Had no idea how it all worked and so avoided going there whereas if I'd had a better idea of how the system worked I might have settled in better

Reply 57

BirminghamPPL

Hi, Buddies

I need help regarding my admission. Could you please help me... :-)

Reply 58

Original post by Klix88

I'd be wary of missing a library sesh, simply because some of them can be very automated these days. My undergrad uni had automated book checkout, automated hand back, an online library catalogue, computerised roller racking systems and three different types of copier/scanner (which could charge you 15p a sheet unless you watched whether they were in black & white or colour mode). Not knowing how to check a book back in when you return it, can rack up the library fines as well.
.

Had this step by step guide included any of that I would agree with you. Unfortunately it was a step by step guide on how to use their search facility which is basically a search engine. We book library tours that do all of the other things. The library looks like something from Star Trek in places. I am planning on taking my 6 & 8 year old sons they will LOVE IT.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 59