how to survive fresher week as a mature student

This is it. I know that I will go on Uni. That my school year begin on 15/09, and I know that the first week is the fresher week. Ok. Seems awesome for teenagers to enjoy social live in first week. But not for me. I am scared, as I am older than they are, I have kids in home and not really sociable. Am I the only one Mature student that is scared about fresher week??

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Reply 1

Cloudborn

Nope, your not alone. I have no interest in 'partying' and having fun.. does that make me a boring person? Probably. :tongue:

I wont be living on campus and all I really want is to put my head down and study. So yes, the prospect of crazy 18 year olds is kind of scary. :tongue:

Reply 2

MatureIsGood:))

Good

I want go on Uni to study subject that I enjoy :smile:

I am not really "party girl" and I know that all people in first week seems to party all the time, and it's the most stressful thing for me. Only because I don't want be the outsider-who likes them? I willn't live on campus as it's too expensive for me. Before I willn't sort out SF I will commute every day, and after that I will rent private accommodation. I will on weekends in home and during week time on Uni. My hubby will look for job in London and once it will possible my family will join me there so I really don't plan social life. Will you commute? On campus? or you are local to your Uni?

Hi. Same here...

Hi all. I am really worried too. I am married and have 2 young boys at home so won't be socialising too much. I would rather have a coffee with my feet up lol.

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Reply 5

Bikeric

I'm married with 2 daughter's my wife works. I wont be going out at night but will be going to the events during the day the odd night out to relive stress maybe at the end of term . Hoping to make new friends and meet people but most of all study and pass so we can immediate to Australia or New Zealand.
Looking forward to starting.

Reply 6

NicolaHenderson3

Original post by Bikeric

That's what I am hoping to do, socialise by day and be with my family at night. I am looking forward to meeting people too and study hard. What will you be studying? Australia or New Zealand sounds amazing. We looked into New Zealand a few years ago but I couldn't leave my parents behind!

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Reply 7

Bikeric

Original post by NicolaHenderson3

We are not close to our family so it makes it easy the wife is already looking at properties. I'll be studying a Bsc (Hons) Computing degree at Sheffield Hallam University. Its a work life balance I'm going to treat it like 9-5 monday-friday is uni.
my 2 girls 6 -8 will be in after school club as I managed to get a timetable.

Reply 8

NicolaHenderson3

Original post by Bikeric

Sounds like you will be very busy but it will be good for the family. We are not close to my husbands side really but my family are close which makes it hard. My two boys are (almost) 3 and 8 so nursery and after school clubs too. I'm treating it like work too because I think it will make it easier...at least I hope it does. All the very best with it.

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Reply 9

MatureIsGood:))

Hmmm I didn't know that we can ask about timetable :smile:

I will happy to have it as soon as possible to have plenty of time to prepare. This is it. Meeting people in school, chat on breaks or just after school, etc is fine but disco and party is not if you have a family on your own. It's good to know that not only I am quite worried about fresher week. Actually I decided to go on A level with teenagers and they are alright. Really. I had a friends and we did homework together in library, etc. But they knew that I am older and I am not a party girl. I know that for the first couple of weeks was weird. They didn't know how to behave when I am around, but on the finish of the year we played in hang man, and even gone on beer together . I am not total outsider only I think that I am a little big too big to dance on the floor :smile:

Reply 10

MatureIsGood:))

Aha my children 4 and 9

Reply 11

NicolaHenderson3

Original post by MatureIsGood:))

Aha my children 4 and 9

Similar age gap to my two. My oldest finds it funny that I am going to Uni..."at my age" he says.

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Reply 12

MatureIsGood:))

Original post by NicolaHenderson3

Similar age gap to my two. My oldest finds it funny that I am going to Uni..."at my age" he says.

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My younger one will start reception year from September and older one is in year 5. Both will go to sunshine club and afterschool club, I've applied for Childcare Grant. My older one actually used to have mummy in school, as I did accounting courses before, then A level so it's not new for him, but actually till last year I did everything in evening time. When I will in London study mathematics I want to get a job in accounting this is why I did first AAT. That was hard to study full time (fast track A levels) and be a mum especially before exams but worth to do it.

Reply 13

tallica79

Hi,

Im a wife, mother and grandmother. Just finished my first year at uni studying BSc Biology. I went to freshers fair last year just to pick up all the freebies lol. I work on a weekend and attend uni during the week. I came through college to uni with some other mature students ( I say mature, they are 23-30). They are a great bunch and I have been out to BBQ's and allsorts with them since starting uni. At the uni I go to the mature students of the course tend to stick together.

Reply 14

NicolaHenderson3

Original post by MatureIsGood:))

Definitely worth it. I've just finished a Btec Diploma in childcare so used to studying. Hard work being mum, wife and a student.

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Reply 15

MatureIsGood:))

This is it. Hubby expecting something :wink:

your children on another way occupied you in every free moment and you need to go to school and in evening do homework. Yes it's hard :smile:

but as we said worth it. What you want to do in future? I want do in banking or finance something from this side and what about you

Reply 16

MatureIsGood:))

Original post by tallica79

Well done

Sorry for the question but what sort of freebies, maybe it's worth it :wink:

lol I see that you also decided to take a deeper look into one subject. Straight if you know what I try to say. I'll do Mathematics. I hope that I will meet mature students on the course as I think that it's sensible to stick with people that understand your situation. When you are older, work, and family on your own change everything. You are not longer party girl that you used to be as a teenager

Reply 17

NicolaHenderson3

Original post by MatureIsGood:))

This is it. Hubby expecting something :wink:

your children on another way occupied you in every free moment and you need to go to school and in evening do homework. Yes it's hard :smile:

but as we said worth it. What you want to do in future? I want do in banking or finance something from this side and what about you

I'm hoping to be a counsellor helping families. Hard job but very rewarding.

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Reply 18

NicolaHenderson3

Original post by tallica79

That's good to know. Well done on completing your first year and working too.

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Reply 19

Klix88

I was 44 when I started uni - no getting drunk and staying up late for me! Freshers Fair was fun if only to see the looks on the faces of the lasses at the cheerleader stand when I started showing an interest :tongue:

Plenty of freebies/discounts going on, but mostly for things like Subway or pizza outlets. If you eat anything like that, you can get some bargains. Probably varies a lot between unis though. It was also good as an exercise in finding my way around campus when it was busy and I wasn't rushing to a lecture.

It took my younger colleagues the first year to get used to me, but by the start of the second year I was just part of the furniture and they talked to me the same as they did to each other. I didn't really want to be in a gang of older students. There was only one other on my course anyway and she turned out to be a royal pain in the neck (just the type of person she was - nothing to do with her age).

The worst thing was trying to remember to edit myself when the banter got going - what was OK to say in front of my non-uni friends might just have been creepy and inappropriate in front of a younger audience! Facebook helped like crazy and I still have some younger student contacts who will chat freely with me online but are too shy to talk to me in person. My top tip is to find how they communicate amongst themselves (probably more Twitter and Whatsapp these days) and get the hang of it. I found it well worth the investment.