Advice for Mature Students🎓

Hey guys, I’m Billie & I study Sociology at Liverpool Hope university, I’m in my final year of my undergraduate degree (dissertation season is well and truly in full force!) and I started university when I was 23.

I just thought I’d pop on here to share a bit of my experience when it comes to being a mature student & maybe give some bits of advice that could alleviate some worries that you may have.

Access Course:

Before I started university, I did an access to Higher education course at the City of Liverpool College.
If you’re still a little bit unsure about doing a degree and are worried about the potential workload and relearning how to read and write academically, then I genuinely cannot recommend doing an access course enough. The access course was quite fast paced and there were a fair few assignments, but the support from lecturers made this easier to adjust to. Because of how fast paced the access course was, managing the workload of first year felt much easier, and after having conversations with other students in my lectures, I already felt like I’d been prepared in a way most other students hadn’t experienced.

Embrace Your Experience:

As a mature student oftentimes you bring life experience, a strong work ethic, and sometimes a clearer sense of purpose. These qualities are a great driving force for success as a student and can keep you motivated when things may start feeling a little hectic.

Time Management:

Again, as a mature student, life may look a little differently to everybody else around you - you may have children or family responsibilities, you may have mortgages or general living expenses that you have to keep up with so it is so important to manage your time well so that you don’t become burnt out. Something that I have personally done that has helped me to stay on track with deadlines is turning the days that I only have half a days worth of lessons into full days on the university campus, this has allowed me to complete any work I have at university and keep my personal life and university life separate.

Make use of any support services available:

Please don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Many universities offer resources specifically for mature students, such as mentoring programs, academic counseling, financial services and social groups. These support services are there to be used, so please make sure you use them if needed!

Finally,

Be Patient with Yourself:

Adjusting to academic life and finding your rhythm can sometimes take a bit of time. Make sure to celebrate your victories and be kind to yourself when things become challenging - looking after yourself is the most important thing.

If anybody has any questions please don’t hesitate to ask away I’ll be more than happy to have a conversation. Good luck & Im sure you’ll all smash it.

Thanks,
Billie
3rd Year Sociology Student Ambassador
Liverpool Hope University

Reply 1

Bipsy

what do you want to do when you graduate? I’m 48 years old and starting learning disability nursing and social work in September and can’t wait.

Reply 2

LHU Billie

Official Rep

Original post by Bipsy

what do you want to do when you graduate? I’m 48 years old and starting learning disability nursing and social work in September and can’t wait.

Hello!

I’m gearing up towards a masters in Social Work, one of my course modules this year was Social Work in action and it was really thought provoking & helped to make up my mind with what I wanted to do in the future!

Ah brilliant I’m sure you’ll absolutely love it! Where have you decided to study?

Billie
3rd Year Sociology Ambassador
Liverpool Hope University

Reply 3

Bipsy

Original post by LHU Billie

Hello!
I’m gearing up towards a masters in Social Work, one of my course modules this year was Social Work in action and it was really thought provoking & helped to make up my mind with what I wanted to do in the future!
Ah brilliant I’m sure you’ll absolutely love it! Where have you decided to study?
Billie
3rd Year Sociology Ambassador
Liverpool Hope University

University of Salford I’m going to

Reply 4

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Bipsy

University of Salford I’m going to

Hi @Bipsy

That's great news, I am a third and final year mature student at the University of Salford studying Theatre and Performance Practice. What will you be studying?

Good luck with your studies!

Lucy 🙂
(Official Uni of Salford Student Rep)

Reply 5

Bipsy

Original post by University of Salford Student Rep

Hi @Bipsy
That's great news, I am a third and final year mature student at the University of Salford studying Theatre and Performance Practice. What will you be studying?
Good luck with your studies!
Lucy 🙂
(Official Uni of Salford Student Rep)

Hi, I’m doing learning disability nursing and social work (integrated practice)

Reply 6

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

Hi Everyone ☺️

Thanks for starting such a great thread, Billie. That’s excellent advice.

I am a third and final year undergraduate mature student studying Theatre and Performance Practice and found deciding to go to university for the first time in my thirties quite daunting, giving up a full-time job to return to studying and manage on a student loan and part-time work. I had not been in full-time education for over a decade when I applied, and I must admit it did take a while to get back into the habit of studying when I started, but I also found that having worked full-time for years that I made the most of my time!

Don’t be disheartened like me if you take a while to get into the swing of things studying. Most students need the first year to adjust and get the hang of degree-level study, this is the best year to make mistakes. You are there to learn, not be perfect after all. My advice would be if you identify a particular area you are struggling to get to grips with and reach out for support. If you have time, take on any extra extracurricular sessions uni might offer. For example, my university runs free academic writing courses, which I wish I had accessed sooner as they were really helpful!

I totally agree with Billie; as a mature student, you have a whole host of things to bring to the table when studying.

I certainly have a greater appreciation of all the brilliant equipment I have access to on my course as I know how expensive and difficult it is to access it outside of a university course. For example, last term, I learnt how to act for motion capture.

Additionally, I have been very keen to get involved in all aspects of university life and make the most of everything the university has to offer, for example:

😊 International opportunities – I spent a month studying abroad last year in Canada at a Global Summer School, which was amazing, and means I have friends all across the world now!

😊 University Societies – I have been able to do things like archery and volunteer as a committee member for the Mature Students Society, making loads of new friends along the way.

😊 Course Reps – I have been able to keep my hand in with some of my work-based skills by working as a Course and School Rep.

😊 Working for the University - I work for my university (Uni of Salford) as a Student Ambassador, where I have the chance to work with a wide variety of people, which means I am always learning something new and, most importantly having fun and making friends whilst doing it!

As Billie mentioned, time management is a big thing for any student, but often, mature students have multiple things to juggle outside of university, such as care responsibilities or running a business alongside etc. Therefore, I would say planning and being organised is key (easier said than done at times) but making sure you always have a bit of time for if things take longer than planned, that you can work when you are at your most productive, and always ensuring you have quality downtime be that watching your favourite series or getting out on a walk. I would recommend making time to hang out with friends that you will inevitably make at university, whether via a society, your course, or uni events.

Be kind to yourself and ask for help when you need it; that is what student support is for. Last but not least, enjoy your course!

Good luck to any mature students planning to study this coming academic year!

Lucy 😊
(Official Uni of Salford Rep)

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 7

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

Hi all!

Great thread started here – just jumping on too alongside my fellow UoS student rep + mature student Lucy to second what has been said!

As mature students it absolutely can be a daunting process to return to education, but hopefully anyone toying with the idea may see all the fab advice discussed here and see what a wonderful experience it can be ☺️ certainly not without its challenges - but it's all part of the learning process and what will shape you through your own unique journey 🗺️

There's some great recommendations for opportunities and resources to take advantage of mentioned here already, which I absolutely advocate for seeking out.

Following on, here's some things I've found from my own experience:

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I find that as mature students we come with an extra bonus skillset, and you might be surprised by what skills you've learned along the way (I was!!). Not to say that all students aren't fabulous in their own way, but there is plenty of advantages to having had some extra time for development. Embrace who you are and go for it! 🌠

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I wish someone had told me this from the start - don't be afraid to answer questions in lectures, and don't be afraid to make mistakes. I think being a bit older, and a bit too self-critical, I felt some pressure to be perfect or never get things wrong, which is an impossible standard. Even if you're wrong, someone else has usually been thinking it and oftentimes these moments open up the best conversations and debates in my classes. As has been mentioned, you are there to learn and not to be perfect.

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Be mindful of burnout 🙏 I know I personally can get quite excited about all the fun new things I have access to, which is great, but can also become overwhelming over time. Making time for myself to switch off and do fun things which aren't related to some form of self-improvement has been essential to balancing out any stress.

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Lastly - inspired by a meeting I had with my personal tutor today - don't feel you have to be forced into one box. Not to say a bit of direction isn't helpful and needed, but having lots of different skills and interests is great and university is a great place to explore that. I've recently felt some pressure to decide on one specific career or goal, as if I'm running out of time, when in reality there are so many directions I can take which I will be well set up for. Keep making decisions for yourself that you enjoy and want to do and you will end up where you want to be 😄