Mechanical engineering around kids and a mortgage
I want to attend UCLAN and study mechanical engineering full time as a mature student but I have a mortgage and a 9 month old baby.
If I begin my study in sept 26 I’ll be 30 upon graduation, my question to students studying this course, what is your time table like, how do you balance your deadlines and life while keeping up with home commitments and responsibilities.
Reply 1
I want to attend UCLAN and study mechanical engineering full time as a mature student but I have a mortgage and a 9 month old baby.
If I begin my study in sept 26 I’ll be 30 upon graduation, my question to students studying this course, what is your time table like, how do you balance your deadlines and life while keeping up with home commitments and responsibilities.
•
a degree is typically less working hours than a full time professional engineering role certainly the first two years
•
However the time and isn’t spread evenly so you will probably end up with very intense periods particularly in third year and exams in second year, where you will probably have to commit more hours and sacrifice time from other normal activities
•
If you’re very diligent with planning and coursework you can somewhat “get ahead” by working more hours than required at the start but before big assignment deadlines or exams there is almost always a “crunch time”
•
I would certainly be prepared for final year to be intense but your first two years if you’re very diligent and take a professional mindset you’ll be ok, ive seen students who require 2 jobs just to survive, only transport they have is there feet balance an engineering degree , a active social life, and work etc. so i believe it’s very doable it just requires sacrifices, and probably accepting you will be under stress at times and you will need your family and friends to help you out in these periods (have the conversations beforehand).
In addition to this I would make sure you brush up on your mathematics and core physics beforehand, as most students who join via A-levels are relatively fresh here, so it might be quite intimidating seeing people who have just bounced straight into university from school face a much easier first semester.
Reply 2
I want to attend UCLAN and study mechanical engineering full time as a mature student but I have a mortgage and a 9 month old baby.
If I begin my study in sept 26 I’ll be 30 upon graduation, my question to students studying this course, what is your time table like, how do you balance your deadlines and life while keeping up with home commitments and responsibilities.
Hi @RegGun99,
Thank you for your message and patience. It's great that you are wanting to study with us. Hopefully a student will give you their advice and experiences but in the meantime, I would recommend speaking to our course enquires team who would be more than happy to provide more information about our mechanical engineering. They'll be able to provide more information on the timetables and so on.
I studied at the university whilst working part-time which isn't the same situation but something that helped me to balance deadlines and keep on top of uni whilst having other commitments was figuring out what works for me. There are so many ways to study and revise or keep organised so find one that works for you. Are you more digital or do you prefer a pen and paper. Would a digital calendar be better than a physical one for example?
Lastly, we have great support services here at the University of Lancashire, from academic to financial. It may be worth getting familiarised with them here: Student support The services were great and much help when I used them as a student. It's important to make the most of these services that are available to students. Feel free to ask if you have any questions 🙂
Hope this helps,
^Zac
Reply 3
•
a degree is typically less working hours than a full time professional engineering role certainly the first two years
•
However the time and isn’t spread evenly so you will probably end up with very intense periods particularly in third year and exams in second year, where you will probably have to commit more hours and sacrifice time from other normal activities
•
If you’re very diligent with planning and coursework you can somewhat “get ahead” by working more hours than required at the start but before big assignment deadlines or exams there is almost always a “crunch time”
•
I would certainly be prepared for final year to be intense but your first two years if you’re very diligent and take a professional mindset you’ll be ok, ive seen students who require 2 jobs just to survive, only transport they have is there feet balance an engineering degree , a active social life, and work etc. so i believe it’s very doable it just requires sacrifices, and probably accepting you will be under stress at times and you will need your family and friends to help you out in these periods (have the conversations beforehand).
In addition to this I would make sure you brush up on your mathematics and core physics beforehand, as most students who join via A-levels are relatively fresh here, so it might be quite intimidating seeing people who have just bounced straight into university from school face a much easier first semester.
Thank you, I’ll definitely dig out my old college books and have a read through and for the viewpoints, it’s definitely set my mind at ease a little more, I am very forward thinking when it comes to deadlines so I should be okay.
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