When you’re a busy Mom, the idea of studying can be a daunting one. After all, you have so many things to do and think about, that you may believe that you’ll never have the time to fit it all in. How are you supposed to find the balance between your kids, your home life, your social life (what is a social life?) and your studies, to mention a few things? However, there are many busy parents who decide to carry on studying, and because there are so many people taking the plunge, colleges and universities can help you to work your studies around your life. Here’s how.
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Study online
One of the hardest parts about being a busy Mom who wants to study is the time factor. You have to wake up each morning, get your kids ready, take them to school, and then try and balance all of your other tasks and getting to college? The commute can be the most difficult part, and you may not even have enough financial stability to commit to hours of travelling to and from your college. If you’re looking at getting something to advance your business skills, why not get an online MBA? You’ll still have all of the support that you need, but you won’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home.
Go part-time
You may look at all of the hours that you’d have to work, and all of the lectures that you’d have to attend, and believe that full-time studying is just not for you. It can be pretty time-consuming, and to go full-time you need to be prepared to give up a lot of the hours in your day, which many parents just can’t do. However, you can still carry on studying, and reinvent your career as a result, no matter how much time you have to spend. Your college should help you to find a way of studying that suits you, and by going part-time, you’ll just double your time at college and half the hours you spend there each week, which is certainly worth considering.
Look into the support that you can get
The best thing about colleges and universities now is that they offer a lot of mental and emotional support to their students. If you’re finding the whole thing a bit stressful and you don’t think that you can manage your home life with your deadlines, then let them know. Not only will they give you the emotional support that you need, but they may also be able to extend your deadlines and work them around the things that you’re worried about. If you’re in any doubt, don’t be afraid to speak to your tutor or the support department of your college, as it could help to put your mind at rest.
Manage your time properly
As a student, there is nothing more difficult than managing your time, and it gets even more stressful if you’re a busy Mom with a lot on your plate. Sure, you have deadlines, but your kids also need to have dinner, and who’s going to pick them up from school if you don’t? However, there are a lot of ways of getting around this, such as shopping for groceries online and coming up with other time saving ideas. Can your kids walk to school, and do you have a partner who can take on some of your responsibilities? Manage your time as efficiently as you can, and get help from others if they’re willing to offer a hand.
Apply for scholarships
If you’re hesitant about studying as a parent because of financial worries, then why not apply for some scholarships? Sure, it could take you a few hours to look around and find something that applies to you, but it could be worth it in the long-run, when you’re getting financial help and you can relax about your money situation. There may also be things out there that specifically apply to mature students, so don’t make the mistake of looking over this, as you could be missing out on a lot of free money, which you can’t really afford to do as a busy Mom with expenses left, right and centre.
Look at night schools and college classes
There are many universities and colleges now that have gotten rid of the traditional way of studying, and have instead put classes on at night, to help those who work in the day or have other responsibilities (like being parents). There may be something like this on offer near you, so it’s worth looking into if you want to study whilst your kids are winding down at night, and your partner is sitting watching TV with them or reading them a bedtime story. This way, you can still have dinner together and get in some quality time, but you’ll be spending an hour or two at college a bit later on, which may work for you.
Don’t worry about it
Whilst this can be quite a stressful time in your life, the fact is that the number of mature students at college is increasing all of the time. There is so much support out there for you, you just need to go and get it! Your worries may lie elsewhere, and you may just think, ‘am I too old for this?’ The answer is a resounding ‘no’, as people from all different backgrounds, with many different lifestyles attend college, and there is no ‘perfect’ way to experience studying. If you want to do it, you’re motivated enough, and you’re willing to work out a way to balance everything in your life, then why not? Go ahead and do it!
So, there are many ways to carry on studying if you’re a busy Mom, you just need to work out what is best for you, from online studying to attending part-time. If you can manage your time properly and get some support, you’ll be able to smash your time at college, and come out with the grade that you deserve. Good luck, and enjoy it!
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