5 tips for part-time mature students and how to navigate your part-time education journey

Overview

I am going back to school.  Well university!

After over 20 years since graduating I decided I need to go back to university to improve my skills in a new area, build up my network and fulfil a personal ambition I have.

But as a mature student embarking on a part-time education journey, I am worried about how to embrace this experience so that it balances my existing commitments.

In this blog, I will be sharing five invaluable tips to make your life easier as a part-time mature student, helping you achieve your academic goals while maintaining balance based on what I have learnt previously doing this.

If you are interested in more techniques, tools and hacks for your workflow, please subscribe to my blog.

If you enjoy the content and found it useful please press the like button so I know to create similar content.

Establish a Strong Foundation

There are three things I did before starting the course to help me that I would recommend everyone does.

1. Define Your Why: Clarify your motivations for pursuing education, as this will be your guiding light through challenges.  Before I started courses I thought about what I wanted from it and how much value I will get out of.  It was a year of time and I wanted to know it will return on the investment I was making.
2. Plan Strategically: Create a study plan that accommodates your work and family commitments.   I broke up the year to highlight important events such as family events and career opportunities that I might have to miss to study for.  Even though you cant plan for everything it did highlight a few issues I needed to manage before hand.
3. Upgrade Your Tech: Ensure your technology is up to date to facilitate seamless online learning and research.
4. Not sure if this will apply to anyone but I did find it useful to use an iPad during study sessions rather then carrying a laptop, which I had to carry for work.  I also invested in multiple back up solutions so I didn't lose study notes and assessments.

Time Management Mastery

Juggling a family, work commitments and studying means time was sparse.  So I employed these ideas to help me.

1. Create a Weekly Schedule: Allocate specific time blocks for classes, study, work, and leisure activities.  I created a weekly schedule that outlines my classes, study sessions, work hours, and personal time.I did this on Google Calendar and I shared it with my wife so we can plan our week and she knew when I am busy when planning out our week.
2. Use Digital Tools: Utilize productivity apps for task management, note-taking, and time tracking. Tools such as Obsidian, Apple reminders and AI summary tools have helped use my study time more effectively.
3. Learn to Say No: Set boundaries to avoid overcommitting and maintain a healthy work-life-study balance.

In order to avoid burning out when juggling a job and studying I had to learn to say no.  I had a big fear of saying no but I had to learnt to say no in a nice way to ensure I did not over commit to work.

Effective Study Strategies

One of the things I have learnt over the years is how to learn and how to learn effectively. These three ideas helped me remember core ideas from courses.

1. Active Learning: Engage in discussions, ask questions, and participate actively in class.  This helps to remember what is being taught.  I also applied the things I learnt to mini projects and at work which helped me understand the concepts better.
2. Take Comprehensive Notes: Summarise lectures, readings, and discussions to reinforce understanding.  As I got older I remember things less so having notes to go back to especially structures notes helps with the learning.
3. Review Regularly: Schedule regular review sessions to solidify knowledge and prevent cramming.  On my commute to work I use it as an opportunity to review things and quiz myself using Anki

Leveraging Resources

One of the benefits of learning from a university is that there is so much resources available to you.

1. Connect with Professors and other students: to ask for clarification, discuss ideas, build rapport and network for future contacts.
2. Access Library Services: to make use of research resources, databases, and academic support services.
3. Engage in Online university platforms: to participate in virtual discussion boards, forums, and online study groups.

Balancing Life and Education

The biggest challenge I found was the stress of juggling job and studying without impacting family time.  These are the things I adopted.

1. Healthy Habits: Prioritise sleep, exercise, and nutrition to sustain energy and mental clarity. Dedicate time to hobbies, relaxation, and family to rejuvenation and to prevent burnout.
2. Delegate Responsibilities: Share household chores and responsibilities with family members or roommates or if you can pay someone to do these things for you.
3. Family Communication: Communicate your schedule and commitments with loved ones for understanding and support. as you get older your family become more important so its important they are part of your journey and are committed to supporting you.

Summary

In this blog I have provided five tips for balancing their academic goals with existing commitments.

1. Establish a strong foundation by clarifying motivations, creating a study plan, and upgrading technology.
2. Manage time effectively by creating a weekly schedule and utilizing digital tools for task management and time tracking. Learn to say no to avoid overcommitting.
3. Use effective study strategies such as active learning, taking comprehensive notes, and reviewing regularly.
4. Leverage resources available at the university, such as connecting with professors and fellow students, accessing library services, and engaging in online platforms.
5. Balance life and education by prioritising healthy habits, delegating responsibilities, and communicating with family members for support.