a million questions for uni student mummas!

[Glass half full]

So I am starting to consider maybe thinking about possibly studying Nursing/Midwifery in the future!

My questions are: how old were your children when you started studying?
Do you study full or part time? If I was to go ahead I would probably start part time and see how I go, but I get put off when I think about how long it would take to complete a degree studying part time.
To those of you with no/little support, how do you do it!? Yes, I have DF but his work never stops! He is self employed so when he gets home he still has paperwork etc to do so its not like I can rely on him to take over in the evenings. I would still have to do all the dinner, bath & bed stuff.
Did you find it hard getting into it after a long break from high school? It has been 10 years since school, I didn't do TEE, I don't even think I know how to write an essay! it all seems so scary.

That'll do for now. I'm sure I'll think of some more soon enough.

Thanks so much in advance

[krysalyss]

I started full time study when DS was about a year. I am doing a PhD and it really is a full time job. There is simply no way I could have done it on top of full time child caring. I have only been able to do it as DH has totally supported me the whole way. Even with that, it is still exhausting honestly as I still spend a lot of time with DS because I don't want either of us to miss out on the time we have now. I can't wait to finish. I know that in the end it will be worth it and that has kept me going. Don't want to put you off though as everyone has different experiences.

[Glass half full]

Wow you are amazing! I have a friend doing her PhD at the moment so I know how full on it is.

I know MIL would be happy to have the kids 1 or 2 days a week, but I don't want to miss out on too much like you said. Wouldn't really like to put them in childcare either. I guess waiting till they're at school would be the best option. Or at least when DD's at school. Hmmm, so much to think about.

[Glamourcide]

I'd be happy to share my experiences so far, as it sounds like we have some similarities! I graduated from year 12 in 2003 (didn't do the QCS test though so didn't get an OP score), but didn't want to go to uni at the time so got on with life in general - a few TAFE courses, working retail/hospitality, got married and had the girls... then last year, I decided it was time to get myself educated! I enrolled in the STEPS course through CQUni, which is a tertiary prep course and sounds like it'd be right up your alley given your current situation - it has four subjects (computing, maths, language & learning and tertiary prep), which start you off with the basics you'll need so that you're prepared for further study. So far this year, we've been taught step-by-step how to research and write an essay, done lots of work on concepts like behavioural profiles and learning styles (which has been very handy as it gives us a better insight into how we can get the best results by tailoring our study methods to fit our personalities), and lots of other stuff that I feel will really give me the tools I need to pursue further study - AND it's been a good kind of 'practice run' by learning how to juggle home life before I dive right into the 'big' courses!
My uni offers this course (local universities near you should offer similar tertiary prep programs for 'mature-aged' students) in several ways - external, day classes (part-time), night classes (part-time, I decided to take these ones as I can't afford the daycare spots and needed to be in the classroom to stay motivated), and accelerated (full-time during the day, but those students graduate in half the time).
It's free for students who qualify (all you have to do is be an Australian resident, meet the criteria and sign a form promising the government that you'll do your best to finish the course and not waste their money!), all I have had to pay for is some exercise books and pens, pencils, calculator etc - less than $100

My DH is at home with the girls at night and he's pretty slack with their routine - I have dinner prepared before I go to class at 5:30 and when I get home at 8:30 I have to bath them and put them to bed, but it's no big deal for us - it's only 3 nights a week and they're at an age where I don't consider a strict routine to be hugely important... if DH wants to slack off and just watch TV and play with them, I'm okay with it

So I'd suggest having a look into a similar course where you are, I'm really enjoying dipping my toes in and learning what I'm going to be in for when I start whatever courses I decide to go with next year Good luck, I hope you can find an option that works for you! x

[Glass half full]

Thanks a lot Glamourcide! I will definitely look into prep courses around my area, it sounds like exactly what I need.
I am the same as you and prefer to learn in the classroom as I am the worlds worst procrastonator! Another reason why it's crazy for me to be considering uni. Many things to be worked on

[*EJ*]

I just sat down to write an almost identical thread, i too am thinking about nursing/midwifery.... Do you mind if we share munchkin-mumma ????

Glamourcide i found your reply really helpful thank you

I'm trying to get my head around part-time, full-time or distance when i'm a mother of 3 very busy little children. But i'm really getting excited about the prospect of the challenge and achieving something with my life. I have not studied for over 10 years either

I'm a little unsure of my capabilities, i completed year 12 and got a smallish TER score (what it was called back in my day, not idea if it's still the same). So maybe a prep course would be great for me also.

How do i even begin to contact uni's? The open days are acutally next month so i was thinking maybe going to some of those but what are the questions i should be asking? I'm currently a SAHM and DH is working so we're on one wage, are there alternative financial options available?

Thanks ladies

[Glass half full]

How cool *EJ*, great minds aye Share away!!

Open days sound like a great idea, I will look into they are at my local uni.

It's scary thinking of trying to handle study as well as small kids but I don't want to wait forever either! I haven't even discussed it properly with DF so I guess that would be a start hey! Unfortunately I feel like I will get more support here so we'll just have to see how that goes.

[Catastrophic]

how old were your children when you started studying?

I had my first whilst I was studying (my first year) I took a year off after she was born. And have gone part time since then, also having another child in the mean time. I did 4 years of part time, and my last year is Full time.

Do you study full or part time?

I answered the question up there. I did 4yrs of part time, and 1 year (this year FT)

To those of you with no/little support, how do you do it!?

You just cope. I don't really know how, I get asked all the time. I am lucky in the fact that my Ex did do a lot of the housework. but now it's just me, and i'm still coping... When you have no other choice and a passion for what your doing you fit it in.

Did you find it hard getting into it after a long break from high school?

I didn't have a long break. But i'm sure you'll do fine. Just take all the help you can from the university they have special workshops and things that are really useful.

[Traveller]

\how old were your children when you started studying?

They were 6, 5 and 3 year old twins.

Do you study full or part time?

Full time, as there is no option to study part time at my uni

To those of you with no/little support, how do you do it!?

My husband has to help. He is self employed too so has to sometimes finish early to help me out, and as we are both busy all the time we share the household stuff (although I do the lion's share of the laundry still).

Did you find it hard getting into it after a long break from high school?

Yes and no. I have wanted to be a midwife for 5 years so it was wonderful finally getting started. However writing essays after 12 years did take some getting used to but I am into the swing of it now.

HTH. I am doing a double nursing/midwifery degree and am in my first year

[Shades]

So I'm hijacking also - hope nobody minds, and I'm wondering. Full time uni with a 2yr old OR 4yr old (depending on start date) - as a single mum with only daycare and occasionally sparse family support - is it doable?

[Glass half full]

Thank you all for your replies. You have certainly convinced me that it is possible, as difficult as its may be. Your stories are very inspiring

Hi Shades, I hope you get some answers you're looking for here too. What are you thinking of studying?

[Smoke Jaguar]

A bit like TFB - a DP who supported me in a very non-tangible sense. Not even sure what his version of 'support' is, really.
Anyway, a bit different, I had my Hons degree in Arts already when I began my current course in Psych. I fell pg the same year. That's when someone really could have tapped me on the shoulder and told me to wait!
I have the dodgiest looking transcript and I have two units to do - I also have a deadline because uni says if I don't finish by December I'm out!
It's been awful, and now I know why mummies wait till kids are in school before going back to study. My brain hasn't been nearly as 'with' DS as I would have liked all these years because of due dates, classes or weekend schools (I've done a mix of on and off campus study modes), exams, and guilt because I haven't done enough study.
I would suggest waiting at least until the youngest is in kinder. My DP SAID he'd take up the slack around the home, and I asked him to really listen to what I was asking of him and he STILL cried foul when I said he'd need to be looking after dinner and laundry and housecleaning if I were to do well at uni. So, I ended up being homemaker AND student, and I've never been great at either, and I only get top marks for mothering (which is fine, cos that's what I'll be judged on by my kids when my time is up), because I decided that my parenting would be the last thing to 'give', even if it meant barely passing with crap marks.
I wasn't even in a hurry to finish my degree, it was just my stubborn streak of "well, I've already started it...", and when I'm done with this year I won't even have a psych qual! And I'm not going back for that till this third baby has been conceived, born and raised to kinder age...I just can't do that to my kids again while they're so little and doing all that developing that I can't relive later.

[Me+him+bub]

i was in my fourth year of bachelor of nursing when I had my son, I completed it when he was only 12 weeks old, I then worked full time for a year as a graduate RN, and now it has been 18 months i'm pregnant with my second and am starting my diploma of midi at CQ university in february over another 1.5 years with yet another 3 month old! it can be done if u have the right help and determination, have u considered online nursing study via open university or charles darwin university, it helps alot!

[*EJ*]

All the ladies who are studying with a young family are an absoulte inspirtation to me, i really appreciate your honesty and advice.

It's a huge thing to take on study and motherhood at the same time (which i always imagined) i've found out from the replys.

What do i do!?!?

I have a lot of thinking to do, i know i want to do more study but it's the timing. Waiting for my youngest to be in Kinder seems like i long time (i could be getting closeish to 40 by then ) but i could be putting a huge amount of pressure on myself. I know i'm a strong person but i don't want to push the boundries .

So much to think about...

[Sopdet]

Children aren't in the mix for me at the moment but I am almost a full-time student and I work full time. I'm trying to work out the logistics of a child into all of this in the next year or so, still not sure if it is possible being pregnant during some of my subjects (specifically those that I spent time in the lab). When the pregnancy happens, I'll just have to manage & maybe rethink some of my subjects.

Next year I'm back to doing a mix of off-campus (on-line) and on-campus subjects, currently I'm 100% off campus and it has a lot of pros and cons, the fact I can study when I want to is a pro, but also a huge con! I procrastinate (like now, I've just finished one assignment, need to upload it to uni, plus finish off 3 more forum posts for one subject and I'm on here instead). I've found that I can get a nice 20 min chunk of study done at lunchtimes at work, which can be watching/listening to part of a lecture, doing a chapter or 2 of a text book. For the 3 subjects I'm doing now, I should be studying a minimum 15+ hours a week for them all, this is on top of 40 hours a week at work, running a household and having time for a social life (which is suffering at the moment). My final year will have to be done full-time.

[krysalyss]

I would just try it and if it is too much drop back to part time. Even if you only do one subject a semester, when your youngest is old enough for kindy you will already have done quite a lot and it will take you less time to do the rest.

[My Three Sons]

how old were your children when you started studying? 19months, 3.5yrs and 5.5yrs
Do you study full or part time? I study full time- I wanted to do it at monash,and this was their only way. Also, i didn't want it hanging over me for 6 years. I wanted to get it done and start working and earning again.
To those of you with no/little support, how do you do it!?
I have support, as do most of the other mums in our group. I certainly take my hat off to those who do it alone (either their partner is mega busy or they are a single parent). I am very lucky to have my hubby there, as well as my mum and dad. I couldn't do this model of study i think without them!
Did you find it hard getting into it after a long break from high school? I did a Uni degree after high school. It was an 8 year gap though for me. I did get a credit though for one of my electives this year It was hard to get back into it, but the uni have a TON of support services. The library often holds little drop in work shops on essay prep/writing etc, and the learning advisers in there are always more than happy to help you in refining or improving your skills!


How do i even begin to contact uni's? The open days are acutally next month so i was thinking maybe going to some of those but what are the questions i should be asking? I'm currently a SAHM and DH is working so we're on one wage, are there alternative financial options available?

I see you are in melbourne I am helping at our Uni open day... if it is out your way come and visit us! (monash@peninsula)
If you want to apply it is all done via VTAC. TBH most unis suck at giving out info i found- and different people at the same uni gave different advice. But if you go to the open days you should get people who actually know!


For me, my week is VERY full on this semester- 2 half days and one full day of Uni PLUS an online subject PLUS 2 days of prac placement every week. Assignments and case studies to write, and follow through appointments/births to attend. BUT i love it to bits, and wouldn't ever go back and not do it!
Give it a go... if you get in, and it is too much, you can always defer for a year or 2.
Questions to ask would be - Do you offer part time (if you are interested in that), What qualities do you look for in your applications- do you look at experience, past degrees, STAT tests etc- what level degree would you need to be considered? What mode of teaching do you do? Is there lots of on- campus/off campus units. How is your practical placement offered and at which hospitals? Do we get to put in preferences for where we are placed?- at monash you are NOT given the option for Midwifery at least! How many students do you take each year?
Most of you Uni costs can go on HECS, but if you want to buy books etc, then that is all additional. Then you have costs of Uniforms and placement parking- (hospital parking SUCKS, but some are better than others) I perfer to buy my books, but plenty of girls get by using library copies. You also have injection costs to cover too to make sure you are all up to date, plus police check and working with children checks.
My husband is our sole provider. We have 2 kids in daycare full time and a school age kid. Childcare is a lot of our costs, and sucks, but it is doable. Thankfully DH is on a good wage, although i know there are others who do it as well who don't work! So it is certainly possible. Just means giving up extra luxuries while you study.

Realisticly how do you think someone would go with a 5yr old in kinder and a 3yr and 12 month old at home (which is what it would be next year)???? I think i would only consider part time or off campus.

I got 6 High distinctions and 2 distinctions last year... so i think that someone with a 5 year old, 3 year old and 12 month old (mine were 5.5, 3.5 and 19m) would do FINE!

[Glass half full]

Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences.
I decided today to apply for the university preparation course at my local uni, buuuut I have no idea where my year 12 results are So I'm going to have to find out where to get a copy from before I can complete the application. It is very exciting to be taking a step closer towards higher education!!

Turns out the Uni open day was today. I almost went but the weather was shocking and DF got called out on a job (see what I mean about little support) I'm not too fussed though, they have a great website so I have found a lot of info on there.

Thanks again ladies