thinking of withdrawing from uni....

Hi guys - having a stress attack atm and was wondering what you think I should do - or what you would do in my situation...

I'm part time doing my dip ed. This semester i'm doing the prac parts so will be doing 4 weeks solid student teaching starting in about a month.

I am 4 weeks into the course and already seriously behind in where i should be, even though i have been diligently working, attending classes, doing all the stuff that is vital but unassessable. For example, forms, police checks, organising experience days and getting things signed off by various people and approved, have done 2 full days experience off my own back which is a requirement and locked in 2 more coming up over the next two weeks (need to do 5 days work exp in total that I independently organise), tutorial homework, prac homework and preparation. This has been pretty full on study and admin - i havent been slack or wasted a lot of time. Plus studying around 2 year old, keeping house rather badly and fitting in antenatal appointments, so been pretty busy. I also quit my 2 nights, 8 hours a week job to gain a few extra hours for study, so its affected a lot of life factors which i have made sacrifices for and compromised willingly so i can dedicate more time to uni.

But I have 1000 words due next fri, havent started research - well i have papers but havent had a chance to read analyse and write anything yet after doing all this other stuff, i just havent had time so far. Then the fri after i have 2000 word essay due - havent even looked at what its about, and same day due another 1000 words, again havent started. During the next 2 weeks I also have 2 day of professional experience at the school I will be student teaching at (set by uni) and another 2 days i have organised as part of the requirements of the course, one of which is the friday when the 2 essays are due.

Thats only the next 2 weeks and i cant see how i can possibly crank out 3 essays with proper research and the time it will take to do them justice, plus do the 4 full days at uni, plus 4 full days of placements - leaving only the two mondays free to study - days which my DD is not at childcare. one weekend and evenings. I dont see enough time to accomplish even half of what i need to do.

Then the weeks after are just as demanding with the 4 weeks full time teaching and all the work that comes with that (class plans for each lesson i teach, assessing students' work and also the reports i have to do to show I've attending and fulfilled the professional experience requirements) plus another 2 major essays due within that period for uni.

The census date for withdrawing and not failing is this friday - should i cut my losses and just withdraw? or should i just do what i manage and hope they are understanding? I really passionately want to do this, but seeing as i have woken up in a panic and for the last 4 hours been stressing and crying about how overwhelmed and unachievable i feel the next few weeks is going to be, I am just not sure how healthy this is for me, bub, DD and DH. I dont want to quit cos i fear i will never come back, but I also dont see how i can succeed right now.

What do you guys think? Quit or perservere?

Wow honey they sure pile it on to you don't they?!
I can kind of say I know how you feel, I myself have a 2 year old, house to stay on top off and antenatal appointments a plenty and I have completed my Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, however I did it while working full time, prior to kids so it was different.

I'm wondering, do you have to have done the professional experience (not the ones at the school, but the other ones) before your placement? Or do they just have to be done by the end of semester? Also are they cumulative hours or do they need to be whole days? If they are cumulative you could try doing shirt stints (I'm not sure what sort of places you can do it at, with my course they just needed to be formal sessions involving kids...so obviously not at the local playground but we could observe swimming lessons, after school care, cubs and brownies etc, and the hours all added up) I used to try and book them in after placement.
Also I found life as a distant education student easier as there was no attendence (though that may have changed to a couple of weekend sessions now) which freed up alot of time (that I needed working full time).
Would switching to that be an option?

Also, do they have minimum subject requirements? As in, how many subjects do you HAVE to study in a semester, not how many to stay on normal pt course progression, but how many? I know there was a few semesters I wad only doing one!
Perhaps rather that drop out, you could drop to bare minimum? At least for now, then, once your 2yo is off at kinder during the day in a year or 2 you can pick up more subjects?

Sorry to be asking so many questions, I'm just trying to sort out some options and suggestions for you!
I'd hate to see you drop out and then regret it...

My head is racing with ideas etc so if you Want to pm me feel free!!!

In the mean time :hug: I'll pop back later!

How many subjects are you doing? Can you possible drop 1 or 2 subjects and do the other 1 or 2? That way your reducing your work load but still plodding away at the course? Then maybe defer next semester completely to have a break and really enjoy your family or do 1 subject that doesn't have a practical component to it and next year do the few subjects you dropped now.
I would be inclined to drop a few and even do one subject that is the hardest or has the most practical component as although it is hard now to get to work etc I would imagine it could possible be more difficult with two children.
I myself dropped from internal to external which I found to be my saving grace. Some people need the tutorials from the uni but for me it was easier to do my work from home. I don't know if that is an option for you.
What year are you at? Have you just started or already part way through?
Must have been writting at the same time as baby wrangler.

I"m doing the same degree and I have had to plan out already how I am going to fit in the pracaround the house, a husband and four kids LOL. I am only doing a part time load of two subjects a year till my youngest is at school so maybe you could drop a subject or two and do one subject and your prac for this semester and maybe the load will lighten for you to feel like you are staying on top of it all. Plus you could always ask for an extension on your essays - they might say no, but it's worth a shot at least.

I hope it all works out for you.

is there a student advisor/ course co-ordinator type person you could talk to and see what your options are? they can often come up with solutions you may not have thought of.

good luck,

First of all, you need to talk to your course coordinator OR the lecturer for each of the subjects you are enrolled in.

In my experience, they tend to talk a lot about how much they don't like to hand out extensions, but in reality recognise that a mature age student with kids, jobs & other responsibilities sometimes just need a little flexibility. Perhaps there is a way that can cut back on some subjects without withdrawing entirely - but with the support of your lecturers for a well-timed extension where needed. You can always defer a subject or two, pick them up over the summer semester, shift some work to an external subject - lots of possibilities.

So, what I'm saying is - you have a lot more options than just "quit or persevere". You just need some info on what those options are so you can make some decisions without panicing, stressing etc. :hug:

Thank you so much for the encouragement :)

Mildez and Babywrangler - Thanks for the replies and for your personal experiences. I feel less alone knowing other mums have studied and juggled life at the same time! its rather hard huh?

I've already done 1 year theory and doing the second year of practical that they allocate for the part time dip ed. I am doing 2 subjects a semester and I am pretty sure i cant drop any because if you opt to do the 1 year dip ed part time, it must be completed over a 2 year period. I am planning on taking next semester off and semester one the year after off and doing my last 2 subjects in 2nd semester 2011 when bub is 1year old. I will clarify though whether i can just drop one subject and take a bit longer to do the course. I hadnt considered that option and that they might give me special circumstances. So thank you for that suggestion. I'm thinking I could do the subject with the placements and i'm sure i could manage that. Then the other subject which is learning how to teach science specifically could be done later - that could work around breastfeeding etc as the times wouldnt be so full-on.

I dont think I can do any of this distance ed because its pretty practical stuff. So tutes and hands on content, discussion groups etc. My uni doesnt offer it distance ed either for this course. But again will have to ask to be 100% sure.

I could do the 5 days experience i organise myself after the school placements, but I will be 35 weeks when i finish the 4 straight weeks of teaching and I think i will be pretty much over "working" and being able to effectively contribute so thats why I am trying to cram it all in beforehand! Plus I think we have some assessments to do with the placements (reports and feedback) and 2 weeks of uni after placements to wrap up everything (no exams which is great) so while it wont be half as strenuous, it will still be hard when i'm up to 37 weeks pregnant :) So i think i'd rather keep doing things beforehand....I am not sure about cumulative hours though - will have to enquire about that possibility - they have all assumed a full day and I never thought to question it....swimming lessons are a great idea that I hadnt thought of - thanks babywrangler!

Trillian - I took your advice and sent my tutor an email about an extension and i kinda expressed my stresses at the same time! she is going to call me to discuss so thats made me feel a lot more positive and supported. I am sure she realises I am working hard and trying my best.

Kate - again something i hadnt thought of - will see what services they offer because they would definitely have one - thank you!

I think the pregnancy isnt helping my rational thinking or stress levels actually. I feel a bit better this morning and not as hopeless as i did last night and I really dont want to give up on another big dream of mine. I feel i've already given up on so much over my life and really i'm at an age where its now or never. I really want to teach and it feels so right - I just feel overwhelmed and emotional about how big a chunk i've tried to chew this time round. In reality its 3 months of uni stress on top of life. Once thats over it will just be life, even if that will include a newborn! I can do this...i can i can!!

Thanks for the support everyone - I really really appreciate it xxx

Amethyst - make sure you enquire about the course time limit. Most unis have limits like that but you can actually apply to have an extension, based on your circumstances. The limits are there so they can refuse to reenrol flakey students that are wasting everyone's time, rather than genuine students who find themselves caught up in life circumstances. So ask about this when you talk to your tutor.

And yes, you CAN do this, you CAN!

I'm doing mine externally through UNE and they allow 10 years for you to complete the degree, so I would assume that would take into account times where you may have to defer for a semester or a year or if you only take on 1 subject etc. Let us know what your lecturer says though :)

thanks marydean - it makes so much more sense when you say it like that!

it really cant hurt to ask and it just shows how caught up i've gotten in the words and limits rather than asking for help and consideration which I am sure they would give rather than lose a student.