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Being a student
Making the decision to continue (or go back into) education is a great choice. Learning opens many more doors and the experience of being a student is one that enables great personal growth.
Many mature students also have the challenge of juggling family lives as well as studying full time!
Making the change to student life
Becoming a student will be a major life change, especially if you have family commitments, or you have been working full-time. You may be leaving your job completely, or reducing down to part-time hours. You may have to fit studying in with your full-time job, or be putting your children into childcare for the first time or for longer. You may be more reliant on a partner, friends of family for support than you have been before.
It is important that you take the time to carefully think about and plan how you will manage these changes. Planning and preparation are essential to make sure that you embark upon your studies with a clear plan, and that you have the greatest chance of success with a minimal amount of stress.
Making friends
It’s absolutely normal to feel worried about making friends when you start a new course at college or university. You may not realise it, but everybody else will be feeling exactly the same.
So, don’t sit in your room or at home - get yourself out there and start talking!
Do remember not to put pressure on yourself to make friends on day one. Give yourself a few weeks to get to know people properly and find the things you have in common as a basis for lasting friendship.
Download the file: Things mature students wished they had known
