Hi all,
I'm studying at the moment, a business degree, and boy it's getting hard! I'm not daft but I'm constantly worrying about the work and future exams, etc. (I'm also a 'mature' student)
Those of you with further education experiences:
What subject(s) did you study?
How did you find it? (easy/hard?)
How did you cope?!
Student blues
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Kaza(SO)
- Miss Crystal Goddess
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2004 10:28 pm
- Location: Scotland
Student blues
Cheers, girls! x
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Shannon
- Founding Member
- Posts: 210
- Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2003 6:42 pm
- Location: Houston, TX
Well if it helps, I had a struggle getting through college, it took me 8 years to get a 4 yr degree. I had the opportunity to pay for all my own college expenses and living and being married at the time.
I studied Mechanical Enginnering and it was hard at times and I coped by just keeping at it. There was many subjects (classes) I just did not understand.
In my last semester before I graduated I took a class called "Control Loop Systems" or something like that.... it was a required class and I had to get a C or better.
I sent many days in the professor's office getting help throughout the entire semester. I never really was able to fully grasp the material. I went into the final needing a 94 or something around that to get a C average. By the end of the final I knew there was no chance of me getting anything close to a 94.
Realize at this point I had already accepted a job, gave up the lease on my current house and had a lease on a house in a new town. If I didn't end up with a C I wouldn't graduate.
I closed the test with a paragraph to the professor basically begging him for a C avearage for the class (I expalined all I just mentioned above) and I promised him I would never take a job where I had anything to do with Open Loop control systems.... He gave me a C for the class...
So, in conclusion, keep you nose in the material, pay attention in class, ask the prof's for help when you need it and if all else fails, beg.
I studied Mechanical Enginnering and it was hard at times and I coped by just keeping at it. There was many subjects (classes) I just did not understand.
In my last semester before I graduated I took a class called "Control Loop Systems" or something like that.... it was a required class and I had to get a C or better.
I sent many days in the professor's office getting help throughout the entire semester. I never really was able to fully grasp the material. I went into the final needing a 94 or something around that to get a C average. By the end of the final I knew there was no chance of me getting anything close to a 94.
Realize at this point I had already accepted a job, gave up the lease on my current house and had a lease on a house in a new town. If I didn't end up with a C I wouldn't graduate.
I closed the test with a paragraph to the professor basically begging him for a C avearage for the class (I expalined all I just mentioned above) and I promised him I would never take a job where I had anything to do with Open Loop control systems.... He gave me a C for the class...
So, in conclusion, keep you nose in the material, pay attention in class, ask the prof's for help when you need it and if all else fails, beg.
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Terri(SO)
- Miss Platinum Goddess
- Posts: 373
- Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2004 7:35 am
- Location: San Francisco
- Contact:
Hi Kaza(SO)
I finally received my BSB/Business Mgmt in 2000 at age 40. I spent all those years prior to that taking one or two classes a semester at the community college. I had been thinking I was working toward a degree in physical therapy but after reaching the end of all the foundation courses I found out there was no program available to do at night/part time. I was working fulltime to support my artist husband and three kids so quitting to go to school full time during the day was out of the question. So I switched my major and forked out the $$$ (loans which I think I'll be paying forever) to go to an excelerated business program.
You want to talk about hard? It was very hard. Reading/writing, reading/writing, reading/writing, and more reading/writing. But I can tell you it was worth it. I did the on campus for about a year and when my marriage fell apart I realized I would not even be able to cope with that (too much worry leaving the kids alone-no money for babysitter) so I was able to switch to directed study online. That meant I was working one on one with the teachers all over the country. It was great and I'm not sure I could have done it any other way. Still alot of work;nothing easy about it!
I think what I got most out of the school as a mature student is finding out what I don't really want to do. I don't want to be a project manager, I don't want to go further into law, etc. International Business and Change Management (what my job now is about) were the two most interesting subjects for me. But it did give me discipline and structure and gave a me a high overview of many, many important aspects of business.
Kaza(SO), hang in there. It is going to be very hard but it is worth it!
I finally received my BSB/Business Mgmt in 2000 at age 40. I spent all those years prior to that taking one or two classes a semester at the community college. I had been thinking I was working toward a degree in physical therapy but after reaching the end of all the foundation courses I found out there was no program available to do at night/part time. I was working fulltime to support my artist husband and three kids so quitting to go to school full time during the day was out of the question. So I switched my major and forked out the $$$ (loans which I think I'll be paying forever) to go to an excelerated business program.
You want to talk about hard? It was very hard. Reading/writing, reading/writing, reading/writing, and more reading/writing. But I can tell you it was worth it. I did the on campus for about a year and when my marriage fell apart I realized I would not even be able to cope with that (too much worry leaving the kids alone-no money for babysitter) so I was able to switch to directed study online. That meant I was working one on one with the teachers all over the country. It was great and I'm not sure I could have done it any other way. Still alot of work;nothing easy about it!
I think what I got most out of the school as a mature student is finding out what I don't really want to do. I don't want to be a project manager, I don't want to go further into law, etc. International Business and Change Management (what my job now is about) were the two most interesting subjects for me. But it did give me discipline and structure and gave a me a high overview of many, many important aspects of business.
Kaza(SO), hang in there. It is going to be very hard but it is worth it!
Love is a verb. It's a doing thing. No action, no love! - Terri
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Katy-Jane
- Miss Silver Goddess
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 2:20 pm
- Location: SE England
Hi Kaza,
I studied a degree in electronics, and some parts I found quite easy, others absolutely impossible. For a couple of modules, I went to the revision classes, which took place close to my final exams. In those classes they often gave a few hints as to what might come up in the papers. That was useful. For some other areas I found hard, I would literally learn the material parrot-fashion. Did'nt understand it then, still don't now, but managed to learn it well enough to be able to write it out verbatim on demand! Utterly pointless from an educational point of view I know, got me top grades though, in a subject I couldn't grasp
It did take ages to learn the stuff parrot-fashion though, so I'd only recommend that path if you really are in a tight spot with a subject!
One other thing I did was schedule my time carefully. I never did any college work on a Saturday, come hell or high-water. It was my day off, and I would often try and plan some kind of treat that day. That gave me something to look forward to all week, and importantly some guilt-free time off my studies (we CD's know a thing or two about guilt I guess!).
stick at it, and good luck
Katy-Jane
I studied a degree in electronics, and some parts I found quite easy, others absolutely impossible. For a couple of modules, I went to the revision classes, which took place close to my final exams. In those classes they often gave a few hints as to what might come up in the papers. That was useful. For some other areas I found hard, I would literally learn the material parrot-fashion. Did'nt understand it then, still don't now, but managed to learn it well enough to be able to write it out verbatim on demand! Utterly pointless from an educational point of view I know, got me top grades though, in a subject I couldn't grasp
It did take ages to learn the stuff parrot-fashion though, so I'd only recommend that path if you really are in a tight spot with a subject!One other thing I did was schedule my time carefully. I never did any college work on a Saturday, come hell or high-water. It was my day off, and I would often try and plan some kind of treat that day. That gave me something to look forward to all week, and importantly some guilt-free time off my studies (we CD's know a thing or two about guilt I guess!).
stick at it, and good luck
Katy-Jane
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CJ
- Miss Diamond Goddess
- Posts: 3562
- Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2003 11:12 pm
- Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Hi all,
Kaza,
I was also a mature student. From '93 to '96, when I was in my early to mid-30's, I took a B.A. in Comparative Religious Studies and Philosophy. It was a lot of reading and writing (can't say I passed with flying colours, either). I was working 45 hours a week while in school as well as going through the dying stages of a seven-year relationship with my SO. It was all very hard and I have to admit I had a tough time coping. But there are resources available.
Check out the Health department of your college or university (they have all kinds of tips on stress management techniques and health maintenance suggestions). Look up Peer Support groups, also. Mature Student departments, especially, always have suggestions for increasing your effectiveness as a student while keeping in mind the special requirements that life as an adult impose on you (parenthood, financial responsibilities, etc.). Although not specifically targeted at mature students, here's an example of a good study guide (from Virginia Tech): http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/stdyhlp.html.
Many good suggestions have been made above. The most important one is this, I think: try as best you can to manage your time well. Make time for yourself. Away from work. Away from school. Also, take up whatever technique or exercise you think will reduce your stress and anxiety... draw or paint, take deep breaths on a regular basis, do relaxation exercises, take up meditation or yoga, anything that will allow you to pull back and see the bigger picture, the reasons why you're in school in the first place. Finally, heed your body's condition and your state of mind. If things get too tough, talk about them to someone who's ideally suited to help you--your school's Health dep't, your family doctor, your teachers and professors, even! They're as human as you are and they undestand the difficulties that attend studying, especially for mature students. By the way, Shannon's tip isn't a joke (although I wouldn't exactly call it begging); when you're being ploughed under by tough circumstances away from the classroom, talk to your teachers and don't be afraid to try to negotiate deadline extensions and/or alternate means of making the grade than the ones required. It often works.
I wish you well-being and success in your studies, Kaza.
Love,
CJ
Kaza,
I was also a mature student. From '93 to '96, when I was in my early to mid-30's, I took a B.A. in Comparative Religious Studies and Philosophy. It was a lot of reading and writing (can't say I passed with flying colours, either). I was working 45 hours a week while in school as well as going through the dying stages of a seven-year relationship with my SO. It was all very hard and I have to admit I had a tough time coping. But there are resources available.
Check out the Health department of your college or university (they have all kinds of tips on stress management techniques and health maintenance suggestions). Look up Peer Support groups, also. Mature Student departments, especially, always have suggestions for increasing your effectiveness as a student while keeping in mind the special requirements that life as an adult impose on you (parenthood, financial responsibilities, etc.). Although not specifically targeted at mature students, here's an example of a good study guide (from Virginia Tech): http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/stdyhlp.html.
Many good suggestions have been made above. The most important one is this, I think: try as best you can to manage your time well. Make time for yourself. Away from work. Away from school. Also, take up whatever technique or exercise you think will reduce your stress and anxiety... draw or paint, take deep breaths on a regular basis, do relaxation exercises, take up meditation or yoga, anything that will allow you to pull back and see the bigger picture, the reasons why you're in school in the first place. Finally, heed your body's condition and your state of mind. If things get too tough, talk about them to someone who's ideally suited to help you--your school's Health dep't, your family doctor, your teachers and professors, even! They're as human as you are and they undestand the difficulties that attend studying, especially for mature students. By the way, Shannon's tip isn't a joke (although I wouldn't exactly call it begging); when you're being ploughed under by tough circumstances away from the classroom, talk to your teachers and don't be afraid to try to negotiate deadline extensions and/or alternate means of making the grade than the ones required. It often works.
I wish you well-being and success in your studies, Kaza.
Love,
CJ
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DonnaT
- Miss Great Goddess
- Posts: 8222
- Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2004 11:04 am
- Location: No. Virginia
Hi Kaza
One good thing I had about being a bit more mature as a student was that there was no peer pressure to jon the keggers, etc.
After 6 years in the Army, marriage and two kids, I was deciding whether to go Mechanical E or Electrical E so I ended up taking Electrical Engineering.
Had to take those Loop System courses Shannon spoke of in my Senior year. Our Prof. was OK and we only had one or two tests. Mostly we were graded on participation.
Classes were mostly general Engineering until Junior and Senior year so most Engineers ended up taking similar courses (West Virginia Tech). We had one Prof. that wrote down the days lessons on the chalk board word for word what was already in the text. Couldn't teach worth a damn.
Quite a difference from the Army life, trying to study and all. So yes, it was hard, but having a family that was going to depend on me, and getting out of WV made me get my priorities straight more than I would have if I had gone straight to College from High School.
Graduated in 4 years, including some summer classes. Then I found myself working as a Patent Examiner in the Television and Image Recognition fields at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Work as a Patent Agent in DC now.
One good thing I had about being a bit more mature as a student was that there was no peer pressure to jon the keggers, etc.
After 6 years in the Army, marriage and two kids, I was deciding whether to go Mechanical E or Electrical E so I ended up taking Electrical Engineering.
Had to take those Loop System courses Shannon spoke of in my Senior year. Our Prof. was OK and we only had one or two tests. Mostly we were graded on participation.
Classes were mostly general Engineering until Junior and Senior year so most Engineers ended up taking similar courses (West Virginia Tech). We had one Prof. that wrote down the days lessons on the chalk board word for word what was already in the text. Couldn't teach worth a damn.
Quite a difference from the Army life, trying to study and all. So yes, it was hard, but having a family that was going to depend on me, and getting out of WV made me get my priorities straight more than I would have if I had gone straight to College from High School.
Graduated in 4 years, including some summer classes. Then I found myself working as a Patent Examiner in the Television and Image Recognition fields at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Work as a Patent Agent in DC now.
DonnaT
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Virginia
- Goddess of the Universe
- Posts: 5543
- Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2004 4:06 pm
- Location: Strange Magic Hill
Kaza, As you can see a lot of our sisters decided "later in life" that they "wanted it" and to get it they had to make sacrifices, and if they were going to "do it" by God they were going to do it right and do whatever it takes to do it right. So you have to ask yourself, How bad do I want it?" and am I willing to "pay the price?" These girls did and most age glad they did. Ever since I was 5 and looked up and saw my first jet I wanted to fly!!!! I did become a Naval Aviator - hard work, OHYeah!!!! worth the sacrifice? OH Yeah! You gotta pay the price!!! Go for it!!!
Virginia
Virginia
First star to the right, then straight on 'till mornin!
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Kaza(SO)
- Miss Crystal Goddess
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2004 10:28 pm
- Location: Scotland
Thanx
Thanks everyone,
I know all my fellow students feel the pressure as well, but for some reason I feel like because I'm a mature student they seem to think I'm sailing through - couldn't be further from the truth!
It's comforting to hear from others that went through a similar situation, I'm in my final year and it is constant reading, essays and then straight onto exams!
I want it and I'll get it!
I know all my fellow students feel the pressure as well, but for some reason I feel like because I'm a mature student they seem to think I'm sailing through - couldn't be further from the truth!
It's comforting to hear from others that went through a similar situation, I'm in my final year and it is constant reading, essays and then straight onto exams!
I want it and I'll get it!
Cheers, girls! x