Going back to uni. Part time at a uni an hour away or full time course in home town?

[Ifcatshadthumbs]

Ideally I would have done the course part time in my home town but they have decided not to offer a part time option next year.

The closest uni I could do it part time at is an hours drive away.

I have two children in primary school to factor in, so I have no idea how intense it's going to be if I do this full time over 3 years.

I really want to do this course as long term it will lead to more financial security.

Any advice from those of you who are studying either part time or full time right now?

Ask the full time one what the timetable looks like this year and that will give you an idea as to how manageable it will be. But I'd have thought that being close to home would make a massive difference in how manageable things were tbh

I am studying full time, my children are 9 and 5. Am only actually at uni for six months of the year and then six off (including Christmas and Easter) three year degree.

There is no way on earth I could do it if it wasn't for the fact that dp is self employed and can pick up lots of childcare, so he works less during term time and more when I am off.

It is pretty hellish tbh, this is my second year, I have 24 hours a week contact time and probably do about 30-40 hours on top of that, not all subjects would be like that though, even when enormously sleep deprived I still don't regret it though, it has been life changing.

That's a really good idea Cmotdibbler will give them a call.

Gobblers my children are a similar age so child are will be an issue. My DH isn't as flexible unfortunately with his work but we both agree that long term me retraining is the best option financially so I guess he will need to step up in that area!

Just finished a f/t degree, with my final year being based at a uni 50 miles from home. I agree with gobblers, it really does depend on the course you will be studying. Mine only had contact time of 10 hours pw, usually spread over 3 days, but the distance and travelling time usually meant I was away from home for pretty much the whole day as I used to use public transport to get there. Even with those minimal contact hours, it was pretty intense at times with all the reading, essay writing and preparation that I had to do at home as well. I also managed to keep my p/t job for two other days per week. Its doable, but you have to be very disciplined with your time management, especially when you have DC to consider as well. Mine are teenagers so were able to be a bit more independent leaving me to get on with my work. Having said that, my degree has probably been the most rewarding thing I have ever done and I absolutely loved being a student .

Thanks Atticus, it good to know that people have found f/t doable. I think communuting for a p/t course could bring as many hurdles as a local f/t course.

I think I need to speak to the uni and get a better idea of how the course runs.

I agree with speaking to the uni as they will have the times or if not will tell you how last years ran with timings.
For what its worth, im doing full time and am only in uni tues nights 4-7pm and thursday 9-4. Both usually finish between an hour and 1/2 hour earlier.

Commuting can bring up a lot of issues. It can make things like group work and meetings with tutors really inconvenient, and you will still have to do these things as a part time student. You may also still have to come in to lectures at odd hours (like 4-6pm) which could mean there is not that much of a benefit from the childcare side of things. I have commuted about 20-25 minutes to uni (on public transport), and would not consider an hour commute managable, even for a part time course. Bear in mind you may also have to account for delays on some days, e.g. when you have an exam that you have to get to.

I think it is very easy to start to resent a long commute to university. If you are only going in for, say, seven hours a week, you would be spending more time travelling at uni, and still probably be spending more time out of the house than if you were close to home and studying full-time.

If you are relying on public transport, a hour's commute is likely to end up taking longer, as you have to factor in delays and time spend waiting for trains/busses. If you are driving, you would have to research parking at your university. Most universities do not have any parking available for students who don't have disabilities, and if the university is in a city centre, the nearby parking may be very expensive and/or limited as well.

However, it will obviously depend how "full-time" a full-time course actually is. My course never really went over between 16-20 hours a week (although there was a compulsory field course in 2nd year to another country!) , and hummanities courses will probably have even less contact time than that. Yes, it can be a lot of work to manage, and third year especially is very intense. However, I think going to a university close to home means less of your day would be spent travelling, and you can do most of your study at home whilst your children are at school (in theory at least!)

Thanks slowloris I think I'm starting to see that commuting would be very hard work and I think I would resent a 2 hour round trip just for an hour or so lecture. I would drive rather than use public transport but but would at the mercy of the M1!

Thanks guys I have just spoken to the uni the f/t course is 3 1/2 days in the first year, 3 days in the second year and 2 days in the third year. Which sounds more manageable to me than 2 1/2 days at uni an hour away spread out over 4 years.

There is also a teeny tiny possibility that they may run the course p/t at my local uni but won't know until the end of the month. Either way I think I have written off the idea of commuting.

Thanks for all your help!

Just to add - student finance is more advantageous if you're full time than part time :)

good to know thank you!

And also Student Finance income is not taken into account for tax credits purposes, except for Adult Dependents Grant. I was the most well off I'd ever been when I was a student!