Uni as a mature (40) student. What to expect?

[RoryGillmoresEvilTwin]

I'm starting uni next month as a 40 year old LP and I'm nervous!
I've had the UCAS 'congratulations!' Email for a while but as of today I've started getting emails from the uni and it's now feeling a lot more real!
Stupid things are preoccupying my thoughts such as what should I wear 😂 and what if I don't make any friends because I'm so old 😭.

I'm doing Environmental science and I can't wait but I'm now equally scared and excited.

Are there any mature students out there that can give me some perspective and/or stories of oldies done good?!

Had induction yesterday - 4 hours of PowerPoint! Met one nature student on my course but he has a different timetable to me. Mature student welcome today then meet personal tutor and collect lab coat/glasses. Exciting but scary. All the young people seem so confident! I don't think I was like that at their age

Today is turning out to be much better.

Induction for taught postgraduates brought loads of mature students out of the woodwork, some a good bit older than me too. They may not be on my course, but at least they exist!

Also investigated my department library, and managed to check out books with the self service machine without any help. Proud!

I have joined several societies this afternoon at Fresher's Fair. No idea how much time I will actually have to spend doing fun soc stuff, but at least I'll get the emails and know what is happening if something really interesting catches my eye. I'm more in it for the talks and guest speakers than the 4am drinking!!!

I have borrowed some postgrad study guide books from the library, so plan to read them this week before proper subject reading starts. I have also signed up for a weekly study skills course.

I had my formal signing all bits of paper thing today so just waiting for my uni log on and email to come through - should be tomorrow
First module starts on Monday!

Random question - as an MSc student can you access student bank accounts, etc? Would you need to show an NHS card?

Just wondering about how to make the most of student status!!

Oh boo just looked up Lloyd’s and you have to be a FT student

Can I join you please?

Applied through clearing to do Education Studies then straight into PGCE. The application process has been a nightmare. I’ve had to chase up every other day but I’m in now! Ive missed induction week and 4 sessions this week( I hadn’t been timetabled so wasn’t aware of this).

Spoken with programme leader who tells me not to worry as I’ll be able to catch up and slot in

I’m almost 35, single parent to 7year old ds, my timetable is seemingly very family friendly so far!

I had a look at student bank accounts over the summer and the only one that offered anything specific for postgrads was Santander.

My student loan arrived today. I need to set up a different bank account really so that fees and books money doesn't get mixed up with general household money.

If it helps, we had 2 mature students in our year in 1973 (!), The bloke knew it all, and was more interested in his Trades Union activities back at his job and didn't last the first year ( pharmacy) The other is still a friend but she is now over 80 and the rest of the year are eary 60s. She graduated just before her 40th birthday. The mature students were great and gave us a sense of proportion- there is a life outside of studying. They tended to be local and gave lots of helpful advice on places to avoid when flat hunting etc.
Enjoy.

I'm at the end of my first full week. Lectures started properly yesterday, maths and chem. I'm freaking out about the maths but I think I'll be Ok, I just need to buckle down and get up to speed.

Still a bit of a loner as the people on my course are so young but I've met some nice older students on other courses.

My timetable from next week is crazy. In at 9am everyday which means up at 6 and my mum doing the school drop off for now. I'm having major second thoughts right now but I know I need to keep at it.

Just a fyi, my uni has a pot of money for low income households and I found out yesterday that I'll be getting a sizable bursary from them in 3 payments. First in Nov. It may be worth finding out from your student services if that's available to any of you...

Maths is scaring me too! Next week's lecture slides are online now, I had a look through them and had a total wobble that I couldn't do this. But I went to the library this afternoon and worked through them slowly and logically and there isn't actually anything that bad. I just need to have a bit of faith in myself! Talking to some of the other students on my course a lot find the maths content intimidating, so at least it's not just me.

Lectures start on Monday. We've had the assignment deadlines for the term, so that is useful for planning stuff out. One module is 100% coursework.

Just want to get on with it now.

My chemistry module is INSANE. It only appeared on Moodle yesterday and the induction is tomorrow. Depending on what they say in regards to exams etc, I may have to change modules I’m a bit terrified.

SF are awful - ill have the mandatory £1000 payment in 10 working days but I was due £5000 last week ffs Im having to take 3 months of bank statements to Uni tomorro along with tenancy agreement and other bits so I can prove I’m poor and what my outgoings are so they’ll loan me the money until my proper amount goes in. So much unnecessary stress that I don’t fucking need!

There are a grand total of 10 Mature students across the whole of the Sciences. Fortunately 1 of them was my bestie at college and we have most of our lectures together; and another I was at college with but he’s a smart arse doing Physics

What degree are you studying Pipe? Are you able to change modules?

My loan was really straightforward, paid in the day after I registered. But I come under SF Wales, perhaps they are better. I'm not relying on it to live on either, just to pay my fees (well, half my fees as I had a bursary for the other half). I'm still working, which pays the bills.

There are a lot more mature students in the Arts subjects than in the Sciences here too, although there are quite a few doing Psychology. Very few doing Computer Science or Maths.

Biology. I picked a Chemistry module to provide a bit of variety and I do enjoy it. But between my Inattentive ADD and Dyspraxia I’m born sure if I can master it at this level and all my additional support is still being discussed so unsure of what I’ll be getting yet. There are another 2 Bio modules I can take instead and we have till this Friday to swap.

I doubt I could work around this degree; I’m at 33 contact hours as it is and I still have 2x 4 hour labs to be added to it Would have to work evenings and with 3DC as a lone parent, zero chance!

The staff at Uni have been amazing. They’ve called SF on my behalf and had Stern Words due to my exceptional circumstances.

I'm studying PT so that I can still work. I'm the main earner in our house so I can't afford to give up work. I'm doing an MSc over two years. It works out at an average of 7hrs contact time a week, I'm working 30hrs a week. Will then be studying in the evenings and at weekends. Each module is roughly 200hrs study, so although there is only around 4hrs per week contact time for each module, you are expected to do another 10hrs+ private study. So that will mean a lot of hours in the library!

First proper day today with three hours of lectures. I'm terrified. Lecture notes look incomprehensible, text books the same. I feel really old and invisible - dreading practicals where we have to work in pairs. Having major cold feet now. Feel out if my depth. DH says I'll feel better after day one. Hope everyone else is getting on OK

How did it go queribus?

I felt exactly the same before I started, but it was much better than I expected. I've kind of drifted into a group with 4 lads on my course, we sit together in lectures and go for lunch or coffee together in between lectures, I'm pretty confident about doing group work with them too. We've just kind of clicked.

Thanks for asking Sea. Chemistry was better than expected although we have weekly tests which count towards year one mark. Physiology was difficult to understand - lecturer wasn't speaking clearly and slides were terrible. I feel behind already.

The worst part is that I feel so lonely and out of it - pathetic, I know. I've tried to be friendly, smile, make small talk etc, but people just look at me like I'm bonkers! Every day is a new day and all that. I'll try to catch up on the lectures again today and see if they make more sense. Then back to it tomorrow

@queribus my Chem module seems doable but has 3 hour exams Pretty much impossible for me to sit for that long so have a meeting with disability support team next week. What does your module cover? Fundamentals of Inorganic, Organic and Physical here. Feel like my Access course has prepared me well so far.

Yesterday was heavy going. I spent five hours in the library trying to figure out the coding work we've been set. The module is supposed to be for students who haven't done any coding before (like me) but 75% of the students who have taken the module have an undergraduate degree in Computer Science so are definitely not new to it. This means they work through stuff really quickly, and it feels as though the lecturer is skipping over stuff as he thinks we all understand. I think I'm going to have to speak to him and ask for a better explanation on some things. If I don't get the basics I'll never understand the advanced stuff!

Sorry to hear some of you are finding things a bit heavy going.

I’ve found this (masters) course very much more unstructured than I expected. We’ve basically been told that the idea is by christmas we submit a research proposal (on our “passion” area of interest) and assuming that passes the ethics and standards committee, we work on that for the rest of the year. I’d kind of expected a few more lectures on various areas of the subject first, but no, straight in with deciding on a research project.

I am finding the course tutors, head of school and curriculum manager very approachable, though.

I got elected as class rep and postgraduate rep for the student forum, and have been invited by the President of the students association to set up a parents and carers society. So that’ll keep me busy

Is yours a taught masters or a research masters nyman?

Mine is taught, and if you were doing it FT you would have 12hrs of lectures and practicals in semesters 1 and 2, then write your dissertation over the summer to hand in at the end of September. So it is similar in structure to undergrad. I know the research masters students are pretty much left to their own devices

Well, it’s advertised as a practical and vocational masters, supported by the Scottish government as apparently industry claims there’s a skills shortage (which I suspect means the industry refuses to invest in recruiting and training).

There was supposed to be input from industry in the form of guest lectures, collaboration with companies on real life research projects, visits, etc. No evidence of any of that.

If I were an entrepreneur with a hot idea for a new product, especially if it was brewing or distilling, I can see that this course would give me access to massively useful resources and people. But I’m not, so I’m not sure what I’m going to get out of it.

I’ll stick with it, but it’s not at all what I was led to expect.

I think I tried to do too much yesterday. I worked from 8-4, then had a practical from 4-6, then went to the library from 6-9. I was completely drained by the time I got home, and I've woken up feeling really sick.

On the plus side, I did get lots done and I'm starting to understand things a little better.

Maybe I'll be less tired once I've got into a routine.

I've joined the department book club and got this month's book yesterday. So plans for this evening are for a long bath and making a start on reading that rather than my course reading list.

That sounds hard-core Sea. I'm feeling overwhelmed by it all. Lectures are hard going and I'm still dreading practicals . First test on Tuesday in chemistry!

A few people have made small talk with me which is a start, I suppose. Met one lovely student who is chatty and friendly but she's not in my most of my groups.

Kids already moaning about after school arrangements which has upset this morning. Have to drive for 40 mins for a 45 min lecture then come hone again in the rush hour

@queribus I feel you on that. Toddler had her second day at Nursery and after wandering off happily yesterday, today she cried and clung to me

Have my first practical next week, two in total.

I’ve a sore throat, ears that won’t stop popping and I’m sneezing a lot. Bleurgh. We’re all exhausted so we’re having a chilled weekend with no Uni work being done as I really need the downtime to just be with them, 8-6 Mon-Fri day care has been hard on them.