Any other "Extra" mature students starting uni this year?

[ChocolateCauldron]

I'm off to uni at the rip old age of 47.

I was wondering if there are any other Mumsnetters about who are taking the plunge.

I thought it might be nice to have a thread to hang out on and chat. It's all a bit different to being a first year when you're as old as half of the other students parents!

That should read ripe old age....gawd I'm going to have a mare with my assignments!

Waves 👋 hello I'm 41 and 11 months lol im starting in September also. Panic is real.

I'm depressingly near mid 40s and I'm dithering about if I do my final year this year or take a year off in case the schools go to shit for my own kids again.

They probably will go up the creek again. I'm enrolling mine in a creche and applying for financial help. Hopefully it won't happen and you might be rage at yourself if you took the year off and it didn't happen.

Some of us are chatting over here, if you'd like to join in.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/4327788-Is-there-a-specific-Mature-Study-Retraining-board

I'm 39. Hopefully starting an OU degree, just waiting for student loan company.

I'm 57 and about to start a degree in tbeology.

[quote Pucarbuile]Some of us are chatting over here, if you'd like to join in.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/4327788-Is-there-a-specific-Mature-Study-Retraining-board[/quote]
Ooh I'll pop over.

Oh that's brill, I remember how excited I was to be starting uni, 8 years on and I'm just going into my 2nd year of phd at 42. What are you studying?

The fear is real here too! I'm doing Psychology.

I've an old creaky laptop at home, which is fine for basic stuff, essays and browsing online/zoom, but its like a block of concrete. Do I need something to take to class? Or will a pen and paper suffice, as long as I've got access at home?

If I need to take one in, could I get away with a cheap Chromebook or would I need something more fancier, and expensive like a full new laptop?

I feel flummoxed already and I haven't even started!

Yes I've no idea whether to go with a laptop or a notebook or both. My laptop is OK, but it's big and I will be taking the train to Liverpool once a week.

Hello!

I'm doing psychology too. MSc so only a year. it's been a long old time since I graduated, it's all feeling new and I'm guessing things will be quite a bit different this time around.

I'm hoping to make do with my Chromebook but I'm wobbling a bit about it as I've always used windows. I've downloaded office so that may help with essay submissions. I'm planning on taking my Chromebook, a notepad and some pens along to lectures etc. Would also like to try and work in the library at times to get away from the distractions of home.

I did psychology too, I miss it now. I made do with paper and pens, usually printed off the PowerPoints if they were provided and made notes on them then (sometimes) wrote them up properly later. Chrome book should be fine tho if you manage to get one, there'll be wifi available most likely. You'll find a mix of people using all sorts of things so don't worry too much about getting something new straight away - give it a few weeks and see what will work best for you 😊😊

@verybusyknitter I'm at Liverpool too! My first year isn't based on the main campus, it's on the Wirral, but we still have access to all the facilities. Where are you travelling from?

@Rovinonmars I'm doing a degree with foundation year....its many decades since I was last a student, and I've never studied Psychology before.

@MimsyBorogroves I was really surprised at how quickly Student loans got back to me to confirm tuition fees and basic maintenance loan was agreed. Apparently they agree the lowest loan amount, straight away, so you've got some financial security and they adjust when they take other info into consideration.

@beefcurry I'm applying for child care too. With one eye on potential lockdown I'm looking for someone who is ofsted registered who can do after school for my 3 dc, who could be flexible in a pinch. By time the 3 of them are in after school club it costs more or less the same.

@onlymyselftoanswerto1 Thanks! I didn't want to rock up like a dinosaur, with my fabulous new stationary, and lovely highlighters and stick out like a sore thumb

I'm about to start a p/t MA... when I manage to get through the online registration I'll need all the help to get through the course

@ChocolateCauldron I'm not actually at Liverpool Uni, it's a Church of England theological college for the North West. My campus will be Liverpool Cathedral. But I'll be travelling from Preston.

The individual institutions we all go to will probably have lots of advice and resources to help us get started (I work in HE - non academic job), including advice on note taking.

But for anyone contemplating taking notes on a laptop or tablet, I would absolutely recommend Microsoft OneNote, which is a free app. I've been using it for work and personal stuff for 15 years and would say its the best out there in quite a crowded field.

But more importantly, what pencil case should I get? Am thinking Power Rangers

[quote ChocolateCauldron]@onlymyselftoanswerto1 Thanks! I didn't want to rock up like a dinosaur, with my fabulous new stationary, and lovely highlighters and stick out like a sore thumb[/quote]
I'm going into second year this time but had no on campus teaching last year. Picked up some of the most beautiful stationery and pastel highlighters the other day to take in. They make me so happy

I'm also doing psychology!

[quote ChocolateCauldron]@onlymyselftoanswerto1 Thanks! I didn't want to rock up like a dinosaur, with my fabulous new stationary, and lovely highlighters and stick out like a sore thumb[/quote]
It's about 50/50 on my course between laptops and notepads - but we're a course where suddenly you'll be typing and people start writing phonetic transcriptions so you end up swapping to paper for that (or being smug if you've got an Apple Pencil and iPad).

Usually (apart from right up to deadline time) plenty of PCs around campus to log in on and work if you need to - but I like having my laptop with me. For what it's worth I use an app called Notion to keep my notes all together (it's all cloud stored) and I photograph paper notes to keep them with my typed ones - but I'm dyslexic and I type much much better than I handwrite. We all have pretty stationery addictions though - a couple on my course attempted to start up pretty study notes instagrams - which didn't last very long at all!

Whatever you do - take some form of headphones with you - either to plug into the uni computers if you're working on them (we get a LOT of videos to watch for a subject similar to psychology) or to mute out noisy fuckers in the library when you're trying to work (our library is bloody noisy - I use other study areas on campus).

You will need a see through pencil case for exam times though - or be classy like most of us with zip lock freezer bags!

@ChocolateCauldron you definitely won't look like a dinosaur! I have a stationary addiction and enough highlighters, pens and pretty notebooks to see me through the next 10 years but yet I still buy them fresh every year 🤣
Aw I'm so excited for all of you starting this year, I won't lie, it'll be a slog at times but you'll love it.

That all makes me feel better.

I will be making use of the library, to escape the chaos of my 3 dc, but even if it is a bit noisy there I won't have the dreaded "Muuuuuuuum!" every 5 minutes

Next important question - What backpack/bag have you all got?

Can I join? I’m about to start a 3 year part time MBA as a degree apprentice. So will be working alongside studying and am slightly scared about how I’m going to fit it all in.

DS is leaving to go to university in a few weeks too - hoping the course will keep me so busy I won’t have time to miss him!

Need to go stationery shopping today!

Enjoy the stationery shopping!

First scare of childcare....

I told DH "oooh they've move my induction to the 21st"....he looked up in a blind panic as its the same date as he's going back into the office for the first time since lockdown

He'd already had conversations and agreed that he is working from home with his boss on the 3 days I'm in Uni. His role is flexible enough to pick up the kids and give them an afternoon snack and work with door open until I get home 6pm ish.

I just said "No can do" which had him scurrying to re arrange dates. (He's a bloody manager, and he had organised it)

It's a cheap reminder that I'm going to have to be firm, and my studying is not optional or flexible to be dropped on a whim.