would i be mad the do degree?

[single1ds]

single mum to nearly 3 year old, will most likely end up getting divorced.
work part time. completed 1 yr of study at uni when younger which i can get credit for towards OU degree.
Have had good jobs and worked for great companies so could just apply for full time "better" job or could stay when i am and finish my degree while ds is young.
dont have a lot of support from family. dont know if i would be mad to take it on or if it would do me good and help me get some confidence back.suffered depression and anxiety. i almost feel if i dont do it now i probably wont. Im nearly 34. other say "go for it" but they arent single parents. just not sure. any advice?

Yea, definately go for it!

Fast forward 10 years, your child will be 13, you'll have a degree and most likely a better job (& salary), as well as the confidence because of it!
You'd also be giving your child a great life lesson!

Now, wouldn't that be better than saying then "Oh, wish I'd done that"!!

Good luck!

that is what others are saying. thing is i have had graduate level jobs already without degree so could go back into that kind of job. just worried if i will be able to taken on mortgage on my own as h still paying it so not sure whether to wait until divorce sorted or just go for it. i have put my life on hold 15 months already. so it is the reality of doing it aswell. but i think i may be able to get some financial support

I Agree with Aminata - go for it!!

You've got about 30 years of your working life ahead of you and a degree should open a lot of doors for you.

Apart from anything else, finishing your degree will give you confidence.

As someone (Can't remember who!) once said - "If not now - When?"

i know corlan
it will be a lesson to me and my son, if at first you dont succeed etc. very worried i will be able to do it though and end up giving it up. I did get 2:1 grades in my first year but the anxiety and depression stopped me from continuing. the good thing about OU is that you can do bits at a time and also hopefully working and ds will keep a sense of perspective on things now. that would be the hope anyway, rather than me crumbling at everything..

That's a good point about things being more in perspective once you have kids.
You did really well to get a 2:1 on your first year and just think how much smarter you are now than when you started your degree!!

Yes, DO IT! There is loads of financial support available for OU. :) And like you say you can do it in stages if it's difficult. There's a student parent section on MN if you want some support - a fair few LPs on there :)

Do it !! OU is great,I started my degree when I was pregnant with DD1 and Im sure it kept me sane. Certainately the summer schools when MIL came to look after baby and husband [now ex but not due to OU!] It helped me to move on job wise and I had so much fun doing it.

Do it! I started as LP when DD was 2 and am in final year now. Not easy as LP but I am doing OK . It may as well be now - I wish I had earlier before the fees/loans.

If anyone has any information about financial support for OU then I'd appreciate a link, as I guess the OP would (then I am not hijacjing ) as I would like to do a few modules extra when I finish.

www3.open.ac.uk/study/explained/financial-support.shtml

Blimey, what's become of students today when they can't spell "hijacking"?

Thanks Bertiebotts.

I did mine with OU but had partner then, completed my gtp at senior school last year as lone parent. It is possible, give it a go :)

I'm thinking of doing a degree too - does anyone know how this affects benefits?

Hannispan, as I LP I get HB for most of the year and don't have to pay council tax anyway. I get the full loan/grant and that comes to about 6K a year for me (some repayable). I could get 80% of childcare paid. I will be entitled to IS in the long vacs but I never have as the dumbers locally count the childcare element as "income" (even though it goes to the nursery) and I was ineligible. Numpties. I gave up but others on my course claimed with no bother.

I have to work unpaid for a lot of my course and have a 4yo so can't really do much in the way of paid work. That would affect my HB but not my loan/grant, unless you earn loads.

You should also get Healthy start vouchers, free eye tests, prescriptions etc and Child Benefit and CTC.

thanks all. feeling a bit more confident about it and have started the ball rolling by getting transcript from previous uni. i just need to decide what to do.. i will check out the student parent thread too thanks.
gtp?? is that graduate teaching placement? just taking a wild guess!
jaffacake2, what did you study?

It took me ages to find out what was affected and what wasn't, but my understanding is that housing benefit is protected if you are a student (students usually can't get it) if you are a lone parent. So that's a relief, as rent is probably the biggest expense.

The other benefits will depend on whether you are doing a full time, part time, or distance learning (OU) course. From what I understand you can either continue to claim benefits, or live off the student loan which after tuition fees have been paid amounts to about the same. (I may be wrong here.) My only advice is just keep on with it and don't give up for financial reasons. Explore every avenue and phone everyone you can think of to get as much info as you can. And don't put it off for too much longer as there is scary talk of tuition fees getting higher and funding getting lower!

Good luck :)

Go for it. I am a LP studying Modern Language Studies with the OU. I have a fulltime job as a TA. I have one DS who was 4 when I started, now he's 7 and I am half way through. It can be challenging, especially as I have full time custody with no visitation (xh lives abroad and is broke all the time so also doesn't contribute a penny).

Studying is totally flexible. I find the best time to study is when DS is in bed, and at the weekend. I also do some studying at work during lunchtime when I get behind.

You will need some support with childcare on odd occasions, but if you can't make tutorials it isn't an issue. A lot of courses have a high level of on-line support, including on-line tutorials via something called Elluminate. On my current module I only had 2 obligatory attendance dates; my oral and written exams, plus a week's residential in Santiago de Compostela which was great. I am lucky to have the support of my parents, who had my DS for the week I was away. Other people who are unable to attend had an ALE; alternative learning experience.

I don't know what you are thinking of studying, but most courses don't even include a residential anyway.

As I have a low income, I also qualify for full financial aid, all my fees are paid and I receive about £240 a year towards costs, ie books. I was also able to benefit from another £260 towards a laptop.

My self esteem has benefitted immensly from this. Before, it was rock bottom after splitting from xh and becoming homeless and jobless.

My suggestion is go for it!

Saliz, you must be much better at this form-filling out lark than me: how do you apply for herlp with book/laptop? Or is is specific to your Uni?

It was specifically with the OU. I think you have to be enrolled and have attended your first tutorial, or handed in your first assignment. They sent me the information in my first year, but I already had a PC, so didn't apply. Then I thought that I had better take the deal in 2nd year because my PC was second hand and getting on a bit and I didn't know how long they would keep the scheme going in the economic climate.

Come to think of it, I don't remember getting any info on it this year. Hope they haven't cancelled it, I would have struggled to get a laptop otherwise.

When I registered for my course, I applied for funding. When I started the course and it was obvious to the Uni that I meant to continue I automatically got the grant. Then I had to apply for the extra grant for the computer. This second grant is a one off BTW.

There are so many bursaries for small amounts if you know where to look but I am usually too late - this years had to be applied for mostly by March .
OP - try googling EGAS for grant/bursary info.

Hi
You should definately do a degree. I did mine full-time when my girls were very small and when I graduated they were both full-time at school so i felt better able to find a job. Never looked back! It is hard work, but you can mostly fit studying around the kids. There is also lots of financial help out there if you ask for it. Good luck

Do it! I have done 2 years OU then decided to do a different course at uni so now in final year full time, am LP since May, 2DC's - youngest 3, so pretty similar situation to you OP and I can honestly say it's uni that keeps me sane! I'm not familiar with OU funding but there are lots of grants available for lone parents / special support grant / learning parents allowance through student finance. Its hard work but you'll love it!

I did it as a single parent, you can too - go for it!

Well I'm forty and I'm thinking of doing a degree. Just do it, or you'll be in this place at 37. And then at forty you'll be thinking, if i'd started that degree at 37 I'd have it by now (which is what I'm thinking now).

Go for it. I was 39 and a single parent when I studied a radiography degree. It was distance learning and I worked full time and studied in the evening. Hard work and could so easliy have given up but soldiered on. Have now been qualified for 5 years. Think of something or someone that has knocked you back ....get your mad up and refuse to be beaten !!XX