NEW BOARD!

[EdmontinaDonsAutumnalHues]

Welcome everyone!

Thank you to MNHQ. This brand new board is the progeny of this thread:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/4327788-Is-there-a-specific-Mature-Study-Retraining-board?msgid=110096218

and about a hundred others that people have posted recently, asking whether they’re too old / have left it too late to start or return to education or training at any level.

Not all mature students will feel the need to participate. And I know ‘mature’ is an imprecise term … If you’ve wondered if you’re too old this is definitely the place for you!

And if you’re in the middle of your course, or have finished and have the time to share your experience, please do!

It needs to be said that universities and other educational or training institutions really welcome potential candidates who are older than the standard age. And they are generally perfectly willing to point you in the right direction if it’s years or decades since you last studied anything.

If you’ve started a thread on this subject recently do feel free to ask MNHQ to move it here. If you’ve read or posted on one, you may want to let the OP know this board now exists. The idea is to gather all possible knowledge, support, and advice - on funding, courses, locations, career prospects, etc in one place.

Enjoy the new board!

Ooh @PyjamaFan I’m doing a very similar course with the OU - are you doing U116?? I’m in my fifth year and it’s still one of my favourite modules

Yes, U116. I'm really enjoying the reading so far!

Yay for the new board! I have just put in a UCAS application to study speech and language therapy so will def be following all the threads with interest.

Brilliant to have a new board, thank you.

I VERY last minute (as in, Thursday) decided to do a full time Masters which starts on Monday! (I'd originally deferred til next year)

Amazingly. I applied for the postgraduate loan on Friday. By Saturday it had been approved and the payment dates given- first one on Monday. Need to register at uni first before they'll send it though.

Bloody hell! That is quite a story! How’s your blood pressure, MeredithMae?! I had four months from acceptance to start and still nearly died of astonishment and unpreparedness.

What’s your subject?

Congratulations to everyone stepping into the unknown this month.

Thanks Edmontina I feel a bit mad and very unprepared! But excited, too. I'm doing the MA in Education. What are you going?

Mine was a little while ago. (Still reeling though.)

Anything you need advice or reassurance on? What made you decide to jump in this year?

Hello fellow mature students.

Hello! Thanks for the new board.

I’m on the second year of a three year part-time distance learning MA. If I get to the end of this year I hope to stop at the PdDip which is all I need for accreditation in my profession.

I’ve been doing the job fir longer than some of the younger students have been alive.

I’m struggling with the amount of work, 30 hours p/w seems such a lot when most students are working FT. I’m working PT but have a family and disabilities which leave me lacking energy. I’ve also discovered I have a learning disability. This makes so much sense and explains a lot of problems I had during my first degree so many moons ago. I’m struggling with the academic nature of the course. I know it’s an MA but I’ve often thought I was so much brighter than people who had the qualification so thought I’d be okay.

This thread:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mature_students/4366690-anyone-else-just-feel-stuck

is exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of. Would be great if some of you could share your experiences with the OP!

my masters starting this week, after 2 weeks of induction.

its so badly managed - we picked our modules last week, not yet approved but we are attending lectures etc as they they are approved (and if not approved, you can't access the alternate module you would have done to at least do them both until approved).

Links to things given at last second and only to a few of the class it seems.

Weirdly, it was fine online last year for the degree, when that was much more last minute into lockdown.

Having had a career in business before this, i can just see how much you can "imrpove the experience for the customer" but in education we don't really seem to be the customer! Once signed up, you can't really take your money and go elsewhere.

(today we are told if we signed up for a voluntary clinic, to expect a phone call (on Teams so need laptop) between 9-6 but they wouldn't say when. We could be in class/at work etc. Or lunch. Or in the loo! Just such an inefficient way to run things. Just ask us to select an hour/several hours where we are fine to be called.

I also signed up for course rep, which is generally feeding back student concerns to the faculty.
But apparently at masters level, its also a great opportunity to organise social events and network with industry people (we are told just before nominations close). Hopefully someone else runs as well as me as that side does not interest me at all!

Oh! This board is One Week Old! 🎉

Beginning to bed in now. (AKA people are starting threads here voluntarily, without an officious person crashing in and cajoling them into moving … ) It’s amazing to read of so much energy and industry! And if the board helps even one person move from feeling hopeless to feeling a tiny sliver of hope …

Thank you again @MNHQ - this is totally splendid.

Woohoo!!! So happy to see this!

Joining you all, 1st year adult nursing , I'm 34. Great new board 🙌

Two weeks old!

17 threads!

For various reasons I have time for study and I would like to try maths. I am getting interested in aircraft and reading about design. So I want to at least understand how they decide on the shape, the curvature to get lift. I understand the practical idea of 'lift' from the shape of a sail.
Didn't do A levels. only O levels.
Has anyone any suggestions for web sites to use to work through the stages of maths. If I get to know what is going on I will design a wing. (He said grandly)!

Sorry, had meant to come back to your question, @politics4me. Have you looked through all the possibilities on Coursera?

Maths isn’t my subject so I I don’t know if there are dedicated online spaces for maths tuition. Somebody else will, though.

@EdmontinaDonsAutumnalHues

Sorry, had meant to come back to your question, *@politics4me*. Have you looked through all the possibilities on Coursera?

Maths isn’t my subject so I I don’t know if there are dedicated online spaces for maths tuition. Somebody else will, though.

I just came on to suggest Coursera - they have some interesting courses, many are free too!

@EdmontinaDonsAutumnalHues and @RiverSkater
Thank you for the Coursera suggestion, I have looked at part of the website. (Huge) It has so many links, I should be able to put things together from different places.
"Introduction to Calculus" from Sydney. is a probable starting place.

You may find this list helpful (though possibly a devourer if time):

www.mooc-list.com/

New board is 3 weeks old. 🎉

27 threads!

[Name change]

Blatantly bumping to alert people to the new board. Would be good to have posters with knowledge or experience responding to queries.

Hi. I'm 42, a mum of 4 plus two adult step children, and in my final year of an undergraduate degree in Education and Psychology. I'm currently in the process of applying for a fully funded masters and PhD in developmental psychology. I'm happy to share my experiences 😊

Great! Lots of threads to choose from - take your pick:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mature_students

Looking for course ideas for next term.