Any mature Masters students out there?

[MasterOfScience]

Hi all.

I'm 43 and about to start a 2yr bioscience MSc (face-to-face, RG, commuting). I'm slightly nervous about being back in school, all of the closed-book exams (one for every module), and being the oldest bird on the block. On the other hand, I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into the challenge, meeting new people and extending my skills/knowledge.

Anyone else starting, or already on their postgrad journey? What's your subject area? How are you feeling about things? Those of you who've already started, any tips?

Have you looked through all the threads here (the Mature Study board)? There must be countless people currently in the midst of or just about to start Master’s courses. Do read the threads already in existence for every possible tip on making return to study easier.

Is this a field you’re currently working in? If so you can feel pretty confident. If on the other hand, you’re stepping into fairly new territory, be prepared to feel a bit exposed. Even if you’re not usually shy, or retiring, the seminar / lecture room / lab (?) environment can feel quite hierarchical and daunting at first.

But it’s likely your fellow students will be delightful, welcoming, considerate and respectful. You don’t have to pretend to be 20 something, and you may find you have a different relationship with your tutors to what might have pertained when you were much younger.

Get on top of all procedures as early as possible. I have no idea how things work in the sciences but do the equivalent of familiarising yourself with physical and online library systems, submission guidelines, referencing … (This is probably all completely obvious to you - it wasn’t to me …)

One other thing - maybe less relevant in your forties than it was for me in my fifties - you will be exhausted for all of the first term. Have you been allotted a locker at your institution? I wasn’t, despite pleading, so my very long commute also involved having to carry everything I needed for a long day around with me all day. I dropped two dress sizes in two months and had to buy a whole new wardrobe.

Oh yes - exhaustion. You may not have the energy to pull all nighters - so plan your work. Split things up into small amounts and don’t leave anything to the last minute. In fact it’s best to assume you will be ill for the entire week before a deadline.

I did my undergraduate and professional study and training in the 20th century, mostly without benefit of the Internet. Absolutely the nicest thing about my much more recent MA was being able to do most of my research under the duvet, on my phone kindle.

I did my MA as a mature. It involved a 280 mile round trip journey once a week because I had a DC mid GCSEs and we couldn't move nearer to my uni.

It was FABULOUS!!! I honestly enjoyed every minute of it. Working at a higher level, the demands were satisfying once I realised I was up to the challenge. I'd do it again tomorrow if I could. Wonderful experience. I envy you!

I am procrastingating on MN now instead of finishing my dissertation. 😳There are lots of us here. I'm 60 and am not the oldest on my course (just).

I did all my degrees (up to Ph.D level) as a mature at the same uni. I was lucky as there were grants then (1980s/90s) and I won a studentship from my uni which paid for my masters and doctorate. I found the social side toughest as there was an age gap (I was in my early 40s) with the other undergraduates and postgrads. I tended to socialise more with the lecturers and managed to get myself invited to events that were not normally for undergrads (eg away days/receptions). I also have a lot of committee experience so I got myself onto a few as student rep. It was an opportunity to get my face known and to find out how things worked in the department. I believe it was this networking that got me put forward for a uni studentship. Later I was offered a 12 month exchange in the USA which was an amazing experience. The academic side never held any fears for me - I had previously qualified in an academic profession. However you will find that putting yourself forward socially can bring more opportunities. It really is "who you know" rather than what you know once you get to postgrad level.

Actually that’s something I meant to add - just because your new student peers seem lovely, do not imagine they can be trusted. Everyone is anxious to get on, though they’ll keep their sharp elbows hidden in their sleeves - so don't carelessly give away all your best ideas …

How lovely to see you all! I did look on the first few pages of the board first to see if I could just piggy back on an existing thread but couldn't see one that was active.

Thanks for your tips @Edmontine. It has been a long time since I was in the labs but I've been on the theoretical side for a while, so it'll take a moment to find my groove on the wet lab side of things. As to your point about all-nighters, I'm a planner, not a crammer, so I'm doing the part-time course to better accommodate deadlines. That said, there probably will be times when things start to stack up, and a few late nights/early mornings probably will creep in.

Thanks @ClawsandEffect . 280 mile journey and with children doing GCSEs?! That sounds like a lot to manage. Was it a very specialist course, or a particular supervisor you wanted to work with? Despite being a fairly rare course, thankfully my commute is about 1/3 of yours!

@temporalcodes , GET ON WITH IT . I really hope there is a mix of ages on my course. I think it tends to be more the case with humanities / arts courses and less so with STEM. Hopefully I'm proved wrong

[edited - corrected typo]

@Friendlygingercat , networking is key for me too as I'm hoping to extend into Ph.D (one step at a time!). It'd need to be a funded doctorate though, I can't fund further study. I'm self-funding this MSc as I have 2 BSc and 1 MSc already (ancient but still counts as far as SFE are concerned).

Me! Mid 40s and starting an MA in a couple of weeks. Trepidation and excitement in equal measure at the moment

Arts or Sciences? Online or in person? How long since you last sat in a seminar room? 😄

Nothing in my life has ever been as terrifying as my MA - and I’d eat my own arm for the chance to do it all again!

I’ve just submitted my dissertation for my Masters in creative writing. It’s been 2 years as I’ve done it part-time while working full-time and I’ve loved every minute! I’m really going to miss it. I’ve done it in person, with the advantage of working at my institution too so my commute was tiny! Often just across the road from my office!

I’m now 60, and I’m not the oldest or even second oldest. There have been lots of older students so I’m sure you’ll be fine!

Enjoy it, get involved, do your best.

Oh wow, congratulations @TragicMuse. Working FT alongside a masters sounds intense. I'm assuming the diss for a literature MA is wordy, 15k+? Did you do it as a career thing or was it more out of personal interest?

@Edmontine, it's a Biosciences MSc, in person. It has been around 20 years since I was a student proper but I've tinkered since.

@ThePenguinIsDrunk YAY! I feel exactly the same. Have you had your timetable yet? Are you doing it in person or via distance learning? My timetable came through this week and is much busier than I anticipated for a P/T course. I knew there'd be more contact time because of the nature of the course (lab based STEM) but I'm still surprised. I'm guessing it's fairly front loaded and will lighten off into the second semester, as more can be done from home (writing up etc). Best of luck. Keep in touch and let me know how you're getting on.

@MasterOfScience it was totally for my own fun, not career related!

The requirement was to write 15-20 pages of poetry (individual poems or longer ones, whichever preferred) and a 3000 word essay on the poetry. So I’ve spent a lot of time writing poems and refining them all this summer.

I finished my MA last year (Environmental Humanties) loved every minute of it. My tips would be take up any opportunities to update your knowledge of referencing and use one of the electronic tools for storing references. Also if it's a long time since your first degree all the guidance on plagiarism and tools the uni use such as turnitin to spot it - a much bigger issue then when I first went. Read and check every deadline and if you anticipate problems speak to your tutor ASAP and ask for support. If your doing it over 2 years I would recommend using the long summer break after y1 to do as much reading for your dissertation as possible - don't worry if you haven't selected an exact title - a wide read helps you narrow it down later in year 2. You probably won't be the oldest (I was early 50s and there were older students). I say I went to uni the first time for the experience, my MA was my opportunity to really learn - it was such a great experience.

I applaud your energy and positivity, @TragicMuse.😄 Even the memory of the wild scramble to complete my portfolio by mid-August a few years ago makes me feel sick with desperation! On deadline day I had to traipse to the printers early in the morning to pick up what was ready, before the three hour commute to my institution. Worked frantically on the train. Then on a student union computer because the institution’s printers would only print from there. Inevitable snags and begging for help. Finished and printed the final thing about 30 minutes before the absolute last cut off point.

Still, my Distinction was worth it! 😅

@Makinglists I'll definitely be making use of the academic librarians to polish up my skills in the referencing dept. I do have fairly recent experience of using EndNote software for papers but will certainly be making sure I am getting the most out of it.

I've never had an issue with plagiarism or referencing in my work previously but Turnitin and AI weren't a thing when I last studied at this level, so I'll make sure I don't inadvertently fall foul of the rules.

Your poetry anthology diss sounds rather romantic @TragicMuse, though I'm sure it's very different when you're the one writing it!

@Edmontine, that does sound a bit hectic , to say the least. There's always a
final challenge before the end, just to test your mettle.

@MasterOfScience it's in person and FT (I did my UG FT while working FT and I have 3 kids so I hope I'll be ok). I've had my timetable which is relatively light BUT will involve a lot of reading/writing and there is a professional placement in the new year that will likely be quite time-consuming. Good luck with yours

One tip is to get to know your uni library thoroughly. I was a qualified librarian when I began my UG degree and I cant emphasize what an excellent set of transferable skills that gave me. I already knew how the books were arranged, how to use catalogues, compile booklists and do referencing. Librarians spend their time arranging materials in a meticulous manner so they can be easily extracted later. We are, by our very nature, organized planners and self starters. I took all that for granted and then saw many people struggling. As a postgrad I ended up teaching groups of undergraduates how to use the library and exam skills so a useful source of income.

Another is to really work at building a good professional relationship with your supervsor. Mine I already knew well, He was very eminent in his field and I had taken all his courses at UG level. Some students struggle to find the right supervsor but we just fell into a great working relationship. I got some paid work tutoring at the uni and dogsbodying for him. It was also through his influence that I got a 12 month exchange with a US university - an amazing glitzy experience.

I did a masters and PhD as a mature student- it was fab. My tip would be to make sure you take advantage of all the IT training and support available- IT in academia is completely different now from how it was when we were undergrads, and people will just assume you know how it all works but there should be plenty of support so don't be afraid to ask for it.

I was 60 when I started my masters 2 years ago and now just about to start my PhD. I was the oldest on my course but that didn’t matter and I made good friends/working colleagues. I did join the mature society back in 2023 which helped build a social network as we only had 5 f2f seminars in the first term. I loved it all and am delighted to be enrolled for another 6 years (part time). I should graduate round about when my state pension kicks in 😀.

Back in 2023 I took advantage of all the online academic writing and referencing courses on offer as it was more than 40 years since I started my UG course. Definitely worth it and I’ve been genning up on permitted use of AI this time round. Not to write stuff for me but for background support.

I'm studying for an MSc long-distance. The university is actually fairly local but I work full-time so can't attend lectures anyway. I did another long-distance masters back in 2016-18.

I enjoy it SO much more than when I was an undergrad straight out of school. I'm motivated and self-study is a piece of cake. The only thing I have really not enjoyed is the compulsory statistics module - it wasn't a course requirement to have A Level maths (which I don't have) but the lecturer assumes we all have A Level knowledge. He got extremely defensive when I gave that feedback in the course evaluation.

@Friendlygingercat, @alongtimeagoandfaraway & @Eggbaps, I've booked slots on the IT systems & library services induction sessions. They are short sessions and it's been a long time. I've definitely got plenty to learn on that side of things.

The academic librarians were invaluable on my first Masters @Friendlygingercat. So, I'm 100% aware of what they offer and will be making use of them again, I'm sure . Your advice re relationship building with your personal tutor is a good one, too.

Mine will have some stats too, @HoLeeFuk, but luckily I covered it a little at UG. There will definitely be concepts that I have to learn from the ground up though! All part of the adventure. Good for you for standing up for yourself with the lecturer.

@alongtimeagoandfaraway, congratulations on completing your Masters . I hope your PhD goes well and is as enjoyable for you. I'll look out for a mature society at my university, too.

Will be a week from being 51 when I start my MSc in January….cant wait!

Congratulations @BeckhamsBalls. Are you doing it face-to-face?

Hi all, just a quick update as I started this week. It's fairly basic stuff at this stage, inductions and fundamentals, but I'm already shattered! It's just adjusting to the commute, finding my way around, navigating the different systems/logins and whatnot. Hopefully I'll be fine in a week or so. I need to focus on the work asap, so the sooner I can get my head around the admin bits, the better!

My fellow students are a nice bunch, I'd say 99% of them are mid 20's, as expected.

How are you getting on, @ThePenguinIsDrunk. Have you started?

@Friendlygingercat, I popped to the library between sessions yesterday. It took me 20 minutes to figure out how to login to the fixed computers there, fgs. So I'm glad I did that before it was mission critical. I'm fine with using library services to look for materials but basic logins?! Apparently beyond me .

I was wondering how you were getting on @MasterOfScience. I had my first full week this week (3 days in) and am already loaded with homework and prep reading for next week. It was intense but very interesting. Also shattered from the commute - I have 1.5-2 hours each way. Thinking about getting a chromebook or tablet so that I can work on the train as have just been reading or knitting so far (the downtime is nice though).