Student parent support thread - New for Sept. 2010

[MiaWallace]

Starting a new thread for a new academic year.

Previous thread here

If you are currently studying a course or about to start one (at any level) please come and join us. We offer each other support, tips and encouragement, plus we use the thread as a means of procrastination

We started off the previous thread with a short introduction so here's mine -

I'm 30 years old. Recently married with a 5 year old dd. I completed my degree in Education studies in July and I'm about to start my primary PGCE in September.

Sorry to hear that twopeople. Will you be able to retake them?

Hello, can I join too please? I'm new to MN, lurked for a few months before joining. I'm 30, married with 2 boys (aged 2.9 and 1)and am a SAHM at the moment.

I'm another OU student - just coming to the end of SK123 Understanding Cancers (just the last chapter to do and then the ECA), am about to start SK183 Understanding Nutrition and also SDK125 Intro to Health Science: A Case Study Approach in October. I'm working towards the Cert in Health Science at the moment and then hope to do a BSc. I already have 240 points in credit transfer so just the level 3 to go but having a had a few years break from studying I thought I better start at level 1 to break myself in gently. I am really enjoying it so far.

DH is also studying with OU. He did a science short course this summer and is starting S104 Discovering Science in October. It's going to be a very busy winter - we've cancelled the sky subscription in anticipation!

I'm so sorry about your exams twopeople . I hope you can retake them

Hi
I'm 38 married for 13 years with ds(11) and dd(8). I work part time and am returning to studying after a 15 year break.

I start "from enlightenment to romanticism" with the OU in October. Working towards a BA in History.

I really don't know what to expect and think I might need a bit of support.

Hi Everyone... actually i'm going to say hello - and then drop off face off earth til after my baby is born (EDD 31 Jan 2011) i'm currently in middle of PGCE - doing a flexi 18 month course at Herts uni....

but cos of baby's EDD i'm having to defer the finaly bit - so I'll be juggling baby and figuring out what the hell to do with it whilst i'm in a school doing my final 12 week placement!

So..... yeah - hello... :)

MiaWallace, sorry I didn't reply to your question as have just returned to this thread. I orignally wanted to become a Tutor in an Adult Educ college teaching CACHE/NVQ's in Childcare but now with all the funding being withdrawn I don't know what I'll do. I don't want to commit to a PGCE PCET and then be further in debt at the moment. I have experience in HR Management pre-children plus three years experience working with pre-schoolers since having children so I'll have to make the CV sound appealing and see what's out there.

Hello, may I join you?
I'm 36 and just starting a funded PhD in criminology. DD is 8 next week and DS is 4, he starts school full-time next month.
I am already studying, I funded my own part time MSc which I finished last year and am now funded to do the required social science research methods MSc before my PhD, the deadline for the dissertation is in 22 days!!! (how nice of them to combine that with 7 weeks of school holidays!) so I'm already pulling a lot of all-nighters and trying to manage the kids in the day time.
Still, at least I have the funding so I'm paid to do the PhD and can get it done full time and get on with it :o

Hi Can I join please

I'm 30 and just about to start my Primary PGCE. I also have a DD who is due to start school on the same day, haven't sorted childcare out and have decided to transfer this to my very able, lovely but head burying DH.

I'm really glad I found this thread and I get the impression DH doesn't really understand when I try and explain the workload

Welcome to all the new people who have joined the thread. It's a good feeling to know so many of us are in the same boat.

I know what you mean about further debts FranSanDisco. Dread to think how much I will owe after the PGCE and the chances of jobs are getting slimmer and slimmer.

Makingchanges I have the same worries. DH is wonderfully supportive but I don't think he fully understands how snowed under I'm going to be for the next 10 months.

I'm 42 doing an open degree - did B121 last time doing T214 this time, panicking about what to choose next......

Just passed a TMA but my marks are all over the place

Motivation and stamina are 2 of my main problems along with misunderstanding what I'm on about

Algebra MT365 is called graphs networks and design, and it's about representing problems as graphs, for example, say you have 4 islands with 6 bridges joining them, the vertices of the graph would be the islands and the bridges the edges joining the vertices, you can then see if you could start at one island and travel to each island, using each bridge just once and end up where you started. Representing the problem in graph form makes it easier to see, and there are algorithms etc to help you solve these problems. It's a very interesting course and I have found it easy enough to follow too That is a very simple example though, take a look on the website and have a read of the student comments, I agree with what they have written My ds is 1 next Wednesday, when is yours?

ooh!!! as in graph theory or the four colour theory etc?

Bridges of Koenisberg (sp)? :o that reminds me actually, I'm terribly disappointed they've discontinued the course called History of Mathematics. that would've been fab :(

my DS is 1 on monday :)

Yes Algebra that's exactly it .

I wanted to do History of Maths too, so I am doing the 10 point level 1 Story of Maths in October.

at our ds's being 1 next week

OOOH must look into that course! just for fun! thanks :o

prolesworth My PhD is socio-legal, which is administered by the criminology department. The SSRM (Social Science Researc Methods) MSc is compulsory for all funded PhD students, but a lot more students who don't yet have funding, or never want to do a PhD also do the course and then apply for jobs in social research - a few have gone on to be analysts in the police force, some have done research for the NHS etc. The course in my university has students from humanities, social science, religion studies, sea-farers and business school so it is pretty broad to start with and then the idea is that you narrow your own research down - a lot of the modules involve applying your learning about research methods (stats, interviewing, research design, epistemology etc) to your own research. Then at the end of the course there is a 20,000 word dissertation to write.

Having just finished a Criminology MSc before starting this one I would say the level that they mark this and the work load is much tougher than a regular MSc. Apparently this is intentional in my institution because if funded PhD students drop out after a year then not only do the university lose that funding but they also get blacklisted by the funding institution leading to fewer funded PhDs being available in the future. They seem to make the SSRM incredibly tough to almost encourage you to drop out at that stage, rather than later on. The premise, so I have heard, is that if you can handle the pressures of the SSRM then you can handle a PhD.
Which at this stage (3 weeks before the final dissertation deadline) is a bit of a relief because it means I'm almost there! Although it has taken blood, sweat and tears and doing back to back MScs with small children is not something I'd recomend to anyone - I had 2 days off for Christmas and 1 week in the summer, the rest of the last 18 months has been studying at every spare moment I have. Still, I'm not doing this for something to do, I'm doing it because I'm determined to get a career in my chosen subject area and I'm aware that in order to do that I need to stand out and be the best.
Got to say that I am desperate for a few days away from it when I submit next month!

Marking my place here a bit.

twopeople you have my sympathy; the reason I dropped out of my degree all those years ago, was that I was working full time as well as studying full time(sadly it never occurred to me to give up the job,I had a student loan)

Different for you when you've got a daughter to support.

Two weeks to go till I start the PGCE.

Nerves are kicking in big time and I'm getting anxiety dreams. Arrggh!

Yay! I was just about to start a thread like this! I'm terrified, going into my final year on a film production course.

I don't have kids yet and still live at home (long long story as to why I'm here, came on for advice from the sn board as I'm visually impaired and decided to stay cos I liked it). So after uni my education is done, and I'd like to move away to Manchester. But oooh how terrifying is all that!! Aaaargh!

Oh, I'm 20 btw :)

Marking my place instead of working , starting the first half of the final year of my UG arts degree (because I'm studying part time). My DD is 19 months old and from the end of September I have one half day per week to spend at uni, so had better make the most of it! There, I've scared myself into getting back to work - job done . Good luck to everyone else studying this semester.