General procrastination/support/panic thread for students?

[QisforQcumber]

Be gentle, this is my first ever attempt at a thread.

Is anyone interested in starting up a general chatty thread for posters undertaking any kind of study? I'm supposed to be catching up on reading for my course but decided to start a thread instead.

No pencils, books or brain matter required.

I will start. I'm Q, I am an English Lang/Lit student with the OU. I work full time and I'm in my first year if study.

Over to you....

Lollipop I quite fancy your course, its sounds lots of fun!

Wandering you are a lovely lovely lady, thank you for those books x

I start back on Monday and I am quite honestly shitting myself! I don't know enough - I have resorted to reading Wiki articles to try and boost some back ground knowledge!

Hello everyone,
can I join in please? I'm looking for a thread to keep me motivated with my studies. I've just gone back to the OU after a year's break due to pregnancy complications.
I'm doing 3 modules this year so will have to be super organised. I'm still on maternity leave and when I go back to work in January, it'll probably only be for 1 day a week (Sunday I think) but since DH works long hours during the week and me being busy with a baby and a toddler, that really only gives me Saturdays to study and the odd hour here and there when both children are asleep during the week. All of this means that realistically I need to work about 2 weeks ahead of schedule this year to make it work.
And I just realised that between my 3 modules there will be 24 assignments between October 20th and May 20th!

My course is fun so far, but LOTS of work. We start the Level 2 course proper next week, the last 4 weeks have been an introduction to it and how everything will work.

I'm excited, but I wish they'd picked a more interesting first module - as it is we get to learn about Health & Safety in childcare settings. Important but not exactly riveting

MrsHux that sounds like a LOT of assessments! eek! I have just had my list and I could cry - they all fall just after some sort of family event and I know I am going to be pushed for time on every one - grr!

Only been back a week and caught gastric flu so been off for a couple of days - I am clearly truly in the spirit of this thread already drowning on work and procrastinating on mumsnet instead - oops!

Well back at uni and as predicted, it's pretty full on dissertation, sooo many projects we have to do, lots of essays AND I've just been cast as Jan (Brusha brusha brusha) in the course production of 'Grease', which will be intense!

DD is adjusting well to nursery thankfully! :)

Haven't read the thread but just want to join - MSc in Business, PT while I work FT and have two kids, one of whom is doing GCSEs this year.

My house is a tip.

Popping in to say a quick hello.
Welcome to any new people!

Been very busy and trying not to procrastinate which is why I haven't been on the thread much.

First essay of the year due in on Monday, almost done, another 700 words to go and then some tweaking here and there.
Life is mad but just about managing to keep up at the moment and enjoying the course.

I am considering doing an MSC in International Business next year smash, are you enjoying it?

Hello everyone! I'm so happy I found you! May I join in?
I'm currently supposed to be finishing a phd after 6 long years working on it part time. However I am also 30 week pregnant and my due dates for baby and phd are the same. I'm almost done but boy am I struggling! I'm so tired and struggle to sit for long period of time, so I procrastinate

The baby is a great procrastinating excuse, especially the preparing the nursery part

I have a few days left of my half term (I'm a teacher too) but I just dozing on the sofa as I'm just bone tired Please tell me I'm not the only one

Hello Bilbo, I'm at the other end of the part time PhD thing. How have you found it so far?

Yes to the procrastinating. I have a deadline and am always on twitter or messing with the Sims, or surfing the internet or MN.

Congratulations on the baby, I hope you get one like my DD. She was a dream child for sleeping and routine, I did an exam when she was about eight weeks old and she was brilliant (and I got a distinction).

Hi wanderinguterus Good luck with the phd I did enjoy mine tremendously (most of the time!) but I have to admit I'd probably have struggled if I had to care for somebody else beside myself. Having said that, I met a few phd candidates who were mothers, some of them even gave birth to (several!) children throughout their phd and they all managed!

My main advice would be to get as much reading/practical work done ASAP. By that I mean I found it better to spend several full days in the British library even though it meant I was knackered. It actually allowed me to have more control over my writing and analysis work. A friend of mine did her phd in engineering and found that it was the best way to deal with lab work too, and she was a mother. She'd leave her DD with the father/relatives and burry her head in her lab for days.

Also universities are rather understanding of student parents. Most phd students are actually mature students with families already, so don't hesitate to ask for help. I've found my supervisor incredibly supportive during my first (awful!) trimester

I'm hoping to have everything done and dusted by end of November, on time to start my maternity leave! But for that, I need to get cracking on my conclusion It's just that baby is so fascinating!

Ps: I waste far too much time on twitter or on Pinterest

Hi Bilbo,

I'm lucky (?) that even though I have two children, they are both school age now, so the juggling isn't as intense as it would be if they were little. They are responsive to bribery, negotiation and TV. I also have a very supportive DH who has taken some holiday this half term and is currently doing stuff with them, whilst I surf MN in the library.

I am the only one in my cohort with young children, mostly they are mid-twenties or retired and the head of school is not sympathetic. My supervisor has two small children and is in general incredibly sympathetic which helps a lot. The university doesn't do much to get students together, there are no phd spaces in the department and there isn't really a community sadly.

But I am enjoying it immensely and it's really good to hear of PTers who have actually finished. We have a very high drop out rate apparently.

It's great if your DH is in board. Although childless at the time, mine had to do a lot of housework when I was nearing deadlines. Or when preparing for conferences, etc.

I think the drop out rate is due to the fact that part timers tend to prioritise their bill-paying job over their studies, which is perfectly understandable given the economic climate. Having said that, they tend to be far more grateful for the help they're given and tend to be more reliable.

It's a shame that your uni isn't more supportive. May I ask if it's a RG uni? Although what really matters is your supervisor and their outlook on life. They can make or break a phd and mine has been worth his weight in gold so far (and he has the patience of a saint!).

What area is your phd in? Mine is in a humanities subject and I find it isolating sometimes.

PS: Is bribing children still considered ethically permissible even when one is not doing a phd? Because I'd quite like to do maths and advanced maths a level in the years to come And with a young child in tow, it may prove challenging!

Oh, I really need a thread like that one!

I'm studying mathematics, and I'm a master at procrastinating... (Although I sometimes feel like I shouldn't complain when I see how much other people have to do - I study fulltime, I work only a few hours a week and my daughter's not so little anymore, so it shouldn't be hard to do everything, I guess.)

I successfully bribed both children through previous periods of study, the way to go IMO.

The university is a RG university yes. My supervisor is excellent, I know I really got a good one when I look at other people's supervisors. I'm part of a PhD parenting group and its amazing how the levels of support vary between universities.

I know a lot of part timers struggle with the juggling, 6 years is a long time to commit to something. Unlike the full timers who can work for as long and whenever they like, I find i have to keep stopping which can be frustrating when I have just got onto a good writing streak.

Its a humanities subject (history of medicine), which is very isolating as you said. This is my third day in the library this week and I am losing patience with undergraduates talking and eating crisps in the quiet spaces. My death stare is getting lots of practice!

Whats your subject area? (I know I am not allowed to ask how the PhD is coming along, major etiquette fail!)

Just checking in, hello everyone :)

I have just joined the ultimate procrastination site - pinterest - there no hope of passing my degree now is there :(

Its soooo good though

Hello babydubseverywhere,

I'm not going on Pinterest thanks! I have enough issues with Twitter, MN, HuffPo and SimsFreeplay.

I have a task that I don't want to do, so I am procrastinating furiously. I start with such good intentions, but am failing to make progress as I pick up the ipad the moment it gets tricky or boring. Unfortunately I need the ipad I have lots of stuff on GoodReader otherwise I would make DH take it to work with him.

Well, I'm still studying. Lots of drama last week - my assessor came out to see me on Monday and then broke the news that my current placement won't be suitable for assessments, so I needed to find a new one :(

Went to college Wednesday - she's spoken to the on-site nursery and I can go there! Phoned them on Friday and been told to call in during the week for a tour, they seem very flexible so hopefully we can get through the busy Christmas period together (I also work part time, in retail!)

So, went from a very low week to a very high one - now sat in my PJs doing college work.

Ooh thread's been very quiet, happy new year everyone! Dissertation is in full swing for me so I'm soooo stressy, doesn't help that I'm poorly on top of everything else!

How's everyone getting on?