Part time degrees

[BertieBotts]

I was just wondering, if you are doing a part time degree, what are the hours (ie what would I need to get childcare to cover). I realise different unis and different courses will differ, but I am just looking for an idea.

Also, the uni I am looking at is 30 minutes away on the bus, and the bus company put the older buses on this route as it's not used very much by families/elderly people, so do you think it would be more convenient to look at a nursery close to home (there is a Montessori one literally 2 minutes from here which I like) or the nursery on campus (which I don't know much about yet)

I know I need to go and talk to the uni, but just want a very general idea. Thanks

older buses = no buggy space, regularly crowded (=not very nice for DS twice a day especially when he is tired in the evenings)

DS will be nearly 2 in September.

bump

Have you thought about doing an OU degree? then all your transport/childcare issues would be non existent! You would just study in the evenings/nap times/read stuff while DS is in the bath etc!

I would have thought that at a brick uni, you would only need to be on campus a couple of days a week, depending on the course, but you'd probably still have to do a fair amount of work at home.Lectures may also be at awkward times so taking that into account, I would use the campus nursery to just make things easier!

What degree are you thinking of doing?

I had thought about OU, but TBH I think that I would struggle to be motivated enough to do it all completely off my own back, and also DS has dropped his nap in the day, if he does have a nap, (which is often short anyway) then he is frequently up until 10 or 11pm, which leaves me no definite planned time for studying. I was thinking I could book him in at nursery for longer than I strictly needed to so that I could spend time at the library or similar, studying without interruption. I understand there will still be a lot of work to do outside of class/contact time but I am hoping that I would be able to do a big chunk of it at uni and that if DS is in nursery hopefully it will be more of a routine for him and he will be more likely to sleep in the evenings etc, so I would also be able to work on stuff at home. He goes to his Dad at weekends too (just afternoons at the moment, but hopefully longer soon) so I do have some free time. The uni I am looking at sounds quite flexible and say you can do either 1, 2 or 3 modules per year (2 being usual, but it gives the flexibility to complete it more quickly, or reduce the workload) and you can review this each year.

What do you mean by awkward timing of lectures, can you give me an example? I have no experience of university education at all so I am feeling in the dark here.

I am looking at a part time social studies degree leading into specialising in (most likely) social work.

brick uni sounds best for you then DD doesn't nap anymore either!

By awkward lectures I just meant that you might have a day where you're there say 9-3 then the next day you might only have one lecture at 4pm, then different times the next day etc.

You can always contact the uni beforehand to find out the timetable though and work from there.

I'm doing OU health and social care degree (more on the side of social) and have just started a job as a support worker for vulnerable adults.

Good luck btw, going back to study is one of the best things I ever did!

Sorry to be negative but I am finding the timetabling the hardest thing about studying with dd. The university isn't geared up for people with childcare responsibilities; I am studying part time (i.e. 60 credits a year instead of 120), but my lectures are still dotted all over the week - so I should be doing 10-11 on Monday, 2-3 on Tuesday, 10-11 and 3-4 on Wednesday, etc. Bit of a problem as I'm reluctant to put DD in a full day's childcare for one hour of lectures!

HOWEVER, I expect this will vary hugely between universities and courses. I'd suggest you get in touch with them, explain the situation, and ask how the timetabling usually works out. That should give you a good idea of whether it's doable.

Best of luck with it! Despite the hassles I absolutely love studying, doing that and looking after dd is my dream job

Ah OK - why do you have to put them in for a full day's childcare? Can you not just book them in at nursery for the hours you need (or half days)?

They mention having childcare responsibilities and also working part time in their part time degree section of the prospectus (have downloaded relevant section) and it sounds as though they may be flexible - but I definitely need to get in touch with them I think. Exciting!

You're right, I exaggerate, the nursery does do half days, but still that's (counts on fingers) 4-5 hours childcare for one hour's tuition. The nursery is also not that flexible about doing odd days/half days, it does depend on the type of childcare you use.

The prospectus sounds really encouraging, sounds like they've got their act together. It certainly is exciting, hope it all works out well!

I've just finished my first year studying social policy part time at Leeds Uni and in semester one I was in uni for 3 hours a week (two seminars and 1 lecture) and in semester two I was only in for 2 hours a week. I have two sons, one is at school when I'm at uni and the other stays with a childminder. I usually try and get a full days childcare even if I'm only at uni for a seminar just so I can use my time to get some reading done.

That sounds good actually, I was hoping I could get away with half days for him rather than full days, sounds as though that could be likely. As you say, Jo, I will be able to use the extra time for undisturbed reading/essay writing etc.

Leedsmum, you say "I should be at XYZ" - does that mean you are not always able to attend all the lectures? How do you find this affects your understanding etc of the course?

I graduated in 2008 after doing a 6 year part time degree.

My DDs were 8 and 5 when I started so were at school, which made things a lot easier. I did 2 x 3 hour sessions per week which could be 10am - 1pm, 2pm - 5pm or 6pm - 9pm.

The Uni was 45 mins drive away and mornings and evenings were fine (with DH's support) but afternoons meant the DDS going into after school club. However, I was able to pretty much choose my modules so tried as much as possible to pick those with the best hours for me.

My biggest bug bear was that for every one of those 6 years (and despite a lot of lobbying of TPTB) lectures still took place during school half term weeks even though they could quite easily have been set aside as reading weeks.

Why not have a look at how flexible your chosen uni is in terms of choosing your modules? Also don't underestimate how much time you'll need for further study, reading, group work, etc so making use of half/full days of chilcare will still be put to good use. And don't forget to take into account what you'll do when your DC starts school.

Good luck,(you'll love it!)

What is TPTB?

It looks from the prospectus as though it is quite flexible and they sound very supportive. I am going to give them a ring tomorrow and have a chat with them (or at least book an appointment to), but all this is really helpful, because I wouldn't have thought to ask about modules etc in more detail.

DS isn't due to start school for another three years, but I will still be on the course then, they say it takes between 4 and 10 years with an average length of 6 years. I suppose I would have to use after school clubs etc though if I was working full time. Or perhaps a childminder would be a better option while he is still so little.

Thanks all by the way for taking the time to reply I can't wait to find out more now!

Hi Bertie, yes I do miss some of the taught sessions - I make up the work in my own time (usually when dd is napping or has gone to bed). It's not ideal, but it just about works. I'm doing an arts degree, which I think makes a difference - if it was hardcore science and I was missing out on an hour of solid factual teaching, I think it would be much more difficult to make it up.

Hope your chat with them goes well!

TBTB - the powers that be (sorry for yet another acronym )

Well I phoned them up today, lady was very friendly on the phone, said that she would send me out an information pack and application form, and I should apply straight away and once they have my application, they will then give me an interview which is as much to see if I am good enough for the course as to see if it is right for me, and she said that even if my existing qualifications aren't quite up to scratch or I decide I want a gentler introduction, I can most likely do an open studies short course with them which will then count towards the credits for the main degree.

So it looks very likely that I will be starting one or the other! I also contacted the nursery and they don't have places until November, and only limited ones then... so I think I will look around at other nurseries as well and childminders and see what I think is best, whether to juggle it all between family and friends for that first month (I am told it's only 4 hours per week on campus if I do 2 modules - though I realise these may be spread out on different days.)

I am excited now!

That's fantastic - well done you for being so proactive.

One of my favourite parts of starting a new academic year was being able to unleash my inner 10 year old and buy lots of lovely new stationery .

Haha yes I won't lie, I have been secretly coveting stationary for years

I used to work in WHSmith as well when I was at college so it was like stationary porn every time they got a new line in.

No what I really want first is some nice high shelves, to display lovingly keep safe all my new stationary/essays/books etc out of DS' reach!

Stationery, that would be, sorry!

Hooray! Well done! That all sounds very positive, and if the time commitment is only four hours that should be possible with some combination of nursery/creche/family/friends/childminders etc. Worth finding out whether the university has its own childcare, that might be quite convenient.

Stationery is undoubtedly the best thing about studying . Glad to see it's not just me!

See I thought it was a good thing that our Adams in the town centre turned into a Paperchase, but now I am worried that I will be utterly skint, now I have an excuse to actually buy stuff there

Yes the university has a nursery, but it caters for 78 children - not sure how I feel about that, it sounds like a lot. (I know they would have enough staff etc to cover ratios, but still) However I think it's full for this acedemic year anyway (according to someone I was talking to today) - and it would be a nightmare to get DS there and back on the bus, because I don't drive (and problems with buses as mentioned above)