By: Communications
How do you balance the responsibilities of raising a child while embarking on the journey back to higher education?
Becca Mawe is a first-year Occupational Therapy student in HSC at UEA, who hopes to become a local occupational therapist after graduating. She is also a parent to her six-year-old son, meaning she has had to learn how to balance home life and parenthood alongside her studies.
Find out how exactly she manages her time, the challenging and rewarding aspects of being a student parent, and how university has helped her rediscover her social side.
“I normally start off at around 7am because that gives me the best chance to have a bit of time before my son gets up – I can have a cup of tea and get some organisation done without feeling too stressed for the day. I normally only take my son to school once or twice a week.
“I leave home at about 8am to get to campus and commute in with another fellow student parent here on my course. I usually have a full day here until about 4pm, usually a mixture of lectures, seminars and of course a lunch break, before commuting home.
“My husband is great at getting dinner ready for me, so when I get back, I have time to spend with him and my son in the evenings. If I’m home early enough, I get time to do some extra studies as well.”
“My top tip for coming to university would be to figure out the method of organisation that works best for you. For me, I found organising my timetable, my son's school dates and any other appointments I had really made a difference.
“I do this through an online app that I can link through to my emails, which means I have access to everything all at once and can set reminders for my phone. As I have a busy schedule, this sort of planning helps make sure I don’t miss anything important!
“By having my time nicely scheduled out, I find I have a clear cut-off point each day to keep my university work from merging into my home life. That ensures I get quality time with my family.”
“One of the best decisions I’ve made is coming here. The University has been really supportive, right from the application process with UEA’s Mature Student Services, up to studying here now. There's also the Wellbeing and Learning Enhancement teams when you’re here, which is really useful if, like me, you’re a bit rusty on your essays. It can help you get up to the standard you need.
“I think the most intimidating part of coming to university as a mature student can often be not knowing anyone and worrying that you are older. I was quite worried about being older and surrounded by 18-year-olds on my course – in truth, there are a lot of 18-year-olds on my course, but they’re also lovely and I have enjoyed getting to know them.
“There’s also the Mature Student Peer Support Group here. If there aren’t a lot of mature students on your course, there's an opportunity through the club to meet other older students as well. So please don't let it put you off if you're a parent!”
“I love being a mum, but my return to higher education has given me more on top of that. The most important thing I get to be is a role model for my son. It's nice to show him that it doesn't matter where you are in life: if you change your mind, you can still go on and try a different route.
“I've actually found that I'm coping better here at university now as an older adult than I likely would have at 18. I also appreciate being in higher education a lot more.
“I used to work at Tesco before this on the customer service desk and I found it really isolating. Being a parent can be isolating at times too, so I really enjoy the social side of university and mixing with lots of people. Now that I’m here at UEA, I really do appreciate it. There are a few other mums on my course and that’s been lovely, to meet other people in similar circumstances to myself.”
“Definitely time. My course isn't as intense compared to others, but it's just trying to fit it all in. Independent studies, pre-reading, post-reading, CPD (Continuing Professional Development) – that is probably my biggest struggle.
“Sometimes if I find it's piling up, I will take some time out on a Sunday afternoon when my son is watching TV to catch up. I also have to let some of my pre-reading texts go at times; I do still have a quick glance but not as much as I would like to. This is why I find having a set schedule handy, as it helps me to block out specific times for all of this.”
“If you’re a parent and undecided about returning to education, I really would recommend it. Just come in, have a look at the university campus, and look at what can be provided for you. Talk to Mature Student Services and see what they say, as well as if they can offer you any advice. In my experience, the people there are really helpful!
“If your qualifications aren't up to scratch or they're not what you need, you can always do an Access to Higher Education course for a year. While it could be intense at times, I found mine was great at helping me prepare for coming to university when I’d been out of study for a while.
“You don’t have to do university now, you can wait – but my advice is to at least investigate and have a look at your options. Coming back to study at UEA has helped me get a part of myself back, so I’d say it’s definitely worth doing.”