For those of you attending college now (or at least recently have)....

by 2pink 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  2pink

  please remind me what the work load is like. i went to college and took a few classes in my early 20s, and found it all very easy, but i had a lot less responsibility back then so i think my perception was skewed. now i am 31, married, 2 kids, soon to be 3. i work very part time from home. so i do have the typical mom and wife duties.

  since exiting the JWs a few months ago, i decided to go back to school to get my masters in speech pathology. i am putting myself on a timeline and want to be finished in 6 years. in order to do this, i will have to cram my GE into 3 semesters (plus summer school) instead of 4. this semester i have signed up for 5 classes, and am petitioning for a unit overload to get a 6th. we are going to china to adopt our third child at the end of this summer, so i feel like i should take as many courses as i can this semester before she comes home so that way i can have an lighter load in the fall semester if need be.

  however, i need someone to remind me how much work is involved and perhaps slap me back into reality. would 6 classes be doable for a mom? the classes are all either distance learning (online or TV) or night classes when my husband is home to watch the kids. i was planning on doing all my study in the early mornings, during the day when my kids are at school (4.5 hours each day) and on weekends when my husband is home.

  thoughts?
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  mostlydead

  Congratulations! Excellent decision to return to school! I just graduated this past summer, so here's my take on your purposed schedule:

  Unless you know the information presented in all of these classes with little to no need of studying, I would recommend you do not take six classes. Or five. A rule of thumb is that each unit of credit requires 2-3 hours of outside classwork per week.

  I understand your desire to return to school, but especially in the midst of the family events coming up, I'd give serious thought to how much you can afford to commit to. Something will have to give. I'm sure you don't want it to be either your GPA or your children!
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  wannaexit

  Good for you!!!. Go for it. I graduated lated year from a 3 year program...... I found it at times challenging with a family to take care and an older mind. But it is attainable.
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  truman

  I just graduated with my BA and am entering my second semester as a grad student. I agree with mostlydead. Take fewer classes. 12-15 units (4-to-5 classes @3 units per class) is considered full-time and will keep you very busy with reading, studying for exams, and writing papers. Four classes is a good doable workload. At this rate, you may take a little longer to get where you want to be in terms of an advanced degree, but you will have a better chance of getting there than if you burn yourself out at the beginning with an overloaded schedule.

  One thing to think about for course-load, many professors make the big assignments in a course due near the end of the semester. That can leave you with 3-4-5-6-? big papers to write or projects to wrangle into presentability all at once. The looming deadlines can induce a state of desperation, panic, and depression.

  My observation about who completes educational goals and who does not is this: s/he who perseveres succeeds. I am past the child rearing stage, but I think this applies to most all students. It is all about pacing oneself. School is a marathon, not a sprint.
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  piratess

  wow...I'm impressed. I have a 10 month old baby and can barely handle 3 classes per semester...
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  drew sagan

  I'll be finishing a BA this April. I have a 16 month old, but have the luxury of not having to work at the moment. In order to graduate sooner I took 18 credits last semester and am doing the same this semester. It can be quite a task. I would not recommend doing what I'm doing if you have lots of other responsibilities.
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  Georgiegirl

  I agree with everyone else; it can absolutely be done and Yay for going back! But yes, that 2-3 hours of extra time per credit hour is pretty accurate. I am working on a BA and am a full-time student - 4-5 classes is pretty reasonable. Also, keep in mind that some of the online colleges can be just as expensive if not more so as traditional brick&mortar schools. I've got alot of information (I'm working on a book about going back to school as an older student) so if feel free to PM me with any questions!
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  JeffT

  I went back to school in my early thirties. One of the big advantages to going to college when you're a bit older is the fact that leaving out the time you'd spend drinking beer and trying to get laid leaves time for things like family responsibilities.
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  out4good3

  Going back to school myself. Taking a 10 hour couse load at a local community college finishing up the basics to transfer to a university. Will finish up with a BA in two and a half years then it's on to graduate work.

  I applaude you for being so aggressive in going back to school but six classes? At a minimum of 3 hours each that's 18 hours. Multiply that by three which is usually the additional hours you have to put in to satisfactorily complete the classes and with familial responsibilities you'd bare lya enough time left over to sleep, much less do anything else.

  I do understand why you'd be so aggressive about it though. If you're like me, you have the need to demonstrate progress. It's a need I'm working to temper.

  Good Luck
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  startingovernow

  Don't know what you took in college, but grad school is typically a lot more work. Take it easy.