I’m utterly exhausted and in desperate need of a vacation. Thank goodness my mini vacation starts today💃🏿.
The first semester of 2023 is almost over and what a ride it’s been. From the late start due to late registrations, it’s been quite a journey and I’m glad it’s coming to an end.
Being an adult student is no easy feat.
You must wake up and go to work every day then come home and find the time to do school work and assignments, among other adult life things. I had to tell my friends I was taking time away to focus on just me and my books. I don’t see them as much as I used to but it’s a sacrifice I had to make.
Honestly, sometimes I find myself wondering why it is that I chose to embark on this journey, and why it’s SO important for me to have a tertiary education. Even though I’m doing this for me, it does tend to get a bit tough and the thought of giving up has crossed my mind but very briefly.
The most challenging part about being an adult student is finding balance and time to do everything you need to do and have time for the things you want to do, the things that make life worth living.
But there’s nothing one can’t accomplish when proper planning is done. I’m not an expert planner yet, but for the most part, I’ve got a handle on things.
I often sacrifice the weekends and time I would have spent socializing doing school work and assignments or just claiming back my “me time”.
Challenges faced by adult students include fitting school into an already busy schedule, lack of financial resources and fear of not being cut out for college, to name but a few. I can totally relate to these as I’m facing them myself. It’s tough coming home from a 9 to 5 and having assignments waiting to be completed. It gets exhausting!
As challenging as being an adult student may be, there are resources available to make the journey a little easier for us. There’s a site I use called TogetherWePass where one can find resources and online study groups to help with your UNISA modules and reach out to fellow students.
I’ve come to find that my brain really is sharper when I make time to exercise. I aim for a minimum of 3 days a week to get some workouts in. It also helps me to destress and allows me to get back to studying with a fresh mind.
If you can get your education out of the way before you start really adulting, working full time and having kids then you should study and tick that off your list. I would not recommend trying to adult and being a student.
That being said, it is doable. There are many people; especially women who manage to be moms, kick ass at work and still manage to get straight A’s.
I highly recommend getting some sort of planning app to help you stay on track. I’m using To-do List Planner on my phone to note all of my dude dates for the semester as well as plan out when I’m going to cover each section for each subject. It has been a tremendous help, even when it comes to personal tasks.
If getting a degree is important to you, it’s never too late to go back to school and complete it.
Lastly, when things get tough and you feel like giving up, I’d like you to remember your “why”. Why did you decide to embark on this journey? Why is it important to you?
One thought on “Being An Adult Student”