Now I’ve settled into a new routine and become more accustomed to student life once again, I feel now is a good time to reflect on my student experience.
I can still vividly remember the feelings of uncertainity and nervousness that swept over me as the starting date loomed back in September. However, and perhaps predictably,
many of my initial concerns were overblown and born out of having too much time to overthink all the following concerns;
- I’m studying a completely new field (not a huge cross over between Cybersecurity and Teaching or Music!), what if absolutely nothing makes sense despite how hard I try? (Abertay assumes no prior knowledge and an advantage is that I have no bad habits developed prior to starting)
- I’m a decade older than most of the students on my course and most likely well out of touch with modern culture. (Modern culture I can’t do anything about! However the averageage of the course thankfully has been higher than my initial fear)
- How would I be received, would I be able to adapt to a less frantic-paced life that was part and parcel of my life as a primary school teacher? (So far it seems like a positive reception?)
- With Covid, will there be enough time on campus to meet enough people and build up a social circle? (As of February 2022, I still haven’t met the majority of my course yet)
- It’s a big risk to make a career change, there is a lot of self imposed pressure to be a success. (This is still an ongoing mental barrier!)
The reality of full time study this time round
The truth is, that no one fits in perfectly no matter how compatible a person they are. What I have found, and would recommend for most students (particularly mature) to do is focus on establishing successful habits and ensuring you are engage fully with the content given to you. Don't fall into the trap of trying to fit in with others, hoping you will seemless conform and not stand out. Even attempting to fit in and act younger than you are won’t age well, it’s better to embrace your ‘unique’ status of having more life experience.I’ve been fortunate to find success in being myself (by which I ask a ton of questions, try and chat to anyone and everyone and always be prepared to make a fool of myself by asking the potentially stupid/silly questions on everyone’s mind that others are reluctant to do so).
Being yourself in a public setting, and making sure you mix with enough people will give others the chance to warm to you and stick around if you get on with them. At the end of the day I am a former teacher who asks lots of questions, who is direct and not good at being subtle (not even in the slightest), prepared to roll his hands up and get involved in demonstrations is certainly not everyones cup of tea!
Apologies to the shy and retiring types that don’t want to be in danger of participating in something at all, but trust me, people stick around that like the cut of your jib and before you know it, you have a core of people you feel comfortable with and suddenly you don’t feel like an outcast at university at all!
It's always worth remembering that mature students are returning to university primarily for the academic aspect, with that comes a more direct focus and a different lens in which university life can be viewed from.
Mature students come with our advantages
We have made many of the mistakes already that fellow students are in the process of making (leaving deadlines to the last minute, being more preoccupied with potential relationships than lectures and general organisation) and it has been a far more productive year in university than I can remember during my undergraduate degree.
Far be it for me to judge the study methods and lifestyle habits of teenagers, they wouldn’t listen to my advice and are still trying to work out their way through life whilst managing full blown independence for the first time.
All I can hope for is that by consistently modelling some of my good habits that I have developed (punctuality, booking group study sessions, asking questions, being prepared for each lecture, frequently using to do lists and working backwards from deadlines to ensure they are all met on time) that some younger students may choose independently implement them to their own benefit.
Academia wise, certainly not.
Lifestyle wise, overwhelmingly yes.
Habits instilled from previous employment have developed my skills to organise my workload and manage deadlines far more effieciently this time. With age and experience comes an understanding of how and where I work most efficiently and how to faciliatate a conducive study environment.
The challenge is trying to master brand new content that is alien to me!
So the elephant in the room, what effect has Covid had?
It can’t be understated how big an impact it has had. The whole way the university functions has had to be altered to enable student life to continue safely under government measures. Facemasks, distancing, online classes provide an all new feel to university. It still feels far from normal and there isn’t the same environment that I remember from being a student in the past.
There is less time on campus to socialise, societies and clubs are hindered by what they can do due to restrictions and my observation is more people are happier to keep themselves to themselves. Lectures and practical sessions employ a hybrid model combining in-person and online learning which has made it impossible to get the chance to meet everyone physically on my course.
However, having been initially worried about standing out like a sore thumb amongst a crowd of teenagers (thankfully there is a much greater age range in my course), having smaller class sizes has allowed me to be introduced to people in smaller drips and drabs was a blessing in disguise. I think for many people, acclimitising back to the pre-covid norms will take great time and persistence. Perhaps when normality resumes I will finally find the students that make me truly feel a decade older than them, fingers crossed that doesn’t happen!