Yup, I did it. I made the leap to go back to college. After finishing my graduate studies more than a decade ago, I decided to pursue a second master’s degree. These days, college looks a lot different from how it used to for me. No more outings to the bar, parties, events around campus, and rushing to class.
Today, my graduate class is 100% online and doesn’t have set meeting dates. Rather, weekly assignments and discussions are submitted on an online platform. While college looks different these days, the fundamentals are basically the same. I have to say, at my more mature age, I am a much better student than I was in the past.
Are you thinking about going back to school as a mom? After a semester and some reflection, I have put together some things that really helped me conquer going back to school after such a long time away from the world of higher education. With life as a busy mom, a full-time job, and much more on my plate, I really had to prioritize my schooling and stay very organized. Below are some tips for how I managed my first semester as a mom.
Plan Ahead
Planning ahead of time was helpful for me during my first semester back in school. I pulled out my trusty planner and jotted down all of my assignments and due dates in my calendar–as soon as my syllabus was available to me. Keeping track of all my appointments, playdates, and events helped me visualize my schedule and not overload on commitments during weeks that I had large assignments due.
Before the start of the semester, I purchased all my books, notebooks, folders, and all the fun color-coding highlighters and sticky notes I needed. I love color coding my notes to stay organized. During the weekends I knew I had a large assignment coming due, I scheduled a babysitter or planned a playdate with a relative. This was great for helping me focus on schoolwork for a few hours, while my little guy was having fun.
Time Management
Having been away from school for a while, I forgot what a huge time commitment college can be. The homework, responding to online forums, and research papers were initially daunting. For me, planning out each week’s tasks and reading load was extremely helpful. At the start of each week, carving out the time I needed to complete assignments helped me stay on track and set little goals for myself.
In addition to my detailed calendars, I created weekly checklists and broke down the assignments into smaller parts, so the assignments were more manageable. My checklists helped me stay focused and remember not only school-related items, but other things I had planned or needed to accomplish for the week (scheduling appointments, paying bills, etc.). For example, if I knew I had a research essay due, I would start the research weeks in advance, then write my outline the next week, etc.
Some of my classmates would leave assignments to the very last minute, but I cannot operate with procrastinating (unlike when I went to college many years ago). I aimed to turn in all my assignments early, rather than on their due date. By setting a goal of turning in assignments early, I was able to prevent procrastination and meet all the due dates without feeling overwhelmed.
Create a Workspace
Without a dedicated office in my home, I had to get a little creative in creating a dedicated workspace to complete my assignments. Each time I worked on a computer assignment, I set my laptop up at the same seat at my kitchen table, so I could lock in on my writing.
Often, when reading my weekly homework assignments, my family was around. Putting on study beats (you can find study playlists on your favorite music apps) to listen to with my headphones helped tune out everything around me. This way, I could focus on my reading and notetaking. When my son saw me pull out my headphones, he knew Mommy was working on her homework.
Know Your Limitations
As with adding any new, huge change into your life, it is important to know your limitations and when to say no. Although a trip to Florida with family sounded fun during my school break, I knew I could not enjoy a vacation while watching my family in the pool and being stuck inside completing hours of work. Saying no to warm during the brutal cold winter was hard, but I couldn’t stress myself out with a trip while in school. I even had to turn down playdates with my son because I knew I needed to stay home and get work done. Having a family, a full-time job, and so many responsibilities, I had to learn to say no often. Knowing that school is temporary, saying no to a vacation or fun with friends wasn’t too terrible.
Going back to school as a mom has been so rewarding. I love that my son can see me accomplish a huge goal and see how important education truly is. If you plan to go back to school, I wish you luck and hope my back-to-school tips are helpful for you!
