Your ultimate guide to studying as a parent
Diving into study as a parent can be daunting—but with the right support and flexibility, it doesn’t have to be. We’ve compiled a guide for parents who are thinking of studying, with advice from others who have done it, and not only survived, but thrived!
It’s no secret that trying to juggle parenting with other responsibilities can be tough. For many parents, it can feel like it’s impossible to pursue your dreams of studying and gaining new qualifications with the demands of raising kids.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Studying online can open up opportunities for parents without taking away from your caring responsibilities, and there might be some surprising benefits for both you and your kids.
What are some of the challenges to studying as a parent?
As a student advisor at Open Universities Australia, Tanveer Kaur has helped many parents pursue their studies. She knows there are a lot of perceived barriers that can prevent you from enrolling in a university course when you have kids.
If you are a full-time parent or a single parent who needs to look after their children, it becomes nearly impossible to be able to commit to on-campus studies."
“Attending classes and lectures at set times is hard, and the extra travel time on top of that makes it even harder,” Tanveer says.
“On top of that, many parents can’t afford to lose their paid work to take on studies, so finding a way to balance work, parenting and studying is important.”
Traditional, on-campus courses may not be possible, but studying online can open up a world of possibilities flexibility wise.
Tanveer also points out that course entry requirements can be a barrier for parents who don’t have a strong academic history—but online study can provide a way around that. When you study online through Open Universities Australia, for example, you can get into popular undergraduate qualifications through a single subject entry pathway. You don’t need an ATAR.
The best way to find out about your eligibility for university courses is to book a consultation with a student advisor.
How can you balance studying online with being a parent?
“When you study online, you have the flexibility to be able to study anytime throughout the week, which works far better for parents,” Tanveer says. “You don’t need to attend classes at a particular time for most of the degrees, and you can rewatch lectures anytime.”
For many students who are also parents, this can mean studying once the kids are in bed, or when they are at school, saving time to be there for important family moments.
- Related reading: 11 tips for surviving the school holidays as a student/parent
When you study online through Open Universities Australia, you can also study individual subjects from a degree without enrolling in the whole thing. This gives you more freedom. You can choose to upskill only in the areas you want to, or you can trial if university is going to fit into your lifestyle before you commit to the full qualification.
You earn academic credit for the subjects you complete, so they will count towards the degree if that’s the eventual path you decide to take.
And if real life becomes too busy, you can always take an online study term off before picking things up again in the next term. You can work with a student advisor like Tanveer from the start to devise a structure that works for you.
Managing your studies around the rest of life
Katherine studied her health sciences degree online while taking care of her four kids, and found that the flexibility meant she could be equally present for both commitments.
“I found the idea of juggling the kids and getting into lectures and classes in person was too hard and it was enough to put me off studying,” she says. “So when I found I could study online, that was way more achievable.”
One of the best things about it was being able to self-pace.
If there was a week where I had more availability to study, I could get ahead of my coursework and actually do a few week’s worth of classes at a time. And then, if it was school holidays, or my kids were sick, I could take that time as needed.”
The flexibility meant Katherine was able to have focused study time around her parenting responsibilities—but sticking to some sort of structure was important.
“If you plan for it, then you’ll definitely do it—it was important for me to set a bit of a study schedule around the rest of our routine, so I could make sure to have dedicated time to do the work. Another important thing for me was using a calendar to track my assessment deadlines and things like that, so I could be prepared and organised.”
The importance of asking for help when you need it
Studying can be overwhelming for anyone, but especially daunting for parents. There is help available when studying online, and Tanveer recommends talking to a student advisor to get support from the outset.
“Finding the right course, [figuring out your] eligibility, applying for a degree—all of this can be really time consuming and challenging sometimes,” she says. “Student advisors at Open Universities Australia help students to go through the whole process.”
Katherine also recommends reaching out for support from your lecturers and classmates.
“Asking for help, whether it’s from a partner, or your lecturer or other students, is important so that you don’t feel isolated. I know for me, as a parent, I wasn’t as interested in the social aspects of university, so studying online was great. But I still was able to connect with classmates and my lecturer when I needed to.”
Open Universities Australia also offers free and confidential student counselling, to support students with all aspects of their studies and how it might be impacting their lives.
Studying as a parent can come with some surprise benefits too
“It can be a bonding activity, when you can study with your children and share that time,” Tanveer says.
“I definitely found that I was even more motivated to study because I didn’t have as much time and I needed to make the most of it,” Katherine says.
Her final advice to parents? Be kind to yourself.
“It’s okay if sometimes things don’t go to plan, and the kids have a cereal dinner, or you need to ask for an extension on that assignment. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
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