Time has not been on your side. You barely have time to take care of the little ones and work full time! There just never seems to be enough time to do everything, let alone go back to school and attain or complete your college degree.
Cost has also been an issue and adding a tuition payment to the monthly budget is not always feasible. What then are your options? The United States U.S. Census Bureau reports that about 20% of families in the country are headed by a single parent and in a majority of these cases, the parent is the mother. In addition only 5% of single parents earn over $75,000 a year. Therefore, without financial aid, it becomes increasingly difficult to realize the hope of completing their education.
The US Department of Labor reports that most mother who work have full time jobs. When they get home they spend another ten hours cooking, cleaning, running errands, running car poolings, playing with the kids, washing and doing laundry in addition to their other responsibilities.
The good news is that there are many programs available for working parents (both moms and dads) through accredited distance learning programs as well as financial resources such as scholarships and grants to support working parents. Government and private foundation programs are available specifically for single parents and working mothers.
The first step is to figure what you want to go back to school for. Then, find out the available financial options from the prospective college. This information can be obtained from the college's financial aid office. In-depth Internet research will also yield you various results. In addition, going to the local library and looking through the annual scholarship books is always a good recommendation. One thing to remember though - watch for the deadlines and make sure you submit your application on time. Also determine the application materials that should be submitted such as letters of recommendation or essays and prepare those ahead of time. In addition, be sure to apply for the right scholarships. Some are quite specific in their criteria. For example some scholarships are only available for student in certain areas such as engineering or science.
The next thing is time management. With all your other responsibilities and tasks, adding school to your to-do list be daunting. So, developing and sticking to a routine will help give you and the family some structure. For example you can establish the children's bedtime and stick to it so that after they go to bed you can study without interruptions. You can also get into the habit of getting lunches ready in the evening to save you time in the morning and avoid the rushed feeling. Delegate responsibilities for your family members so that you don't have to feel like you have to do it all alone. This will help you in reducing the stress level and this means more focus in your studying. Keep a calendar or daily planner and use it to monitor events at home, work, and school.
To succeed in your classes you could apply several strategies throughout the semester. For each of your classes read the syllabus in depth and ask your instructor to clarify what will be expected from you during the semester. Next, note the deadlines, milestones, due dates, exam dates and add them to your calendar.
Do not wait for the end of the semester or the night before an assignment is due to start working on an assignment. Create self-deadlines and milestones and work incrementally on projects and papers. Also ensure that you prioritize your school, work, and home activities noting which ones must be attended to first. Pace yourself and don't be afraid to ask questions or to ask for help. In addition, be self-confident - tell yourself you can do it, because you can!
Cost has also been an issue and adding a tuition payment to the monthly budget is not always feasible. What then are your options? The United States U.S. Census Bureau reports that about 20% of families in the country are headed by a single parent and in a majority of these cases, the parent is the mother. In addition only 5% of single parents earn over $75,000 a year. Therefore, without financial aid, it becomes increasingly difficult to realize the hope of completing their education.
The US Department of Labor reports that most mother who work have full time jobs. When they get home they spend another ten hours cooking, cleaning, running errands, running car poolings, playing with the kids, washing and doing laundry in addition to their other responsibilities.
The good news is that there are many programs available for working parents (both moms and dads) through accredited distance learning programs as well as financial resources such as scholarships and grants to support working parents. Government and private foundation programs are available specifically for single parents and working mothers.
The first step is to figure what you want to go back to school for. Then, find out the available financial options from the prospective college. This information can be obtained from the college's financial aid office. In-depth Internet research will also yield you various results. In addition, going to the local library and looking through the annual scholarship books is always a good recommendation. One thing to remember though - watch for the deadlines and make sure you submit your application on time. Also determine the application materials that should be submitted such as letters of recommendation or essays and prepare those ahead of time. In addition, be sure to apply for the right scholarships. Some are quite specific in their criteria. For example some scholarships are only available for student in certain areas such as engineering or science.
The next thing is time management. With all your other responsibilities and tasks, adding school to your to-do list be daunting. So, developing and sticking to a routine will help give you and the family some structure. For example you can establish the children's bedtime and stick to it so that after they go to bed you can study without interruptions. You can also get into the habit of getting lunches ready in the evening to save you time in the morning and avoid the rushed feeling. Delegate responsibilities for your family members so that you don't have to feel like you have to do it all alone. This will help you in reducing the stress level and this means more focus in your studying. Keep a calendar or daily planner and use it to monitor events at home, work, and school.
To succeed in your classes you could apply several strategies throughout the semester. For each of your classes read the syllabus in depth and ask your instructor to clarify what will be expected from you during the semester. Next, note the deadlines, milestones, due dates, exam dates and add them to your calendar.
Do not wait for the end of the semester or the night before an assignment is due to start working on an assignment. Create self-deadlines and milestones and work incrementally on projects and papers. Also ensure that you prioritize your school, work, and home activities noting which ones must be attended to first. Pace yourself and don't be afraid to ask questions or to ask for help. In addition, be self-confident - tell yourself you can do it, because you can!
About the Author:
Sophia Peters writes for a website that has information on various careers and colleges. If you are interested in counseling degrees or psychology degrees visit the website for additional information on simiar careers.
