Currently in school or going to school? Introduce yourself !

Smiling Wife

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 7:48 am

I thought this would be fun, also I am so very nervous about it, it makes me calmer to know other amothers are in the same boat.

I live in Israel and I am about to go to school in a few weeks, I have a toddler and I am going into science ( engineering )

My biggest fear is not being able to do as well as I want to.

My biggest excitement is the challenging classes and the intellectual stimulation.

I am artsy and not organized by nature, but trying to learn the ropes to make my life easier lol

Ok ur turn. Very Happy

Striver

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 9:06 am

I'm currently in Touro in Israel, finishing up my ba in psychology. Let me tell you, it's no fun! (Sorry for bursting your bubble...) It's much harder to get the grades I used to get way back then, but I'm learning to make peace with the situation. Getting to school after dropping the kids off is also a story of its own.
But, Im still happy that Im able to do this and I look forward to the graduation (hopefully in May!)

morah

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 9:51 am

I just finished my masters in May. I had to take it slower than I could have because of my son and my full time job, but I set a goal of finishing before kid #2 (due to arrive in a few weeks). You do have to acknowledge that something will have to give, and it may very well be the A+ average. I actually did manage to get very high grades, but did not drive myself crazy. I put in the effort that I could, as long as it was enough to expect a respectable grade and left it to fate from there.

You need to plan ahead. Generally the syllabus will indicate the dates of exams and papers. The day you get that syllabus, you mark those dates down in whatever medium works best- paper planner, bulletin board, Google calender, phone etc. The first priority is to make sure nothing conflicts with YT (unlikely this year, as it's so early, but you still want to check)- if there is a conflict, you can deal with it on day 1 rather than waiting till 2 days before, which is almost sure to get you nasty treatment. Next up, knowing those dates, you can plan ahead- not just breaking up the work, but how your household will function during the days leading up to the test/assignment. This is especially true for finals, where the the tests/assignments are bigger, count for more, and will be happening during the same 2 week span. Since that happens in December, you have plenty of time to prepare for those 2 weeks. Maybe you'll decide to cook ahead and freeze; hire extra cleaning and babysitting help; have your husband scale back at work for those 2 weeks if that's an option; order lots of takeout- or some combo of all of the above.

Also, about money: it's going to be tight- you are presumably not bringing in as much of an income as you could be (or possibly none at all) AND you're paying to attend school. But there is more to it than tuition, especially if you have a family. Just like you have to pay for books for your courses, part of your school expenses include reliable childcare, possible cleaning help, and extra hours of those things during certain intense times such as midterms and finals. These are NOT luxuries, these are NECESSITIES for succeeding in your education. You need reliable childcare so that you're not that person who is always running in late because of "an emergency with the kids". You will not be able to write a paper with a toddler in the vicinity, so if a paper is due, you will need to get someone so you can go to the library. Again, you don't need to shoot for straight A's, but you don't want to be scraping by with C's either if you can avoid it. You have decided that it is worth investing in your education. Just as a professional will need to spend money on an appropriate wardrobe and the costs associated with that, part of your educational investment is paying to keep things running smoothly so that you can actually use it.

ETA: I see so far all the posters are in Israel, so obviously YT won't be an issue. However, this is helpful advice for students outside of Israel.

amother

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 10:30 am

finished ba last year and will start the master programme in september iy´´H. I work full time and have a toddler. it definietly is a challenge. b´´H dh has a job, otherwise I wouldnt be able to contiue studying, cos I depend on relyable babysitters and they cost. also I need cleaning help once a week. I have HARDLY any to no freetime. whenever I dont work or take care of child/household, run errands I SIT AND LEARN/WRITE PAPERS. thats ok, cos I mostly enjoy the topics but it does rob energy and time. you really have to enjoy studying, otherwise you drop out. its great if it is worth it for you and if you can afford it. otherwise it is tons of pressure.
hatzlacha!!! Smile

amother

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 10:39 am

I'm in the middle of a master's program in social work, and Bshah Tova due with my first in a few weeks! Because summer courses were much more intense, I did not feel that I could successfully survive them, so I am putting these courses on hold, which is putting me pretty behind. I am going to be part time in the fall, 2 courses once a week, but I can drop them if it is too much on me. Hopefully in the spring I will be doing field work, 21 hours a week plus a couple of classes. By then the baby will IY"H be older and I will be more up to it!

shmuf

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 11:23 am

I just finished 3rd year nursing, got a 1yo at home and one more year left of my degree!its tough going, especially with an intense course timetable, but totally do-able. my grades have definately not gone up since having dd, but they havent suffered dramatically either. as other posters have said, you definately need to be organised, and if u ever have to do projects in groups, make sure u find urself a partner that is either free and single and will be able to come to u, or is in the same position as u and wont mind working together over skype or email or something!good luck - ur doing a great thing for ur future, and for ur dcs!

amother

Mon, Jul 29 2013, 9:45 pm

Do old ladies qualify?

I got my BA while having 4 kids (start and stop over six years), jumped into my master's with 4 kids under 3 yrs of age, worked full time the entire time with a husband in kollel. Just went back for a second master's degree now that my baby turned 5.

It can be done, if you have the willpower and support around you.

Anon bec. everyone IRL knows this about me.

amother

Tue, Jul 30 2013, 8:50 pm

Just like someone else, I am getting my masters in social work & also expecting my 1st. I am iy'H almost done. I also took courses at a slower pace than others due to being married and now pregnant. I hope to finish before baby is born. Summer semester is ALMOST over and so is field placement Smile

I graduated from Touro and got my bachelors in psychology in 2011, got married a few weeks later. We waited a little over a year to TTC. I thought for me it would be too overwhelming to be in the middle of graduate school with a newborn. I also started my masters a few weeks after I got married, so its been a long hall!

School is HARD but if you make it a priority it will happen... slowly slowly! I don't believe there is any rush... almost all of my cohort has graduated by now, but I'll get there iy'H at the beginning of December!

amother

Tue, Jul 30 2013, 9:37 pm

It's nice to hear from others in school. I have two years to go and it's SO HARD juggling everything. I feel silly telling people IRL how stressed I am because it's just school, but the truth is being in school is really hard on my family and me. I enjoy my coursework and like the intellectual stimulation, and I'm excited about my new career, so IY"H it'll all be worth it in the end. But I walk around constantly stressed. Especially now that finals week is here. And my house is a wreck and we eat a lot of toast for supper and I feel guilty about not spending more time with my kids. Sad