Study Tips for Non-traditional Students

January 19, 2022

Studying isn’t easy for most people, but as an older student, you may face some additional obstacles. If 10 years ago you thought that trying to get some work done while your roommate was fighting with a boyfriend or girlfriend or partying, try doing so when you have a crying baby or a family relying on you to provide them with dinner. You may need some additional strategies, and the tips below can help.

Manage Your Anxieties

One of the major distractions you may face can be the inside of your own head. If you are worried about how one of your children is doing in school, you might struggle to concentrate on French verb conjugations. If you are worried about expenses, especially old student loans, you might wonder what you are doing spending even more money on school. There are basically two approaches you can take. One approach is to have a strategy for dealing with the problem.

If you’re worried about the impact the cost of your education is having on your family, you could look at your budget and ways to save money, and if you have old student loans you’re paying off, you might consider refinancing with a private lender. A student loan refinance could mean paying less monthly and paying less in interest. The other strategy is to compartmentalize. Some of the things you worry about don’t have a ready solution, but you can set aside five or 10 minutes at the start of the study session to worry about them and then tell yourself you have to set them aside and concentrate.

Find Your Space

Another big challenge that you may face is finding a place to study. If you have kids and a full-time job while attending college, you probably can’t hit the library at 10 at night and study for the next couple of hours. Depending on the age of your children, how much the other parent can help, and other responsibilities that you may have, there are a few different strategies you could use.

You could set aside your lunch break at work for studying although depending on the nature of your job, you might need some downtime then. Some people find success through going in to work early or staying late though this will also depend on your workplace. You may also need to talk to your family about giving you some quiet time even if the only place you can set up and study is at the dining room table.

Use Your Resources

If it’s been a long time since you were a student, you might need to brush up on specific study strategies, or you may find that what used to work for you no longer does. Take advantage of any resources that your school offers. There are many study guide websites available, or the library or another department on campus may have a workshop on study skills. You could also talk to your professor during their office hours about any specific difficulties that you are having.

About the Author Prabhakaran

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