Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Studying with a family whilst at university
Hi I’m Amina, a Project Management student at Leeds Beckett. When I decided to pursue a master’s degree, I knew that the journey would not be worth it without having my family around. They are the best team I could ever have, and I cherish every moment spent with them. However, studying with my family has not been easy. Combining schoolwork and the demands on the home front has been quite a stretch.
In this blog, I will be talking about my experience studying with a family and I will share some tips that have helped me manage and balance family life with my studies.
PREPARING FOR STUDY
I was determined to succeed in my academic pursuits, so I prepared adequately.
Before starting my studies at Leeds Beckett, I took the ‘International Students’ Academic Introduction module, to learn about studying at the university and ensure a smooth transition into the process.
I also found the weekly webinars hosted by the library team to answer questions about the module very useful. To prepare for my course, I read books on Project Management and took online courses on LinkedIn Learning. This helped me a great deal during lectures and coursework. It made it easier for me to understand some of the topics taught in the different modules.
PLANNING CHILDCARE
As a student planning to study with family, a major question on your mind will be ‘Who will look after my kids when I’m in class?’, especially if your kids are not of school age. There are different options to consider such as nursery, childminders, friends, family members, etc. I opted for the nursery option, and it has been a good decision so far.
My top tip would be plan childcare as early as you can before your studies start.
I wish I had started the search for my children’s nursery earlier. Everyone talks about how childcare costs are so high, but I didn’t realise the other challenges like getting a place and waiting lists. I started my search a few days before my second week of lectures and most of the nurseries I’d found were fully booked. Luckily, I eventually found one that could accommodate my kids. So whatever childcare option you choose, starting your search as early as possible is a great idea.
BALANCING STUDY AND FAMILY TIME TIPS
As a student studying with family, it goes without saying that finding time to study can be really challenging. Being able to meet the demands at home and in school, requires a lot of planning and time management. It might not always be easy but managing your time will help you accomplish a lot more in the limited time available. Here are some of the ways I manage my time.
- Creating a daily schedule: Typically, I plan my day the night before by listing out the tasks for the day and allotting realistic time blocks for each task. I ensure that I stick to this schedule, and this helps me spend a reasonable amount of time studying.
- Maximising my free time on lecture days: One of the things I love about Leeds Beckett is the availability of PCs in many locations on campus. With One Drive which all students have free access to, I can easily view my schoolwork from any PC, all I need is my login details and viola I’m in! This has helped me to keep up with assignment deadlines. In breaks between lectures, I can easily spend a few minutes working on pending assignments.
- Another major task I accomplish on lecture days is food shopping. After lectures or during breaks, I usually make a stop at the supermarket close to the campus to shop for the week, this frees up time on the weekends for other activities. My classmates have named me ‘the woman with the green shopping bag’ 😂.
- Eliminating distractions: If you must study with kids around, there is very little you can do to prevent them from distracting you. However, there are things you can control, social media being one of them. During my daily study time, I avoid opening my socials like Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter. This helps me concentrate and maximise my study time. I have also found logging out completely for some days or weeks very useful, during very busy periods in school.
YOU’VE GOT SUPPORT
To succeed in your studies as a student studying with a family, you need to maximise all the support you can get from your family, friends, and classmates. It is important to be open with your family about the expectations for your course, don’t assume they know.
Having regular conversations with your family about how you are progressing in your course, will help them understand how they can support you.
I do this with my husband every now and then.
My classmates have been helpful on this journey too. On days that I need to leave a class early to pick my kids up, I have classmates who record the remaining part of the lecture for me. We also support each other through group discussions on topics we find challenging.
Studying with family can be very demanding but it is also a very rewarding experience if you put all the right measures in place. My family is my main motivation. They are the reason I strive for more and push myself to give my best in my studies. It’s such an honour and blessing to have them by my side on this awesome journey. I wouldn’t have it any other way 😊.
