With all the responsibilities of single motherhood – taking care of the children, looking after your home, regular garden maintenance and work commitments, taking on postgraduate studies can seem like an insurmountable task. But with careful planning and assistance it need not be as difficult as you may think. Here are four tips for undertaking post graduate studies while still taking care of your kids and all of your other responsibilities.
Look For Flexible Study Options
There are now a multitude of universities and colleges offering post graduate degrees online. For example, Rutgers Online offers an online masters in public administration as one of its online programs. If an online MPA program is not what you’re looking for, then there are many other choices of online post graduate degrees you can study for.
Studying online means you can do your course work in your own time, often while the children are at school, or in the evenings when they’re asleep. Most online programs also allow you flexibility in how long you take to complete your course, so you don’t need to put yourself under too much pressure to finish by a certain date.
Seek Out Possible Scholarships or Grants
As a single mom, you most likely have to stick to a fairly strict budget to ensure all of the household expenses are paid, including school costs and childcare expenses. If you do some research, you may find some financial aid opportunities that are available especially for single moms.
You could apply for a scholarship or special grant, which will help reduce the financial strain on your household budget and enable you to further your studies without going into debt.
Enlist the Help of Family and Friends
Doing it all on your own is not only impossible but a little unwise as well. Enlist the help of people who are close to you. You could maybe organize a school pick-up or drop-off roster with other moms and take it in turns to drive the kids to and from school. This way you’ll get some uninterrupted study time while you’re children are at school until they get home. You’ll also find that many universities have dedicated student advisors and groups, which are specifically designed for single mothers. Take advantage of these so that you don’t feel like you’re doing it all alone.
Don’t Forget To Take a Little Time Out for Yourself
Even though you have a busy schedule and there are always things to do, it’s really important to take a little time out for yourself. This not only recharges your batteries but will give you renewed vigor to deal with all your responsibilities. You could just go for a walk, treat yourself to a facial or maybe catch that movie you’ve been waiting to see.
If you want to take on some post graduate studies as a single mom, know that it is not impossible and that with careful planning and some assistance from family and friends you will definitely be able to improve your career prospects with further education.
Brought to you by our friend, Carol.