I cannot believe it has been two years, but that long ago I finished up my college degree in Communications. It was a great day for the entire family. My husband and children were there to cheer me on as I walked across the stage to receive my degree. On top of the love and support from my family, my sense of accomplishment was very overwhelming. It had always been my dream to finish my education, and I had done it. Recently a lot of my friends and moms in my neighborhood have been interested in getting their college education, but they have many questions and concerns. I figured they can’t be the only ones with questions, so I am going to address some main concerns here. When most moms are deciding whether or not to go back to school they have three concerns: money, time, and success. I had those same worries, but there are ways to settle your mind.
After my husband and I had our first son, I left work to become a full time at home mother. When I chose to go back to school I had not worked in years, so I didn’t have to worry about losing out on my income. The cost of school did concern me though. With three kids our budget was still pretty tight. Luckily I had a good friend who had just gone back to school. She used financial aid and grants for moms to go back to school and helped me to apply as well. I was ecstatic when I found out it would not be as costly as I originally thought.
Time is another concern for mothers wanting to go to school. I have friends who are not only mothers but also full time employees outside of the home so time is precious. One way to find the time to go back to school is to look into online classes and programs. You can complete your classwork after the kids are asleep or during naps. I took mostly online courses and I loved it.
No one likes to fail. Being a successful student is something that moms want to be able to do but are afraid that they cannot. Being a success is possible no matter your situation. You just have to be prepared. Create a space for your studying and schoolwork, keep in close contact with professors, and find other moms who are going to school to study with. These things may sound obvious, but if you do them you will be a success.
There is no better feeling than knowing that you have done something like graduated from college. Mothers all over the country are going back to school and you can too!
