Mothers Deciding to Go to College

When you have young children often times it is hard to make a decision to go back to school for a degree. Mothers have different questions than a high school graduate. As a parent of four children, I am faced with the task of deciding if now is the right time, for me to attend college. There are many questions I had to ask myself. They are questions that all mothers should consider when considering higher education. These questions will help prepare you for the challenges mothers face when attending school.

Will Going to School Benefit Me?

Education and knowledge are always beneficial. If you are currently working, a degree can help you achieve a better salary. If you are not working and plan to in the future, a degree can open many doors for you that might otherwise have been closed. Most often people with a degree generally earn a higher wages.

Who Will Take Care of My Children?

This was the biggest question I had to answer. I have a child that is only one year old, and another that is two years old. I would need to find daycare or a sitter while I attended school. Would I be able to find someone I trusted? Would family members be able to help me? Does the school offer child care? Can I afford to pay someone to watch my children? These are probably the hardest questions, and the ones that can be the biggest obstacle to overcome.

Will I Attend Full Time or Part Time?

How much time do you have to devote to schooling? Some programs are only offered to full time students. If your schedule does not allow you to attend full time, you might have to look for degrees and programs that allow you to work on them little by little. For example, I am considering getting my RN or becoming a dental hygienist. I can take my time taking the pre requisite courses. But once I am accepted into either one of those programs, I have to attend full time. Another item to think about is if your going to qualify for financial aide, such as a grant. Many grants are only offered to students who attend three quarters or full time.

Can I Afford to Go to School?

College can be very expensive. If you are on a tight budget consider a technical or community college. They offer excellent programs. In my area they are almost half the price per credit hour. Always apply for financial aide too. There are grants, student loans, and even scholarships you might qualify for. You might qualify for child care assistance too.

Will I Have Time to Study?

Going to College definitely is no easy task. With classes and courses there comes homework and hours of studying. Trying to raise children and finding quiet time to study and do homework can be a huge task. Will you have time to study? Will you have time to complete homework? You will need to keep your grade point average as high as possible. Many programs require a certain grade point average before you can even apply.

Can I Take Some of the Courses On-line?

This is a great question to ask. On-line classes are more flexible. It allows you to take a course and not even leave the house. This comes in handy when you have small children. Taking on-line classes you do need to be more of an independent worker. Some people do learn better with an actual instructor in front of them, while others are fine with the on-line experience.

Earning a degree or a certificate while parenting young children is not easy. There are questions that have to be answered before a mother can accomplish the task of higher education. Finances, baby sitters, study time, homework, and choosing programs or courses, are things that all need to be considered. Ask yourself those tough questions and find the answers.