Studying as a mature student
Studying for an Access, GCSE or A Level course as a mature student provides a host of benefits that will positively impact on your personal and career success. While returning to education after years can seem daunting, you shouldn’t see it is a mountainous challenge, but rather, an opportunity to be more successful in every area of your life. If you are studying as a mature student, you are much more likely to take an organised and methodical approach, and this transcends other areas of your life.
When choosing a course and starting to study as an adult, you will have an entirely different set of reasons and priorities to the sixteen year old who is being cajoled into working for their GCSEs. You’ll have a much greater understanding of the benefits of passing exams and getting a good education. As a result of this, you’ll be very well placed to develop impressive levels of self-discipline. If you can motivate yourself to complete your studies when all you want to do is lie on the sofa and watch TV, you’ll be developing the kind of self-starting attitude that can enable great success in your personal life and career. For example, you can use your newly refined levels of self-discipline to stop smoking, or to make a commitment to regular exercise and healthy eating. In your career, you can apply the same ability to motivate yourself when your colleagues are having a ‘lazy’ day and are tempting you to down tools. There aren’t any employers who don’t value the person who uses their inner resources to develop an impressive work ethic.
If you’re studying as a mature student, it’s likely that you have many other responsibilities and demands on your time. By committing yourself to a course, by reading, taking notes and preparing for exams at the same time as juggling other obligations, you’re developing and enhancing your ability to cope under pressure and accept criticism.
Studying as a mature student will not just result in gaining qualifications. You’ll develop the habits of successful people, of goal orientated achievement; and that will be instrumental in being personally and professionally successful.
