Mature students
A few wise words for mature students and those returning to higher education.
First off, a mature student isn’t necessarily someone who wears cardigans and shakes their greying head in a responsible way saying, ‘It’s not like it was in my day’. Nor necessarily are they pushing on a bit.
Students can be classified as mature from as young as 21. If you were alive when Frankie said Relax or it was fashionable to wear shoulder pads so wide you could only go through doors sideways, you’re probably old enough to be a mature student. The only generally accepted definition is that mature students are not the same age as conventional students and they are (with a few exceptions) not coming to higher education straight from school.
If you are returning to education, there are special considerations which vary enormously from one college to another. There’s no need to accept sloppy seconds and just make do when it comes to higher education – there’s enough choice to put your foot down and set an agenda according to your own specific needs.
Most students’ unions (SUs) provide some facilities for mature students such as common rooms, mature student groups and specialised welfare advice. Make a checklist of needs from housing through to entertainment which will make a difference to which college you choose.
Although mature students often have roots and ties which may be an incentive to look no further than the most local college, many will find that special provisions for mature students may make a broader search worthwhile.
Some colleges provide specialised packages which are centred on people who have not just left the parental home. For example, many offer off-campus self-catering accommodation, others have specific flats for mature students with their partner (usually only if married) and even their children, though it’s rare to find places that can accommodate more than one child per couple. The college will probably also provide house hunting info for those who’d rather go it alone. The Accommodation Officer will be most handy for this – SU’s accommodation help is generally geared mainly to conventional students.
As for social life, most entertainments centre around the SU rather than the college. Push gives the low-down on the goings-on. Bear in mind that bars may be full of students who, for the first time, don’t have to prove their age to buy a pint. Discos will be aimed at groovy young things who think Depeche Mode is a setting on their hi-fi (though you can always wow them with your intimate knowledge of 80s pop lyrics on retro night). From gigs to grub, what do you want to do? And does the college you’re looking at provide it?
If appropriate, check about childcare facilities as many colleges are only beginning to develop services in this area. Push Online’s university profiles tells you whether there’s a creche, but under that description can be anything from well-staffed care at subsidised cost for children from 6 months to 5 years old to some nobody who fancied a spot of babysitting, surrounded by squealing brats and tipped-up paint pots. In most colleges, the SU is either the main provider of childcare facilities on campus or knows best what provisions are available and will give an honest opinion of how good they are. Either get in touch in person – talk to the Welfare Officer – or ask for a copy of the SU handbook or alternative prospectus.
Although many students are aged over 21, many facilities still cater for the 18+ age range. Mature students can feel isolated and so it’s useful if there are others in the same boat and a forum for them to meet. Some SUs provide better support than others and many mature student groups organise their own functions. Under the Welfare section, the university profiles say whether there’s a mature students’ association.
Also in the vital statistics panel in the general section of each college profile, we provide figures for the percentage of mature students. That can vary from the single digits to a few universities where 18-year olds are the freaks. Naturally enough, this is one of the best indicators of how well geared up the university may be for mature students. After all, there’s safety in numbers. Or failing that, other people to moan with.
Last updated on: 26 November 2008