Continuing education is highly important, especially for working adults and single mothers. It is widely known that a four-year degree can greatly increase your chances of getting a higher paying job with excellent benefits, and while college may seem out of reach for many adults, a variety of colleges for single mothers offer affordable degree programs that cater to a variety of schedules and financial backgrounds.
If you plan on finishing your degree at a single parent college in the near future, write down these tips to help you stay motivated and focused on achieving your tasks:
Organize Your Life
Organization is the key to success for every aspect of life.
When going back to school as a single mother, you’ll need to divide your time between taking classes, studying, cooking, shopping, paying the bills, cleaning and more. You’ll also have to devote a significant amount of time to caring for your children on a daily basis. Making a schedule every week will help you stay on track.
- Set aside between two and three hours each day to study for school.
- Make sure your classes are scheduled at night if you work full time.
- Organize a work space at home that will be dedicated solely to your school and studies.
- Working and studying all week can cause burnout fast. Energize your batteries by setting aside some downtime to unwind and relax, at least one hour per day.
Do Not Procrastinate
Procrastination has been known to destroy lives. If you’re a single mother going back to school, do everything in your power to stop doing it.
While there are many different methods people have tried in their journeys to end procrastination, keeping a consistent daily schedule and using a reminder system are most effective. If you have a smartphone, download an application that allows you to easily schedule each day and will send your reminders to complete tasks.
Some mobile applications even block out other unnecessary applications until each daily task is complete.
Online Colleges Might Be a Great Choice
Online colleges are no longer facing the same criticism as they once were. Mainstream schools such as Arizona State University are now offering online courses to single mothers who don’t think they have the time to attend physical classes.
Most colleges for single mothers online charge the same tuition for both out-of-state and in-state students, a practice that maximizes savings and opens the doors of college education to a broader audience.
Attend a College that Offers Family Housing
If you plan on attending college full time or part time on campus, universities that offer family housing will likely be your best choice.
There are many family housing colleges located across the country. Some well-known universities in this category include Purdue University, Chadron State University, University of Florida and more. The requirements to partake in family housing with a university will likely vary by school, so it’s best that single mothers contact each campus to receive more information.
Study with Friends from Class
Single moms will likely have issues when it comes to finding time to study. Besides limiting the amount of classes taken at one time, single moms should find a study group that meets at least once or twice a week for a couple hours at a time.
Single moms who study with friends or other classmates can concentrate more and focus on completing the task at hand. While it might be necessary to find a babysitter during these times, you’ll gain a lot more if you have little to no outside distractions.
Apply for a College that Pays their Students
If you’re worried about whether or not you can keep up with a full time job and take care of your children while applying for college, some universities will actually pay their students to attend classes.
The Berea College Labor Program based in Kentucky, offers students the chance to attend college, receive a college diploma and get paid at the same time. Students are expected to learn and work at the same time, and are placed in a variety of real life workplace situations based on each student’s particular professional interests.
These colleges often are the same colleges that provide on campus single mother college housing. The wages paid by the college for the Labor Program are below normal market wages however, students are happy that they have the opportunity to offset the cost of attending Berea College.
Choosing the Right Way to Pay for College
There are a variety of resources which single mothers can use to pay for their college education. Mothers should apply for as many as possible to increase their chances of significantly reducing the amount of college related out-of-pocket expenses in the future.
While there is no one right way to pay for college, single moms should first focus their energy on obtaining as many grants or scholarships as possible. Once they’ve exhausted these options, they can then move on to FAFSA and other types of financial aid. As a last resort, single moms could try to apply for a student loan through a private bank. While private banks might cost more down the road when it comes to interest charges, the degree itself should garner a high enough salary that the graduate can afford the monthly payment.
Always be prepared when applying for loans and apply for the single mother colleges first.
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