How To Overcome the Challenges of Returning to Graduate School Oak Park IL

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As an adult who's made the decision to return to college in pursuit of graduate studies, you can be assured of one thing: your life will certainly change. For adults who have begun a career, married or settled down in a steady relationship, or maybe even had children (or grandchildren) since college graduation, returning to academia can be daunting. Doubts may seem overwhelming at times - will you be able to keep up with the work? How will you handle work and school, if you've decided to attend part-time? How will you manage financially if you go full-time?

Fully exploring each of these issues could fill an entire book (or three!) but there are some simple steps you can take now to address your concerns and help you succeed in graduate school.

1. Start planning early. Spend some time thinking about how your daily routine would change as a returning graduate student. What sort of class schedule can you anticipate? What will that mean to the family schedule? Will you need someone to pinch-hit for you as chauffeur for the kids, for instance? It's easier to find someone like that if you've given yourself plenty of time.
   
   
2. Talk to your family and make sure you have their support. Graduate school is hard work under the least demanding of circumstances, so you can expect greater difficulty when you have family obligations and responsibilities as an employee. Let your children and spouse know what this will mean for them, and be as specific as possible. Instead of saying, "I'm going to need you guys to be quiet in the evenings," be more specific by telling them, "I need quiet time from 7 to 9 PM, three nights a week, and I'll go to the library on the weekends for four hours each day." Be equally specific when delegating house duties like laundry and dishes.
   
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Author: Sheryl Schelin