Getting return on your investment
Some advice from the pros, including students themselves, on how to succeed:
Familiarize yourself with the institution's policies -- they
have them on everything from deadlines for dropping a course with
refund to getting student parking.
Find out what offices exist on campus if you need information
or help with a problem. These can be found in registrars' offices,
counselling centres, continuing education departments, student
unions and ombudspersons' offices.
Check out the services on campus available to students studying part-time. Can you use the athletic centre, use the counselling services, get an escort at night to your car or bus stop?
Assess your study skills and make time to attend workshops or tutoring sessions if you need them. Schools offer everything from studying for multiple-choice tests to managing your time effectively.
If you start to feel overwhelmed or experience difficulties
keeping up with the workload along with your other responsibilities,
seek help. Many part-time students don't realize that assignment
dates can be extended or exams written at alternate times. Even
entire courses can be withdrawn and fees deferred to a future
date if you speak to the right person and provide the necessary
documentation.
Don't hesitate to speak with your instructor or professor, but
bear in mind that part-time courses are most often taught by sessional
teachers, so they may not be aware of all the institutional policies
and procedures.
Keep your family and friends informed, and enlist their support
so they don't resent the time you spend on schoolwork and not
with them.
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Keep up healthy habits
It's easy to forget healthy habits when you’re rushing from work
to school to home. So remember to:
Get lots of rest and a good night's sleep.
Eat well. Think about brown-bagging it to school so you're not
caught at break time buying a coffee and donut.
Make time for exercise and maintaining a social life -- it helps your energy for studying, and keeps the rest of your life in balance.
Money matters
One of the biggest problems for students who return to school for
part-time is cost. In most cases, there's no government assistance
available. Aside from careful budgeting, you should check out the
bursaries provided by the school itself.
At some places such as McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ont., a limited amount of money is available for students with financial need. At Ryerson University, with the largest continuing education population in the country, hundreds of thousands of dollars are given out each semester.
Your employer may be willing to pay for successful completion of courses, and some service clubs or political organizations even give out money for returning to school, so it pays to do your homework.
And while not every school offers it, Prior Learning Assessment is a way to gain credit for work experience if you can meet the requirements. This saves you both time and money, so check it out with potential schools.
The right start
Most colleges and universities offer some form of self-assessment
for people thinking of returning to school. These can be free or
low cost ($10 for a 12-hour career planning workshop series at Centennial
College) to those offered as courses (such as University of British
Columbia's $275 career testing package).
It's a good investment, because if you start at the
right place you have a better chance of reaching the finish line.
