Study time?

dsb_fam · Oct 1, 2012

I'm in your boat. I have five children and I am taking Micro and Nutrition. I also work 20 hours a week while my two youngest are in pre-school. I have zero life beyond home and school. I found that it helps to have frequent family "meetings" about mom going to school and what the long-term goal is. Amazingly even my little ones understand and I am very careful to not let it hurt our family life. It helps to do homework late at night and my housekeeping is not what I want it to be.

Austincb · Oct 1, 2012

My housekeeping is nonexistent until the weekend. I also work I have a home healthcare job but the hours are overnight and I get to sleep so I think it's a pretty good use of my time. My boys are on the swim team so we go to practice every day and I try to study when I'm there. I don't study late but rather early in the morning. The bus comes to our house at 6:15 so I'm usually at school by 730 studying. I'm keeping my on the prize but sometimes it does get tiring!!!

Halcyonn · Oct 1, 2012

I do the majority of my studying while the kids are sleeping. I have a 2yr. old and 1 yr. old, so it's virtually impossible to get any studying done while they are awake, lol! I feel like I am not spending nearly enough time with them or my poor husband, but I just remind myself that this is only temporary. The end will justify the means. Housework...HA, that's a good one. I try pick up a little here and there when I am taking a break from school work. Honestly though, it's at the bottom of my to-do list.

jvanwoman · Oct 3, 2012

The most classes I have taken at once have been 3 so far so I dont take too much time away from my family. Next year I start full time so these last 3 years of part time have been nice since I have young kids at home. I also avoided studying at night. I study better during the day a couple days per week for like 2-3 hour sessions.

lvnibclc · Oct 3, 2012

I am glad I opened this thread! I am taking 19 units to meet the application deadline. I have two small kids at home, and they are also very active on the swim team.. I feel like when we are home all I do is cook dinner, do the laundry that is absolutely necessary, and study!! I feel like I hardly ever spend time with my children! I do so much homework and I am on this computer nonstop with my classes. I find it hard to study at night, after the kids go to bed all I want to do is go to bed too! But I find it hard to get up early as well so I don't know how to balance everything! I know it is worth it though!

Halcyonn · Oct 3, 2012

I am glad I opened this thread! I am taking 19 units to meet the application deadline.!

Whew, 19 credits!? You are my hero. I am taking 12 credits this semester and I am maxed out. I have been chipping away at pre-reqs. part-time over the past two years. Plus, I took a semester off when I had my son last year. I plan to apply to a program in the spring, so this is my last big push to get everything done!

thats so awesome · Oct 3, 2012

My good friend at work always tells me about how she used to read her nursing text to her 5 children when she was in Nursing school. She said she just had to make it work. I found myself making little adjustments like this too with my 2 kids when I was battling microbiology in the summer and literally the craziest-physiology-class-EVER the following semester. If there's a will, there's a way! Good luck to ya!

Austincb · Oct 8, 2012

Thank God micro is only a pre req for my BSn not my adn ill battle that class later

GIEndoRN, BSN, RN · Oct 8, 2012

I do 10 credits (chem, psych, english), work 6 days a week and do a volunteer gig on most Sundays. My hats off to you with small kids... mine is 17, so hubby and her are pretty much on their own. And I'm totally completely exhausted. I end up studying late at night and early in the morning. Chem is killing me because it's not coming easy and I really don't know how to put more hours in the week to devote to it... Is it thanksgiving break yet? :yes:

mintygirl · Oct 9, 2012

That's the price of becoming a nurse - unfortunately you have small children so you are missing out on spending time with them. There is no way around that and for brief periods of time you will be studying - you have a huge workload from what I can hear as most people take 12 units and anything above that is just dedicated school time. This isn't considering how difficult and how much workload each class has - as each could be different, it all depends.

Eventually it'll pass though - there are only so many classes you need to take before you are finished.

FinallyMine · Oct 10, 2012

I am a single mom to a 2.5 yr old. I am in a direct entry MSN program but right now I'm working on the accelerated rn part of it. I took 20 credits over the summer and I have 17 credits right now (18 next semester).

I try to not study when I'm home with my daughter. I'm pretty successful with that for the most part. I have gotten very good at studying efficiently! My daughter is in daycare 5 days a week and I use all the time I can as though I had a 40hr work week. I have a decent GPA (3.75) and km pretty happy with that.

The trick is to be kind to yourself and get sleep. Only do one thing at a time even when the to do list is a mile long. If I can do it...anyone can.