25 and wanting to study?

[Julez82]

Hi,

I'm Jules, I'm 25 and have a 10 month old daughter. I'm moving back to Aus in June from the UK (have been here 8 years too long!) and will be living in Sydney.

I've been thinking about my career quite a bit recently and would like to return to studying.

Can anyone provide me with any info on whether I can still study at this age, and would I be able to receive any help with funds etc as I'm a single Mum?

Thanks in advance,
Jules

[QTB]

of course you can still study! good on you for wanting too!! im almost 24 and have just started studing again! i dont know about help with funds, im sure there will be something!!

Best of luck with your move and settling back in!

[Beany]

Yes you can still study!

How far did you get in your education? What sort of studying were you planning to do (TAFE, uni?)?

If you've finished high school, you just apply through the normal channels. If you haven't, there are many options available. You could do a "university access course" which gives you a grade with which you can compete to get into a degree program. Most universities offer these and they generally take 6 months to a year to complete. You don't have to compete with the entire population of high schoolers to get in, either - you'd be considered a "mature age student".

My advice would be to contact the university and tell them your situation. They will send masses of stuff out to you.

Contact Centrelink after that as payments depend on what you'll be doing and for how many hours a week.

Best of luck!

[SimplyMum]

Of course. I'm a single Mum and I've been studying for about a year and a half. I am currently studying at Tafe. They have a program where if you meet the criteria they will pay for certain qualifications in certain courses. I have completed Cert III in Financial Services and am now doing Diploma in Accounting. I don't think this works with Uni and I'm not sure what help there is available to uni students (would love to know though as I'm looking at doing this next year).

[Julez82]

Thanks for that info Beany. I've contacted the Uni to see what they say and what help they can offer. I'm interested in studying for a degree in Medical Science, and then possibly going on to study at Medical School. I completed the 2nd last year of high school (but this was in South Africa) and haven't studied any further. I think that I will have to do 2 university access courses to be eligible though, according to their website.

Am I crazy for wanting to sign up for another 6/7 years of studying! LOL

Thanks for replying everyone!

xxx