Did you know that around 9000 students at UCL are mature, part-time and/or carers?
This sizeable and diverse group of people forms a significant part of university life at UCL. Think about the profile – undergraduates and postgraduates in their 20s to their 70s, parents studying who have young children, the older student who is also caring for their parent or someone else in their family, someone who is based remotely from UCL elsewhere in the UK or overseas, career strivers who are attempting to gain a qualification at the same time as doing their job. Quite a mix. In fact, the spread of ages and nationalities makes the group feel like the workplace of a truly multinational entity, with a stimulating and entertaining mix of opinions and personalities.
Scratching below the surface, however, reveals other issues and challenges that are ever present for this student group that are much different from a ‘standard’ undergraduate or MA/MSc university experience. Here are a few – a lack of identity and belonging, particularly if there are not many students with similar circumstances or experiences on your course; returning to the academic world after many years with everything that entails; financial barriers and wider responsibilities; difficulties in accessing tailored academic and wellbeing support; fitting in socially and culturally, especially for international students; different perspectives, reasons and values in pursuing education compared to others; and juggling work and family commitments.
We can help! The ability to simply connect in different ways with other like-minded individuals across the whole of UCL can be enriching. There is value in sharing unique issues and problems to enable greater understanding. The Mature, Part-Time and Carers Network is a unique and important group to help facilitate this. To have so many types of student under one umbrella means that the Network is in a great position to offer peer support across a wide range of issues. It is also free to join!
Opportunities to socialise and network with fellow students are at the heart of what we offer – for example, via evening social events and quieter coffee mornings. We will also aim to host virtual events for those students outside of the campus. Finding information relevant to your situation can often be difficult and we will do our best to help signpost you here, often via our WhatsApp group.