I have recently returned to education and although I don’t have time to blink- never mind maintain a regular blog- I thought I would jot down some of my observations about returning to college as an older (and questionably wiser) adult.  The first and most important thing I’ve learned is that this experience is not for the faint hearted. There’s no shuffling in of a Monday morning still trying to work out what room you’re meant to be in towards the end of the second semester. This is serious stuff. If you miss ONE class, you may as well drop out and join the circus. It’s all over. And much like a clown , a post grad student must get accustomed to juggling. A lot of things. For a whole year.

Group work is a huge part of my Masters programme which is really enjoyable as its allows me to meet new people and make friends as well as not being the sole bearer of  blame for any assignment atrocities.  I have so many ‘What’s App’ groups on the go that my dreams will forever be haunted by that faint ‘ping’ to notify you of a new message. As well as meeting up with several groups, attending lectures and doing reading, there’s also the small, insignificant matter of making time for eating, sleeping and human interaction.

The class when the lecturer announces the assignment and tells us to form our own groups is like a blood bath.  The panic of people climbing over others, chairs thrown everywhere (I may or may not be exaggerating) in order to meet the team specifications of mixed genders and mixed core disciplines is both a fascinating and terrifying vision.

My social life is booming.  My new ‘squad’ consists of the library staff and that lady who sweeps the hallway floors sometimes and helps me find a different room each week. (Taylor Swift and Cara Delevingne, eat your heart out! ) I interact with my old friends via an occasional Facebook chat when I have 87 other windows open on my screen and I’m looking up how the hell one goes about doing a PESTEL report. My classmates and I have a comforting mutual sentiment of “What the hell am I supposed to be doing?” constantly and it definitely helps to know I’m not alone in the never ending haze of ambiguity.

The library has become my second home and I’m beginning to wonder why I bother leaving it at night. Trying to navigate your way through that maze is not easy. This alone is a feat they should award you an MBS for. “… This is to certify that Eva  entered the library and successfully made it out again..”

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Within my course there are presentations that must be delivered across many modules. The added pressure of talking at the top of the class for 30 minutes is more daunting than it sounds. There’s something about it that makes me nervous. I don’t know what it is. I’m well aware that my class aren’t going to heckle me or anything, but the thought of having to present my work with everyone looking up at you, expecting something profound, is something that is going to take some getting used to.

One aspect of post-grad life that I am really enjoying is the stationery hauls. The piles of notebooks and folders that I once again have an excuse to purchase.  I finally get to revisit and satisfy my stationery addiction and it feels great!  Notebooks, folders, pens, more folders, the list is endless and they are all things I can without a doubt justify buying because I NEED them. I NEED to have colour coded folders and I NEED a new set of pens because old ones are boring. I’m pretty sure you fail the course if you don’t have at least 5 different coloured highlighters – or at least that’s what I’m going to tell myself.

So there you have it.  The deadlines may be getting closer, the word-counts may be increasing and the group assembling may be getting violent, but the return to education has been a really exciting one and a step I would encourage anyone to take who is at a cross roads career wise.

You never know what a year or two of hard work will lead to- if you make it out alive that is!