Universities classify 'mature students' as applicants who are not entering Higher Education straight from university or a scheduled break from study. Perhaps you have been working full time or in voluntary work or caring; or you may have taken a first degree then worked or raised a family for some time before returning to study. Whatever the case, you will certainly not be alone. Although the percentage of mature postgraduate students varies from course to course and university to university, rest assured you will find plenty of other people following a similar route.

From the workplace to the lecture theatre
Daily workloads, a boss breathing down your neck, being in one place for eight hours a day, five days a week: wave goodbye to the office and a regular routine. In its place comes a more relaxed approach to workloads where you will be expected to organise yourself what you want to research into. Tutors are more like advisors than demanding bosses, giving guidance rather than placing demands on what you should do. Coming from the workplace can be ideal training though: you will be instilled with a self-driven attitude and may find the self-motivation needed easier to come by than students who have gone straight from the degrees and into postgraduate courses.

A different way of life
Financial insecurity, meeting a wave of new people, making time for studying, adapting to new ways of thinking: there are a lot of changes which come with postgraduate study. It is natural to feel stressed or worried about how you will cope, but that can be a positive thing. Once you’ve settled into the course and got to know the people around you, you’ll soon find the learning environment feels like home. Your tutors should provide ample support too, don’t be afraid to ask if you have any concerns and take advantage of any mentoring or additional facilities, such as free gym membership and childcare, the institution has too.

Work and study
Balancing paid work with academic study has become commonplace since the introduction of tuition fees. This has led to an increasing number of employers drawing on a student talentpool when the nearby university is in term time, and often outside of term time too. If you need to earn while you learn, there will be plenty of opportunities to get employed whether you are studying full-time or part-time. Just be sure you get that balance right.

Distance-learning
If you see relocating to a new town or city for postgraduate study as a burden, consider taking on a distance-learning course. It will enable you to study from home and get the qualification you want, though you might want to consider how much time it will take up and if you will have access to all the resources you need before signing up.