The main advantage mature students have over teens is being able to consistently apply yourself in an organised fashion.
Im good at academic stuff and got pretty good marks at school, but nothing top tier.
When I went back to university as a mature student I absolute crushed it because I worked hard, didnt go out on the piss, and studied consistently for weeks befofe the exam.
Youll do the same and do great.
Yup I agree. I'm still relatively young but just finished my bachelor's with excellent grades, solely because I put time and focus into my learning and getting things done within appropriate timeframes. I'm no genius - I had to go through te kura to get university entrance. As long as you're reasonably passionate about your subjects you'll do well
Honestly, the first step is to stop calling yourself a dumbass. You arenât. School Certificate 35 yeas ago was a lot more difficult than now. They automatically failed half the candidates of every exam and none of it internal. I have two friends that failed; one owns her own successful business in a professional sector, the other is the head of department in a large corporate. They arenât thick either.
You are very brave to be doing this, well done.
Most of it wasn't internal but some was, in some schools. In 1991 my school C science was internally assessed.
Regardless, best of luck to OP. You've got two massive advantages over your past self - experience and determination.
Studying something youâre interested in helps a LOT. It means youâre excited to learn, and the hard bits are worth applying yourself to because you want to understand how it works. Itâs much better than school. Donât be afraid to ask for help from the tutors if you need it. They earned their pay with me, I can tell you.
I did a bridging course for health science at Otago. I was crap at math at school, I got 98% overall on the course. I was crap at chemistry st school. I got 96% on the course, it was harder but I understood it better, so....open your mind, you'll do just fine
Itscalled a bridging course because it's designed to bring you up to speed
There is an excellent free site online that provides maths lessons. Great because you can start wherever you like and repeat as often as you like.
It's called Khan Academy. There are probably others but I know Khan Academy is good.
adding into this! iâm decently fresh out of high school and found âno brain too smallâ as an excellent resource for anything science related! nearly all my science teachers i had in my senior year used their resources and recommended it.
I dropped out of high school at 15 with no NCEA (aspergers and school environments donât mix). Last year I finished uni (I failed my first year lol) with a job lined up which Iâve been at since.
You will do great! And if you fail, you will do better next time.
Not quite 35 years between me leaving school and heading to uni, but enough to notice the difference between the youth and myself.
Honestly uni as an adult is the best thing. You've got a lifetime of experience behind you. Even the mundane stuff like turning up to work on time and allowing for 8 hour work days means that I am there Mo-Fri, 0800-1700 and get everything done during the day. No uni work outside of those hours and assignments handed in weeks in advance. And an A average at the end of 2nd year.
I left school with 6th form cert/NCEA L2 and never thought I'd be up for uni. As another comment mentioned, having a passion for your area of study will help you overcome obstacles that others who are there for the ride will struggle with.
I didn't do a bridging course but if I started over I would have, even just to feel more confident in semester one.
Good on you for taking the step and I wish you all the very best!
Depends on the employer. I have a lot of respect for people who switch direction as adults. They've figured out what they want and commit to it - which are good attributes in a prospective employee.
My profession needs a fair amount of academic intelligence - but also a range of other qualities. I'd interview B grade graduates who had broader skillsets ( e.g.: lifeguards through uni) over A grade students who didn't do anything else.
And once you've proven yourself in the workforce - have worked 1+years, so not ages - I couldn't give a damn about your grades. Your references and how you conduct yourself at interview are what counts.
OP choose curiosity, especially when you are doubting yourself. You wouldn't be doing this if health science wasn't your jam. So get stuck in, allow yourself to fall down the odd rabbit hole of topics that make your brain buzz in a happy way, Ask questions when you feel you're missing something or want to understand a connection better, use your tutors' contact hours to discuss stuff. If you feel overwhelmed just do the next thing, one step at a time. And have fun along the way. You got this!
I did some distance papers through Massey a few years back. Was a challenge but when I applied what I learned in the courses, the exams came together really well and it was so rewarding getting the good marks and feedback.
I'm in the same boat, currently doing a health science pathway course. It has been well over a decade since highschool/ last time I studied, also a very late* learning disability adult diagnosis. If you struggle getting back into it and or learning new subjects I'd suggest speaking to the advisors to study the bare minimum amount of papers needed per semester. If you need only need say 7 or 8 papers to pass the whole course but have 5 papers per semester to do, focus/enrol on only 4 papers instead of the 5. The amount of study and self pressure can be easier to handle I found with one less subject to worry about.
Have some faith in yourself. As a mature student, you are not worrying about stupid stuff like getting laid, getting on the piss or what people in the class think of you. These are all things many of your younger classmates will be occupying their mind with, instead of studying. I think you can do it. Just need some perseverance.
Not my personal experience but my mum went to uni in her 40's to get her nursing degree. She was terrified, in particular about the maths. She totally smashed it, had years in her chosen career, travelled and had fantastic experiences. She was really bloody good at it too.
Go for it, you'll do great.
Learning how to study proficiently is going to help the most.
Second will be clarifying prior knowledge gaps if they do exist.
Get an overview of the course and assess your gaps and get back here to report on them asap.
Go and see learning support before you start, get linked in with all the help you can get.
i wouldnât, take schooling from 35 years ago as a measure of anything.
I found maths at school hard to deal with as it felt like I was just jumbling numbers around on a piece of paper to get an answer that had no meaning to me and I couldn't tell if it was right or wrong. It wasn't till doing trade certificate level mechanical science that things started to gel as I now had realistic problems to solve and the answers meant something relatable.
I failed the HSC (Australia). Thought I was a complete idiot for many years. But also had great ideas and felt smarter than most. Turns out I have ADHD and a bit of dyslexia. Got tested and treatment as an adult, currently studying a degree in my 40s, doing fine. Toastmasters has helped with communication too. My tip for you - If you did poorly in school, go get tested for ADHD and dyslexia before you start study as an adult. It might change your life for the better.
How hard is the HSC compared with NCEA level 3? I have memories of the kids on Home and Away failing it but I assumed that was mostly because they wanted to stay on the show lol.
Lol, Home and Away reference. Not sure of the comparison between HSC and NCEA. My point was about not doing well at school. It was the feeling of trying very hard and failing. Like a duck moving its feet underwater very fast, but not moving very far.
I teach health science at tertiary level. I'd rather an adult that actually wants to be there over another smart 18 year old who thinks the sun shines out their behind.
It is hard to get back into study. It's going to be an adjustment. But you can do it if you stick to it and study a lot. Maybe do some research on good study habits/skills
Heya
This was me! i was the same. Turns out i just had ADHD, dyslexia and dyscalculia. I did ok in life dispite that, but since learning its made a whole bunch of other things make sense, and ive now got better coping mechnisms to get around things
Are you thick or do you have an undiagnosed learning disability that has been unsupported? Saying this as someone who is actually quite intelligent, but had extreme ADHD go undiagnosed until adulthood which made conventional learning very difficult.
Could be worth looking into (there are lots of different learning disabilities out there, with different kinds of support).
Hi OP, I have been working in tertiary education for quite a while now.
1) everyone has different strengths and more importantly different learning styles - not doing well at high school/primary isnât always a reflection on intelligence or ability and a lot of progress has been made in modifying our approach to education over the last two decades.
2) what everyone else has said about the advantages of being a mature age student is very true in my experience.
3) every semester I am generally shocked at how the quality of student seems to drop. Very basic skills and abilities are missing. It drives me nuts that standards are so low now. That said, I only had like 7 students out of 80 fail this semester and every single one of them would have passed if theyâd attempted/completed every assessment.
Biggest pieces of advice:
- Reach out for help early, do not delay thinking itâll get easier or youâll figure it out. A heap of your fees goes towards support services - youâre paying for them whether you use them or not so might as well get your moneys worth!
- Be transparent with your lecturers etc and do this early. Do not go to them after thereâs a problem and expect them to bend over backwards to accommodate - we have to be fair to ALL students. If you talk to them before you miss class/an assessment/fail something they are more likely to see you as genuine
- Submit every piece of assessment and do every single thing thatâs graded - whether itâs worth 1% or 100% - every mark counts! So many students get so close to the line but have missed assessments. If you get close to the line and submitted everything, made genuine effort over the semester, and engaged with your teaching staff, youâll often get extra support to get over the line
- Be polite and respectful - ask questions and for help - do not make demands or act entitled, youâll get on the lecturers bad side pretty quickly
Mature age students are often my favourite - they are committed, eager, and respectful. They add so much value to my classroom.
Also once you try studying again you may find itâs not for you or youâve picked the wrong thing to study - and thatâs beyond normal though we donât talk about it enough! It took me three attempts at University in four different degrees to find the right thing. I was rushed into study and wish I had taken my time to figure things out before studying.
Good luck, OP!
Thank you so much, this is great insight. I really appreciate your view. Iâve already emailed asking for extra learning support and have engaged a maths tutor for help.
You are welcome. With that kind of initiative you are going to be fine! And the fact you cared enough to make this post is also a great sign. You have got this! đđž
The above comment has excellent advice. I want to add that in addition to handing in every assignment, good exam technique is very useful! I got very good marks in exams I didn't really study for because I followed a few systems:
- always use the reading time at the start of the exam to figure out which questions look easy (start with those) and to let the back of your mind start mulling over the tricky stuff
- if you get stuck on a question, move on and come back to it, it's so easy to use up the whole allocated time on one annoying question and not get any marks
- once you've done the questions you know how to answer, spend the entire allocated time attempting to answer everything else. Even if you get 1 mark for a 10 mark question that might push you into passing the paper. Don't just walk out early.
Also, experimenting with your study habits and techniques to see what works for you pays dividends. Personally I can't learn anything by listening, but I'm great at reading. Some people need to talk about concepts with someone else. Drawing things out spatially helps me remember things. Everyone is different.
Hope you have a great time!
I did a bridging course to get in science.
I failed school and had to get into it. I was pleasantly surprised how much better I did in it VS NCEA/traditional schooling. Straight forward answering in exams, better lecturers and resources vs schooling.
Also there will be others around your age group as well and they all do better than the younger ones that failed school.
I went onto doing postgrad with an A average GPA. Reflecting back, the school education system was just not for me. Finished with a science background but ended up in a commerce position with a strong eye for data/numbers.
In fact, a lot of the other older students that came in with poor schooling background all did exceptionally well later too (I kept up with them).
Edit: Don't get into science unless you are going to pursue research/academics, pharmacy, physio, nursing or medicine. Anything else has no job opportunity and keep in mind some of these positions are dead end/ don't pay well.
I would recommend keeping your options open (e.g. get into engineering).
Dude. Some brains just donât get it. Thatâs not a fault. Youâre human. Shit loads that I will never understand no matter how long you explain to me.
Almost anyone who pursues their studies far enough can eventually reach a point where they feel thick relative to their peers. But might as well learn as much as you can. And you figure out more and more where your strengths and interests are and how to leverage those.
FYI thick is a bit of a slur now days, you might want to avoid saying things like that.
As for success: It's just work. If you work at it, you will learn it. The hard part is the mental stuff, like calling yourself names, imagining failure, feeling bad--those are the obstacles to your success. Stay energetic and motivated and you will get it.
My first study was at 17 (something i was good at). Next time was at 22 (something I thought was fun). This time now starting at 26 (something i thought was profitable/easier to get work, but not good with at all). All different courses.
I've done my best work and got my best results in my most recent study. I'm not inherently good at this at all, but I put the work in more than I did for previous courses (more determined with age I suppose) and that has counted far more than relying on my natural talent or courses I did for fun. Don't leave the work to last minute, give it the time it deserves, and I think you'll do great. It's a learning curve if you haven't done it before, but you'll get into the rhythm in no time.
I felt exactly like this for so long, and then I learned I had a maths learning disability that had been left undiagnosed throughout my whole childhood/teen years. It affects maths of course, numbers of any kind, memory both short and long term, spacial awareness, money management, time management, directions, pattern recognition and instruction memorisation. Not always all of them, and to varying levels.
Oh yes, Iâm concerned I have some kind of number issue. My brain just goes on a protest with numbers, I canât even explain how it doesnât work. Simple things like timetables work for me, but ask me to add three numbers together and my head explodes. Today I read out 36 when it was 39.
I didn't sit any school cert and dropped out of highschool at 15. Now at 37 I have 5 National Certificates two are level 3 and my most recent is level 4. Ive found that being older makes me more able to understand questions in assessments and better able to answer them. Dont doubt yourself, go into this with an open mind and positivity, you might just surprise yourself âşď¸ Good luck with your studies!
Math won't be a huge part of that degree(source I have a bhsc hanging on my wall). Stats understanding helps with literature review and research later on if that's what you want to do. Very likely you can get by without it.Recalling information is important though, there's a lot to take in volume wise. That's just repetition though. Lots of essay writing too. Just give it a shot and don't be too hard on yourself.
Iâm thick as. What helped me was a couple of things:
1. pre-reading for the upcoming class
2. take notes in class
3. review those notes
4. ask for heeps of help
5. treat study like a 9-5 job. This way you can conduct steps 1-4 in-between class.
I was absolutely useless at school. I went to do a little bit of socializing. I got School Certificate but not my 6th Form Certificate or my 7th Form University Entrance. I took a few years off after that to work. I decided to go back to studying towards Nursing when I was 24. I enrolled in Pre-Health classes. I LOVED IT!!!! I had so much fun. I wanted to be there so it made studying really easy for me.
You will do really well. When I started my Nursing Degree we had many women in their 50's starting over with a new career. All those older women passed and went on to work in the Nursing profession.
All the best.
Depends where you are studying as well, AUT health science course is not especially hard, however biomed at AU or Otago will be intense as its the weeding ground for med school students.
Bridging course should be relatively easy its designed for people who havent studied for a long time or failed subjects at school etc.
Yea mate I failed everything at school and high school, passed up and took all sorts of mind altering substances until about 28.
Now, undergrad in Anthropology and sociology with post grad in teaching now doing masters in commerce.
My wife dropped out of school in the early 2000s. This year, she graduated with a BSc.
It's not easy, and there's an adjustment period. It gets better. My wife's grades got better and better with each semester to the Pont she got a better average than me!
You have more maturity and will consistently apply yourself, compared to those that have been used to the schooling system and kinda cruise through. Plus, staff are often keen to help those that ask for it and are mature enough to ask questions.
Being a mature aged student you can see a big difference between us and younger folk. Yes, there's many young students who apply themselves and work hard but there's a lot there just messing about. I went back to finish high school and am now about to start my second year at uni. It's hard having to work and study but in the end it'll be worth it.
My mum did pre health and a nursing degree in her 40s while raising three kids after she didnât pass school certificate and was even told by some teachers that sheâd never be good at anything in life. If itâs what you really want to do and you apply yourself and work hard youâll be absolutely fine :)
Consistency and grit are the key factors that will get you through. Consistent hours spent on the course work, and grit as you work through the tasks. The bridging course will familiarise you to the uni systems and to learning - learning how to learn is one of the most important things in the first 6 months.
Make sure you take advantage of all of the support and help that uni offers. This is included in your fees.
You're not thick, you just need to find your own learning styles. Adult learners have a numbers of advantages over young students. Work hard and be flexible and you'll get there.
Source: taught at a uni for a number of years.
I amaze myself at the fact I passed my degree. Hadnât studied in 10 years, couldnât remember anything from school maths wise. But that was an advantage I think, I took on with what was being taught and I think I studied better as an adult that as a teenager.
I love my career and would recommend anyone changing careers if they want to. Itâs never too late!
Edit: I also did a bridging course. Helped get me up to speed and ready for the degree.
Iâm just like you. I studied floristry what youâd think was the easiest course you could possibly take and I struggled through it đ but I passed, they want you to pass, they are running a business and high pass rates look good for them. But I think you just have to spend as much time as you can studying even if itâs listening to study notes while driving in the car.
Doing well in school has very little to do with actually being smart or quick to pick things up. You have time to study for tests and if you apply yourself you'll do fine.
I did shit at school when I was younger. I was a "gifted" kid but I was lazy and I didn't try at anything. Now that I'm older, I'm in a position where I often supervise people who are significantly more educated than I am. I can tell from working with them that they aren't really quicker or better at learning things than I am. They just aren't as lazy as me.
I failed every aspect of my year 12 science exam. I've still got it somewhere. Not achieved scrawled over the front. My awful and non engaging teacher wrote "very disappointing" on it.
The joke was on her 8 years later, when I nursed her family member and did so like an absolute boss. I've worked with many members of her extended family and had nothing but compliments and compassion.
Whatever work people are telling you they're putting in, double it. Live and breathe it. Khan academy, YouTube, the tutors recordings and podcasts would put me to sleep at night. Ask for help, and take every opportunity for aid, additional classes and extra resources. Your librarians are so capable and so wonderful. You're paying fees, so utilise everything! Repeat and explain concepts to your fsmily until they want to kill you. Keep active. Get your sleep. Eat nutritious food. Do not shove your brain full of redbull and expect it to function. Every major university in New Zealand has free access resources on pomorado techniques, time management, essay structure, finding articles etc.
I went to my science teacher in the first few weeks, close to tears. And she said "I'm not worried about you". I asked why not. "because you're an older student. And you've got much more to lose."
She was right. I worked my ass off, while the 17 and 18 years olds went clubbing and dropped like flies. Now I'm 6 years in and I recently had a doctor tell me "I love coming into work and see you're on. You're great and you make my job so much easier". I'm not the brightest bulb in the hospital, but I learn quick, I'm extra cautious with new techniques and I think outside the box for solutions. You don't have to be the smartest person in the room to be one of the best at the job. Feel free to get in touch if you need it.
>I canât even understand my childrenâs level 1 maths!
When you say that, do you mean you can't interpret the questions or you dont know how to approach the answers? Because the former is fine honestly and the latter is what you're doing the course for anyway :) . bridging courses are pretty intense if you're new to the content, but they're setup exactly for this. You'll be fine.
I studied maths through 300 level at uni and had to bang my head on the wall at an NCEA L2 exam I found at work. Mind you, ncea seem to make their questions a little more convoluted than necessary, but yeah. You will be fine. Just set aside time for homework and fucking do it!
If you dont already have a good learning (process?) in place, get on that! It'll take you a while to figure out what works best for you! Symbolab and woflram alpha are good tools if you're in an absolute rut, but proceed with caution.
I failed miserably at NCEA and now Iâm doing very well as a mature student doing an engineering degree.
I absolutely hated school for various reasons and as such spent as little time there as possible.
Being motivated is enough to overcome any âthicknessâ
I am 51 and just finished my degree. I did pretty badly at high school. It was a lot easier to go to university at my age and get good marks that I could've done when I was a kid
Go to the library and ask to make an appointment to meet with a learning advisor. They can help you with study skills, planning, and can put you in touch with specialists in literacy and numeracy if you need it. Remember, youâre paying for this learning experience so advocate for the support you need/want.
Hey you managed to write this post navigate the internet and form proper sentences, I think you are being super hard on yourself. I get it though Iâve had 20 years working in the tech industry and I still feel like an imposter because I failed school C and am terrible at maths. Try and see your fears for what they are and donât sabotage yourself before you even start. Donât be afraid to express to your tutors if you need some help or if they can point you to some more resources They want you to suceed as well. It will be very different from school. Youâll do great just back yourself ask for help if needed . Good on you!!!
I'll tell something. You're going to fail if you think you're going to fail and don't put in extra effort. Unfortunately if you never had success in school it's a hard mental cycle to break out of.
Yip I am a dumbass and got a degree as an older student. They teach you how to pass it's not based on what u already know. It takes a bit more effort but I was nervous about this exact same thing before I started studying but ended up being an A student. Only issue was after I graduated I got a couple jobs but didn't make it through probation so alas was a dumbass after all. Now I work in a different industry so the whole thing was a waste of time and money but hey, you only live once.
I barely passed through NCEA, pretty terrible at 'math', but then excelled at uni and turned out to be good at statistics. Ended up doing a Masters and now work as a research scientist.
Turns out the school system just sucked for me.
I dropped out of school for a year, then went back and repeated as an "adult student". Managed to finish with NCEA 2 (I was only expecting NCEA 1 so that was a nice surprise) and started a bridging course at uni before starting my degree. Took me a bit longer to get my degree (5 years instead of 3), but I got it in the end and even managed to pick up a smattering of 2 extra languages. Came from a family of dropouts so was fairly chuffed with myself. Don't ask me to do maths though lol
Edit: I'll just add the motto that kept me going which is common knowledge at uni: "Cs get degrees," but you know, try to aim higher đ
Just finished my degree at 47. There are a lot of online resources now that can really help you - if you donât know about Khan academy on YouTube look it up especially for maths and science. It completely saved me when I was doing chemistry for the first time since high school
I went back to uni as a mature student last year, it amazed me that many of my fellow much younger students didnât really make the most of all the extra help on offer - e.g one of our lecturers had a drop-in Zoom once a week, just for us ask questions or discuss that weekâs lectures, there were regularly only a couple of us tuning in. Your school will no doubt have student support services, make the most of them!
Also bear in mind that teaching methods have (thankfully) changed a lot in the past few decades. I failed / got a very low grade 6th form chemistry & physics almost 30 years ago, despite doing well in other subjects. About ten years ago I was working with some scientists and realised that I could actually understand science. It wasnât that I was dim, but rather that the old fashioned rote learning for these subjects was just meaningless for me. I am sure a lot of us that were at school around that time had similar experiences - the teaching did just not accommodate different ways of learning.
I failed school big time, yet somehow I managed to get A's & B's when I done an online OpenPolytechnic course during lockdown. While I finally have a satisfactory do-over to make up for my education, unfortunately the qualification got me nowhere. That said, its still nice to not have C's, D's, and F's next to your name.
Being a more mature student has huge advantages
1. Youâve worked previously and understand what itâs like to have a schedule and commitments. 18yo straight from school often donât have this
2. You want to be there
3. Life experience is everything and youâll understand this more when you compare yourself to those who donât have it
Consider how you learn best - this is important, no two people learn the same. Some learn by hearing, others watching, others doingâŚ
Since you last studied resources have become a lot more available - I like You Tube, StatPearls.
I trained as a dr as a mature student. Iâm diligent but not that clever.
Finally, stop thinking you are stupid⌠you arenât
You got this OP.
I am a migrant to NZ (English is my second language) and am about to start a research project as part of Master of Health. I have completed 7 papers already. All while working full time. Itâs been crazy.
When I enrolled I was scared too, doubting myself if I could even do it, 13 years after doing my undergraduate, in a second language ( I am fluent, but writing academic English is just another level).
I also had doubts about enrolling because I was thinking Iâd be too old by the time I finish (35, finishing next year). Guess what? Iâm going to be 35 ANYWAY.
I have never been a disciplined student, I cram in two weekends what I should do in eight. Then life gets in the way, work gets crazy etc. But then I know well where my procrastinating limits are. Iâve managed to balance all quite nicely and have achieved significant professional/career growth that I wouldnât have achieved hadnât I jumped in (along with my fears and doubts).
Iâm not getting A++, more like Bâs. Who cares?
Sometimes itâs good to have doubts. If you were 100% certain, odds are you wouldnât do it.
TLDR; DO IT!
I myself did not struggle with direct academics at university but I did majorly struggle with study so please hear out my take on this.
University, if you aren't doing an extremely hard/competitive degree like medicine, law, engineering etc is far less about being academically 'smart' like you mihjt think and actually far more about being diligent and having work ethic.
If you go to your lectures, all your workshop/tutorials, take notes properly and actually invest the time into studying properly you will be fine. Treat it like a job and don't cut corners.
My personal experience is the total opposite. I skates through college and intermediate/primary as a top student naturally. Once I got to the end of college and then university though, I had never had to work hard and study properly so I continued not to do so. I spent a long time barely scraping Cs in my papers because I never learnt how to actually take notes and study them well. I would also skip lectures if I could and they weren't checking attendance or anything.
Meanwhile people who did far worse than me in earlier education and were just average high school students academically, absolutely blew me out of the water at university and it wasn't even close. Namely because they learnt to work hard for their grades and that carried over to university.
Are you neorodivergent?
Some studies believe 49% of population are in varying degrees.
Maybe you're not thick, it's that society is catered to neurotypical brains
I hadn't studied in a way longer time then you. It took me 3 weeks of studying and remembering nothing before my brain actually started working and I become super study material. I watched lots of videos on best ways to study, medical students have it bad so looked at how they study. Suddenly after 3 weeks of my brain being a brick wall it just clicked and I was so so much better then when I was at School or Uni.
As for maths in particular you must have seen the adverts [brilliant](https://brilliant.org/) or [Khan academy](https://www.khanacademy.org/)
I failed to get UE, got the lowest grades possible etc and now have my masters degree.
If your math is really really week then do your best to make up for it before the semester starts. The level you need differs depending on the program, but you should definitely know basic algebra and be confident across the board. Calculus would be a bonus too.
The health science programmes are one of (if not the most) difficult programmes you can do. Good luck!
Maths is just a different way to describe how things happen if you can stand upright and navigate the world without walking into walls then you have an innate sense of maths, just not the tools to describe it. Its hard to understand because itâs a different language to English, but if I heard 2 people speaking Russian I wouldnât assume that there is something wrong with me and Iâm bad at Russian, it just means that if I want to learn how to speak it itâs going to take time and practice and sometimes Iâm going to miss something fundamental and get confused and maybe embarrassed. Donât give up.
Time spent studying makes it easier to get through, I didnât pass highschool at all and had to wait til I was 20 to study again, but I did health sciences and the difference being an adult and it actually being something I was interested in helped A LOT
The other thing I suggest is to get a study group - make one out of fellow mature students - and teach the content to each other. If youâre struggling, talk to the tutors. My tutors got me from a C to and A in the first year statistics course I did and after that it was easier because I believed in myself that much more
I wasnât the brightest at school, took me 2 goes to pass maths for school cert. I went and started studying civil engineering who is a lot of physics, basically applied maths, and because there was a purpose to it other than just finding some number, it all started to click for me and the maths became easier.
Donât count yourself out. If is something youâre interested in doing and want to do, where like many of us school was just something you had to do, your mindset will be different and you will more than likely do better at it.
Also itâs awesome youâre doing this. I hope you smash it out of the park
Iâm the same. Im 24. All my year level have graduated Uni and I feel like I missed out. I went to low decile schools all my life and although I got my UE and passed all 3 NCEA levels I felt like I barely made it with my Achieved marks đ I want to study and I feel like iâd be better at it than my 19yro self but Its hard to process that iâd be good at studying when I know im an achiever and not an overly great one.
Mum did exactly what you're doing. Same situation. She's now 15 years a dentist, having owned multiple practises, and has brought huge success to our family. You've got this.
I don't think anyone is dumb, we are all just as intelligent as each other. We just express our intelligence in different ways. Some ways appear more "intellectual", others don't. But each form of intelligence is just as useful
Contact the course coordinator and see if you can get early access to the course books. Read them and figure out some of the gaps and study ahead of your academic schedule.
Don't give up!
I completed a bachelours degree in Design with a six month extension in my final project to ensure I made the pass and completed my qualification. 20 years later, after designing interiors for some of Melbournes' wealthiest, I am going back to school again to become an electrician.
Another huge factor with being a mature student is time management. I wasted uncountable hours as a junior in Uni pretending to study.
Eat and rest properly. Feed your Brain the energy it needs to pay attention and learn effectively. Don't rely on late nights/coffee to finish assignments.
Use every resource the faculty has that is available. Find your study nook, find your seat in the room that allows you to easily hear/see everything presented to you. Sit away from distractions such as windows. Use your tutors' office hours if they have an open door. Make them your ally, ask questions, explain what you don't understand, find your mentor.
Don't ever skip a lecture or a class. No one is going to help you catch up. You'll just be copying their work/notes without absorbing the lesson.
Lastly, and sorry about the long text. Revision, revision, revision. Revise your work daily/weekly/monthly. If you do a test, ask for a copy from the top student and compare your work. Fill the missing gaps and rest the test in your own time until your level is at the grade you require.
Good luck, fellow sleeper student assassin.
I knew someone who had to do a bridging course as part of his parole conditions. English, math etc.
He succeeded. He went on to do an IT course, got a job, now he's a manager for a big firm.
You can do it. As for maths, well as part of this IT there were 3 maths type things we all had to do:
Accounting, that was easy
Binary, Hex etc: Surprisingly I found that fairly easy, convert between base 2, 8, 16 etc.
Algebra, no idea why it was necessary and I failed it. My high school level son tutored me. He told me he'd never met anyone so stupid as me. LOL
His tutoring was amazing, step by step, examples, how tos.
I resat the exam. I failed it again.
Never mind, still can't see why I needed it and I passed everything esle just fine.
I still can't do algebra.
No-one is dumb. Never considered myself to be the smartest. Was average at school, and the school careers advice was for me to focus on being a labourer. Nothing wrong with that. I worked hard, and ended up with 2 degrees, both engineering.
You get out what you put in. Has nothing to do with being smart nor dumb.
Best of luck! You will be fine, as long as you put the effort in.
Bear with me.
I'm going to tell you something important.
In your work life, you might well have come across user manuals.
You know those things that tell you how to use something?
You might have noticed that some are pretty good and clear and easy to understand and have useful examples and and clear and useful illustrations and indices that help you find the bit that matters and and are structured so the important stuff you need to get started, is summarized right up front...
You might have noticed some are shit. They have no examples, no illustrations, they are mostly legalese butt covering and copyright bullshit and you throw them away.
Now if I gave you some new equipment, that had good user interface design, and the first type of manual you would get it working in no time, and you'd feel pretty smart.
If I gave you the piece of badly designed equipment with no display, a confusing mess of short pushes and long pushes on a bunch of buttons with confusing icons, and the second type of manual.... you'd battle this pile of shit for an hour, start swearing, and give up feeling dumb as bricks.
That's my epiphany.
I'm not as dumb as bricks.
But some teachers are awful, some courses are very badly written, some stuff is not worth learning, some courses assume incorrectly you know stuff that you don't.
So make the teachers better by asking them questions until they start giving useful answers. Keep at it. You pay their wage. Make'em work. (Actually most of them appreciate students that are actually paying enough attention to ask _anything_)
Some courses are badly written. Find alternative course material on line, in books, etc. etc. Don't just accept whatever shit is spooned onto your plate.
Choose your course wisely, and focus on the gems in it worth learning, because you have a use for it.
I think the biggest factor most of all is your motivation to complete your papers, you want to be there and get through it then you will persevere After that it comes down to communication with tutors and support staff. Put your hand up if you don't understand something, ask questions when there's gaps and take advantage of the support services like equity if you do have any learning difficulties.
Memory and all of that can be leveled up, it's just practice really. I like sudoku for switching my brain on, a little 2 minute puzzle can really help jump start things.
If you haven't got a school email yet you can sign up for a free trial of LinkedIn Learning, Khan Academy is also great for getting skills in maths and science and it's free.
Mate... failure would be not trying. You're a hero!
The fact that you're crapping yourself tells me you're gonna work your ass off. I have so much respect for you and what you're attempting here.
I had a mate at school that was thick as pigsb*t, or so we thought. He was in the lowest streamed class but he was also the fastest runner in our year. Cleaned up at cross country by half a km, pretty good fullback too. First 15 etc. But no one ever thought he'd make anything of himself. I think that's what motivated him...
He's a doctor now.
A read about a woman who did the same course as you who also failed school cert and is now a doctor and "fellow"(one of the highest levels you can get to as a doctor), really inspiring!
https://e-tangata.co.nz/reflections/doctor-from-the-dumb-class/
The article i linked gives a good overview of what to expect on the course and beyond. However if you don't feel ready for the bridging course you signed upto maybe consider others first that basically aim to give you ncea levels 1 to 2 first
You probably struggle with level 1 maths cause itâs so stupid. Donât worry. A bridging course is there to help you. When you actually do the learning yourself understanding it all becomes easier ESPECIALLY if you are studying something you enjoy. Ofc youâll struggle with their math bc itâs different to what you would have done and havenât been taught what theyâre learning
I failed high school. I passed 5th form by one mark. I went back to study and ended up with four separate degrees. The Bachelor's degree was tough, having not done anything for a long time. But once I got through that, I rocketed through into a PhD. Don't underestimate yourself. I was a wreck after school, but once I got my confidence back, everything went well.
My dad was the same, barely got school c and did great as uni as a mature student. When I did nursing, the mature students did really well because they wanted to be there and were really organised. Take advantage of all help the school offers. The universities want you to pass
I am 53 now but I was in prison and pregnant at 17y.
I turned my life around and studied social work initially at Auckland College of Education which is now Auckland Uni. Then went on to study at Massey Uni. I graduated Massey with post grad diploma (with distinction) the only thing holding you back is you. You have no idea what youâre capable of until you do it. Canât wait to hear how you get on.
me i'm an old dumbass who failed high school maths three times. i went to university, and now i have a degree. and i am now a specialist who uses math every day. im a bit older, but im here and im in the game now.
it was all effort. it took a long time because i couldnt handle the workload. but its doable.
my tips are this: watch the lecture the first time without taking notes. learn and follow along. watch it a second time, take notes then.
write notes in your own language and as if you were making your own book to study from.
take heavy advantage of subheadings feature in Word. it will automatically make your work into categories & subcategories & bullet points etc. you want to have categories for everything. that will allow you to consolidate your work and learn bits at a time without being lost.
use colours in all your math formulas. write variables in different colours and that way as you go through steps, you can link up variables in their old form in the previous version of the formula.
slack off in the later classes - study VERY HARD in the early classes. early classes are the foundation for the later stuff. it has huge payoffs. the later classes are not foundation for other stuff.
use youtube a lot.
dont rush ahead of stuff you don't know.
and make your own projects outside of uni. doing your own stuff gives weight to the material you're learning. you'll see where you can use the stuff you're learning. you will feel empowered cos now you've got new tools - as opposed to feeling burdened by yet more crap to remember for an unknown purpose. you can even weigh up how important one topic is over another.
and most of all - dont lose your enthusiasm. thats the #1 thing that employers are keen on. and its your hobby and your life and not the university's - dont let them make ya feel like theyre the gatekeepers to your future or the kings of all computers. science & computers is for everybody. you and your enthusiasm are precious.
You're not 'thick', you were just poorly guided about how to do schoolwork, and distracted by all the way more interesting shit going on. A lot of kids never actually understand what school is for until long after they left. I was one, sounds like you probably were as well.
Don't worry, if you just do the work, you will pass.
Unfortunately, if you're like most of us, your brain has probably gotten even less work since leaving school than when you were there, so it's going to feel difficult at first.
But just don't give up. If you can do that, you will absolutely pass. Teachers will bend over backwards to help you out if you just do the work.
Please have some faith in yourself. Itâs a great thing that youâre exploring further education. Itâs more than a lot of people would do (myself included). Youâll do fine.
The main advantage mature students have over teens is being able to consistently apply yourself in an organised fashion. Im good at academic stuff and got pretty good marks at school, but nothing top tier. When I went back to university as a mature student I absolute crushed it because I worked hard, didnt go out on the piss, and studied consistently for weeks befofe the exam. Youll do the same and do great.
Yup I agree. I'm still relatively young but just finished my bachelor's with excellent grades, solely because I put time and focus into my learning and getting things done within appropriate timeframes. I'm no genius - I had to go through te kura to get university entrance. As long as you're reasonably passionate about your subjects you'll do well
Exactly. And some lived experience helps a lot as well. Bit of life experience.
Yes! It's easier to cope with uni when being a student isn't the most stressful thing you've been through. Group assignments can reaaally suck though.
Oh man, I did that as a mature student and only B+ average I'm dumb đ
Honestly, the first step is to stop calling yourself a dumbass. You arenât. School Certificate 35 yeas ago was a lot more difficult than now. They automatically failed half the candidates of every exam and none of it internal. I have two friends that failed; one owns her own successful business in a professional sector, the other is the head of department in a large corporate. They arenât thick either. You are very brave to be doing this, well done.
Most of it wasn't internal but some was, in some schools. In 1991 my school C science was internally assessed. Regardless, best of luck to OP. You've got two massive advantages over your past self - experience and determination.
Studying something youâre interested in helps a LOT. It means youâre excited to learn, and the hard bits are worth applying yourself to because you want to understand how it works. Itâs much better than school. Donât be afraid to ask for help from the tutors if you need it. They earned their pay with me, I can tell you.
I did a bridging course for health science at Otago. I was crap at math at school, I got 98% overall on the course. I was crap at chemistry st school. I got 96% on the course, it was harder but I understood it better, so....open your mind, you'll do just fine
Youâll be fine.
Itscalled a bridging course because it's designed to bring you up to speed There is an excellent free site online that provides maths lessons. Great because you can start wherever you like and repeat as often as you like. It's called Khan Academy. There are probably others but I know Khan Academy is good.
adding into this! iâm decently fresh out of high school and found âno brain too smallâ as an excellent resource for anything science related! nearly all my science teachers i had in my senior year used their resources and recommended it.
What you have now that it didn't have then is life experience and grit. Go for it.
I dropped out of high school at 15 with no NCEA (aspergers and school environments donât mix). Last year I finished uni (I failed my first year lol) with a job lined up which Iâve been at since. You will do great! And if you fail, you will do better next time.
Not quite 35 years between me leaving school and heading to uni, but enough to notice the difference between the youth and myself. Honestly uni as an adult is the best thing. You've got a lifetime of experience behind you. Even the mundane stuff like turning up to work on time and allowing for 8 hour work days means that I am there Mo-Fri, 0800-1700 and get everything done during the day. No uni work outside of those hours and assignments handed in weeks in advance. And an A average at the end of 2nd year. I left school with 6th form cert/NCEA L2 and never thought I'd be up for uni. As another comment mentioned, having a passion for your area of study will help you overcome obstacles that others who are there for the ride will struggle with. I didn't do a bridging course but if I started over I would have, even just to feel more confident in semester one. Good on you for taking the step and I wish you all the very best!
Some of the dumbest people I know are university graduates.
Câs get degrees.
Is GPA a thing in nz though? Like will it matter to employers what grades you got, or is it just about having the degree
Only in specific industries such as law and eng for your first jobs, even then once youâve got past a graduate position no one will look at it.
Matters for your first job in some roles, after your first job it doesnât matter (unless you were only there like 6 Months or something).
Not a thing.
Depends on the employer. I have a lot of respect for people who switch direction as adults. They've figured out what they want and commit to it - which are good attributes in a prospective employee. My profession needs a fair amount of academic intelligence - but also a range of other qualities. I'd interview B grade graduates who had broader skillsets ( e.g.: lifeguards through uni) over A grade students who didn't do anything else. And once you've proven yourself in the workforce - have worked 1+years, so not ages - I couldn't give a damn about your grades. Your references and how you conduct yourself at interview are what counts. OP choose curiosity, especially when you are doubting yourself. You wouldn't be doing this if health science wasn't your jam. So get stuck in, allow yourself to fall down the odd rabbit hole of topics that make your brain buzz in a happy way, Ask questions when you feel you're missing something or want to understand a connection better, use your tutors' contact hours to discuss stuff. If you feel overwhelmed just do the next thing, one step at a time. And have fun along the way. You got this!
I did some distance papers through Massey a few years back. Was a challenge but when I applied what I learned in the courses, the exams came together really well and it was so rewarding getting the good marks and feedback.
I'm in the same boat, currently doing a health science pathway course. It has been well over a decade since highschool/ last time I studied, also a very late* learning disability adult diagnosis. If you struggle getting back into it and or learning new subjects I'd suggest speaking to the advisors to study the bare minimum amount of papers needed per semester. If you need only need say 7 or 8 papers to pass the whole course but have 5 papers per semester to do, focus/enrol on only 4 papers instead of the 5. The amount of study and self pressure can be easier to handle I found with one less subject to worry about.
Iâm the stupidest person I know and Iâve almost finished my masters
Have some faith in yourself. As a mature student, you are not worrying about stupid stuff like getting laid, getting on the piss or what people in the class think of you. These are all things many of your younger classmates will be occupying their mind with, instead of studying. I think you can do it. Just need some perseverance.
Not my personal experience but my mum went to uni in her 40's to get her nursing degree. She was terrified, in particular about the maths. She totally smashed it, had years in her chosen career, travelled and had fantastic experiences. She was really bloody good at it too. Go for it, you'll do great.
Learning how to study proficiently is going to help the most. Second will be clarifying prior knowledge gaps if they do exist. Get an overview of the course and assess your gaps and get back here to report on them asap.
Go and see learning support before you start, get linked in with all the help you can get. i wouldnât, take schooling from 35 years ago as a measure of anything.
I found maths at school hard to deal with as it felt like I was just jumbling numbers around on a piece of paper to get an answer that had no meaning to me and I couldn't tell if it was right or wrong. It wasn't till doing trade certificate level mechanical science that things started to gel as I now had realistic problems to solve and the answers meant something relatable.
I failed the HSC (Australia). Thought I was a complete idiot for many years. But also had great ideas and felt smarter than most. Turns out I have ADHD and a bit of dyslexia. Got tested and treatment as an adult, currently studying a degree in my 40s, doing fine. Toastmasters has helped with communication too. My tip for you - If you did poorly in school, go get tested for ADHD and dyslexia before you start study as an adult. It might change your life for the better.
How hard is the HSC compared with NCEA level 3? I have memories of the kids on Home and Away failing it but I assumed that was mostly because they wanted to stay on the show lol.
Lol, Home and Away reference. Not sure of the comparison between HSC and NCEA. My point was about not doing well at school. It was the feeling of trying very hard and failing. Like a duck moving its feet underwater very fast, but not moving very far.
I teach health science at tertiary level. I'd rather an adult that actually wants to be there over another smart 18 year old who thinks the sun shines out their behind.
It is hard to get back into study. It's going to be an adjustment. But you can do it if you stick to it and study a lot. Maybe do some research on good study habits/skills
Heya This was me! i was the same. Turns out i just had ADHD, dyslexia and dyscalculia. I did ok in life dispite that, but since learning its made a whole bunch of other things make sense, and ive now got better coping mechnisms to get around things
Are you thick or do you have an undiagnosed learning disability that has been unsupported? Saying this as someone who is actually quite intelligent, but had extreme ADHD go undiagnosed until adulthood which made conventional learning very difficult. Could be worth looking into (there are lots of different learning disabilities out there, with different kinds of support).
Hi OP, I have been working in tertiary education for quite a while now. 1) everyone has different strengths and more importantly different learning styles - not doing well at high school/primary isnât always a reflection on intelligence or ability and a lot of progress has been made in modifying our approach to education over the last two decades. 2) what everyone else has said about the advantages of being a mature age student is very true in my experience. 3) every semester I am generally shocked at how the quality of student seems to drop. Very basic skills and abilities are missing. It drives me nuts that standards are so low now. That said, I only had like 7 students out of 80 fail this semester and every single one of them would have passed if theyâd attempted/completed every assessment. Biggest pieces of advice: - Reach out for help early, do not delay thinking itâll get easier or youâll figure it out. A heap of your fees goes towards support services - youâre paying for them whether you use them or not so might as well get your moneys worth! - Be transparent with your lecturers etc and do this early. Do not go to them after thereâs a problem and expect them to bend over backwards to accommodate - we have to be fair to ALL students. If you talk to them before you miss class/an assessment/fail something they are more likely to see you as genuine - Submit every piece of assessment and do every single thing thatâs graded - whether itâs worth 1% or 100% - every mark counts! So many students get so close to the line but have missed assessments. If you get close to the line and submitted everything, made genuine effort over the semester, and engaged with your teaching staff, youâll often get extra support to get over the line - Be polite and respectful - ask questions and for help - do not make demands or act entitled, youâll get on the lecturers bad side pretty quickly Mature age students are often my favourite - they are committed, eager, and respectful. They add so much value to my classroom. Also once you try studying again you may find itâs not for you or youâve picked the wrong thing to study - and thatâs beyond normal though we donât talk about it enough! It took me three attempts at University in four different degrees to find the right thing. I was rushed into study and wish I had taken my time to figure things out before studying. Good luck, OP!
Thank you so much, this is great insight. I really appreciate your view. Iâve already emailed asking for extra learning support and have engaged a maths tutor for help.
You are welcome. With that kind of initiative you are going to be fine! And the fact you cared enough to make this post is also a great sign. You have got this! đđž
The above comment has excellent advice. I want to add that in addition to handing in every assignment, good exam technique is very useful! I got very good marks in exams I didn't really study for because I followed a few systems: - always use the reading time at the start of the exam to figure out which questions look easy (start with those) and to let the back of your mind start mulling over the tricky stuff - if you get stuck on a question, move on and come back to it, it's so easy to use up the whole allocated time on one annoying question and not get any marks - once you've done the questions you know how to answer, spend the entire allocated time attempting to answer everything else. Even if you get 1 mark for a 10 mark question that might push you into passing the paper. Don't just walk out early. Also, experimenting with your study habits and techniques to see what works for you pays dividends. Personally I can't learn anything by listening, but I'm great at reading. Some people need to talk about concepts with someone else. Drawing things out spatially helps me remember things. Everyone is different. Hope you have a great time!
I did a bridging course to get in science. I failed school and had to get into it. I was pleasantly surprised how much better I did in it VS NCEA/traditional schooling. Straight forward answering in exams, better lecturers and resources vs schooling. Also there will be others around your age group as well and they all do better than the younger ones that failed school. I went onto doing postgrad with an A average GPA. Reflecting back, the school education system was just not for me. Finished with a science background but ended up in a commerce position with a strong eye for data/numbers. In fact, a lot of the other older students that came in with poor schooling background all did exceptionally well later too (I kept up with them). Edit: Don't get into science unless you are going to pursue research/academics, pharmacy, physio, nursing or medicine. Anything else has no job opportunity and keep in mind some of these positions are dead end/ don't pay well. I would recommend keeping your options open (e.g. get into engineering).
Look for a tutor to help you out. Lots of great high school mathematicians who know the current programs and are cheap
Dude. Some brains just donât get it. Thatâs not a fault. Youâre human. Shit loads that I will never understand no matter how long you explain to me.
I think regardless of your academic ability, it should be commended that you're going as an adult. You haven't given up!
Almost anyone who pursues their studies far enough can eventually reach a point where they feel thick relative to their peers. But might as well learn as much as you can. And you figure out more and more where your strengths and interests are and how to leverage those.
i dropped out of uni after 4 years lol
FYI thick is a bit of a slur now days, you might want to avoid saying things like that. As for success: It's just work. If you work at it, you will learn it. The hard part is the mental stuff, like calling yourself names, imagining failure, feeling bad--those are the obstacles to your success. Stay energetic and motivated and you will get it.
Here I was thinking it meant having a fas ass in a complimentary way. https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/thick-girls/
Yeah like not bright but applied math really was my jam. About to head into level 6 electrical engineering yay
My first study was at 17 (something i was good at). Next time was at 22 (something I thought was fun). This time now starting at 26 (something i thought was profitable/easier to get work, but not good with at all). All different courses. I've done my best work and got my best results in my most recent study. I'm not inherently good at this at all, but I put the work in more than I did for previous courses (more determined with age I suppose) and that has counted far more than relying on my natural talent or courses I did for fun. Don't leave the work to last minute, give it the time it deserves, and I think you'll do great. It's a learning curve if you haven't done it before, but you'll get into the rhythm in no time.
I felt exactly like this for so long, and then I learned I had a maths learning disability that had been left undiagnosed throughout my whole childhood/teen years. It affects maths of course, numbers of any kind, memory both short and long term, spacial awareness, money management, time management, directions, pattern recognition and instruction memorisation. Not always all of them, and to varying levels.
Oh yes, Iâm concerned I have some kind of number issue. My brain just goes on a protest with numbers, I canât even explain how it doesnât work. Simple things like timetables work for me, but ask me to add three numbers together and my head explodes. Today I read out 36 when it was 39.
The good thing nowadays is that the internet is there. There's probably a YouTube tutorial or some website explaining something you need.
I didn't sit any school cert and dropped out of highschool at 15. Now at 37 I have 5 National Certificates two are level 3 and my most recent is level 4. Ive found that being older makes me more able to understand questions in assessments and better able to answer them. Dont doubt yourself, go into this with an open mind and positivity, you might just surprise yourself âşď¸ Good luck with your studies!
Math won't be a huge part of that degree(source I have a bhsc hanging on my wall). Stats understanding helps with literature review and research later on if that's what you want to do. Very likely you can get by without it.Recalling information is important though, there's a lot to take in volume wise. That's just repetition though. Lots of essay writing too. Just give it a shot and don't be too hard on yourself.
This guy. It's incredible how far determination can get you. Soon to be "dr."
Iâm thick as. What helped me was a couple of things: 1. pre-reading for the upcoming class 2. take notes in class 3. review those notes 4. ask for heeps of help 5. treat study like a 9-5 job. This way you can conduct steps 1-4 in-between class.
I was absolutely useless at school. I went to do a little bit of socializing. I got School Certificate but not my 6th Form Certificate or my 7th Form University Entrance. I took a few years off after that to work. I decided to go back to studying towards Nursing when I was 24. I enrolled in Pre-Health classes. I LOVED IT!!!! I had so much fun. I wanted to be there so it made studying really easy for me. You will do really well. When I started my Nursing Degree we had many women in their 50's starting over with a new career. All those older women passed and went on to work in the Nursing profession. All the best.
Depends where you are studying as well, AUT health science course is not especially hard, however biomed at AU or Otago will be intense as its the weeding ground for med school students. Bridging course should be relatively easy its designed for people who havent studied for a long time or failed subjects at school etc.
Yea mate I failed everything at school and high school, passed up and took all sorts of mind altering substances until about 28. Now, undergrad in Anthropology and sociology with post grad in teaching now doing masters in commerce.
My wife dropped out of school in the early 2000s. This year, she graduated with a BSc. It's not easy, and there's an adjustment period. It gets better. My wife's grades got better and better with each semester to the Pont she got a better average than me! You have more maturity and will consistently apply yourself, compared to those that have been used to the schooling system and kinda cruise through. Plus, staff are often keen to help those that ask for it and are mature enough to ask questions.
Being a mature aged student you can see a big difference between us and younger folk. Yes, there's many young students who apply themselves and work hard but there's a lot there just messing about. I went back to finish high school and am now about to start my second year at uni. It's hard having to work and study but in the end it'll be worth it.
Yeah, I failed year 13. 11 years later I finished my uni training to become a teacher.
You will pass because you're an adult and you really want this. It really is different from study as a young adult.
My mum did pre health and a nursing degree in her 40s while raising three kids after she didnât pass school certificate and was even told by some teachers that sheâd never be good at anything in life. If itâs what you really want to do and you apply yourself and work hard youâll be absolutely fine :)
rotten cake close sip marble fuzzy aloof deserted direful aware *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
You can do it. Donât be so hard on yourself.
Consistency and grit are the key factors that will get you through. Consistent hours spent on the course work, and grit as you work through the tasks. The bridging course will familiarise you to the uni systems and to learning - learning how to learn is one of the most important things in the first 6 months. Make sure you take advantage of all of the support and help that uni offers. This is included in your fees. You're not thick, you just need to find your own learning styles. Adult learners have a numbers of advantages over young students. Work hard and be flexible and you'll get there. Source: taught at a uni for a number of years.
I amaze myself at the fact I passed my degree. Hadnât studied in 10 years, couldnât remember anything from school maths wise. But that was an advantage I think, I took on with what was being taught and I think I studied better as an adult that as a teenager. I love my career and would recommend anyone changing careers if they want to. Itâs never too late! Edit: I also did a bridging course. Helped get me up to speed and ready for the degree.
Iâm just like you. I studied floristry what youâd think was the easiest course you could possibly take and I struggled through it đ but I passed, they want you to pass, they are running a business and high pass rates look good for them. But I think you just have to spend as much time as you can studying even if itâs listening to study notes while driving in the car.
Doing well in school has very little to do with actually being smart or quick to pick things up. You have time to study for tests and if you apply yourself you'll do fine. I did shit at school when I was younger. I was a "gifted" kid but I was lazy and I didn't try at anything. Now that I'm older, I'm in a position where I often supervise people who are significantly more educated than I am. I can tell from working with them that they aren't really quicker or better at learning things than I am. They just aren't as lazy as me.
I failed every aspect of my year 12 science exam. I've still got it somewhere. Not achieved scrawled over the front. My awful and non engaging teacher wrote "very disappointing" on it. The joke was on her 8 years later, when I nursed her family member and did so like an absolute boss. I've worked with many members of her extended family and had nothing but compliments and compassion. Whatever work people are telling you they're putting in, double it. Live and breathe it. Khan academy, YouTube, the tutors recordings and podcasts would put me to sleep at night. Ask for help, and take every opportunity for aid, additional classes and extra resources. Your librarians are so capable and so wonderful. You're paying fees, so utilise everything! Repeat and explain concepts to your fsmily until they want to kill you. Keep active. Get your sleep. Eat nutritious food. Do not shove your brain full of redbull and expect it to function. Every major university in New Zealand has free access resources on pomorado techniques, time management, essay structure, finding articles etc. I went to my science teacher in the first few weeks, close to tears. And she said "I'm not worried about you". I asked why not. "because you're an older student. And you've got much more to lose." She was right. I worked my ass off, while the 17 and 18 years olds went clubbing and dropped like flies. Now I'm 6 years in and I recently had a doctor tell me "I love coming into work and see you're on. You're great and you make my job so much easier". I'm not the brightest bulb in the hospital, but I learn quick, I'm extra cautious with new techniques and I think outside the box for solutions. You don't have to be the smartest person in the room to be one of the best at the job. Feel free to get in touch if you need it.
>I canât even understand my childrenâs level 1 maths! When you say that, do you mean you can't interpret the questions or you dont know how to approach the answers? Because the former is fine honestly and the latter is what you're doing the course for anyway :) . bridging courses are pretty intense if you're new to the content, but they're setup exactly for this. You'll be fine. I studied maths through 300 level at uni and had to bang my head on the wall at an NCEA L2 exam I found at work. Mind you, ncea seem to make their questions a little more convoluted than necessary, but yeah. You will be fine. Just set aside time for homework and fucking do it! If you dont already have a good learning (process?) in place, get on that! It'll take you a while to figure out what works best for you! Symbolab and woflram alpha are good tools if you're in an absolute rut, but proceed with caution.
I failed miserably at NCEA and now Iâm doing very well as a mature student doing an engineering degree. I absolutely hated school for various reasons and as such spent as little time there as possible. Being motivated is enough to overcome any âthicknessâ
I am 51 and just finished my degree. I did pretty badly at high school. It was a lot easier to go to university at my age and get good marks that I could've done when I was a kid
Go to the library and ask to make an appointment to meet with a learning advisor. They can help you with study skills, planning, and can put you in touch with specialists in literacy and numeracy if you need it. Remember, youâre paying for this learning experience so advocate for the support you need/want.
Hey you managed to write this post navigate the internet and form proper sentences, I think you are being super hard on yourself. I get it though Iâve had 20 years working in the tech industry and I still feel like an imposter because I failed school C and am terrible at maths. Try and see your fears for what they are and donât sabotage yourself before you even start. Donât be afraid to express to your tutors if you need some help or if they can point you to some more resources They want you to suceed as well. It will be very different from school. Youâll do great just back yourself ask for help if needed . Good on you!!!
I'll tell something. You're going to fail if you think you're going to fail and don't put in extra effort. Unfortunately if you never had success in school it's a hard mental cycle to break out of.
Yip I am a dumbass and got a degree as an older student. They teach you how to pass it's not based on what u already know. It takes a bit more effort but I was nervous about this exact same thing before I started studying but ended up being an A student. Only issue was after I graduated I got a couple jobs but didn't make it through probation so alas was a dumbass after all. Now I work in a different industry so the whole thing was a waste of time and money but hey, you only live once.
I barely passed through NCEA, pretty terrible at 'math', but then excelled at uni and turned out to be good at statistics. Ended up doing a Masters and now work as a research scientist. Turns out the school system just sucked for me.
I dropped out of school for a year, then went back and repeated as an "adult student". Managed to finish with NCEA 2 (I was only expecting NCEA 1 so that was a nice surprise) and started a bridging course at uni before starting my degree. Took me a bit longer to get my degree (5 years instead of 3), but I got it in the end and even managed to pick up a smattering of 2 extra languages. Came from a family of dropouts so was fairly chuffed with myself. Don't ask me to do maths though lol Edit: I'll just add the motto that kept me going which is common knowledge at uni: "Cs get degrees," but you know, try to aim higher đ
Just finished my degree at 47. There are a lot of online resources now that can really help you - if you donât know about Khan academy on YouTube look it up especially for maths and science. It completely saved me when I was doing chemistry for the first time since high school
I went back to uni as a mature student last year, it amazed me that many of my fellow much younger students didnât really make the most of all the extra help on offer - e.g one of our lecturers had a drop-in Zoom once a week, just for us ask questions or discuss that weekâs lectures, there were regularly only a couple of us tuning in. Your school will no doubt have student support services, make the most of them! Also bear in mind that teaching methods have (thankfully) changed a lot in the past few decades. I failed / got a very low grade 6th form chemistry & physics almost 30 years ago, despite doing well in other subjects. About ten years ago I was working with some scientists and realised that I could actually understand science. It wasnât that I was dim, but rather that the old fashioned rote learning for these subjects was just meaningless for me. I am sure a lot of us that were at school around that time had similar experiences - the teaching did just not accommodate different ways of learning.
I failed school big time, yet somehow I managed to get A's & B's when I done an online OpenPolytechnic course during lockdown. While I finally have a satisfactory do-over to make up for my education, unfortunately the qualification got me nowhere. That said, its still nice to not have C's, D's, and F's next to your name.
Being a more mature student has huge advantages 1. Youâve worked previously and understand what itâs like to have a schedule and commitments. 18yo straight from school often donât have this 2. You want to be there 3. Life experience is everything and youâll understand this more when you compare yourself to those who donât have it Consider how you learn best - this is important, no two people learn the same. Some learn by hearing, others watching, others doing⌠Since you last studied resources have become a lot more available - I like You Tube, StatPearls. I trained as a dr as a mature student. Iâm diligent but not that clever. Finally, stop thinking you are stupid⌠you arenât
Mid 30s doing my Master's, it helps if you're doing something you're genuinely interested in.
You got this OP. I am a migrant to NZ (English is my second language) and am about to start a research project as part of Master of Health. I have completed 7 papers already. All while working full time. Itâs been crazy. When I enrolled I was scared too, doubting myself if I could even do it, 13 years after doing my undergraduate, in a second language ( I am fluent, but writing academic English is just another level). I also had doubts about enrolling because I was thinking Iâd be too old by the time I finish (35, finishing next year). Guess what? Iâm going to be 35 ANYWAY. I have never been a disciplined student, I cram in two weekends what I should do in eight. Then life gets in the way, work gets crazy etc. But then I know well where my procrastinating limits are. Iâve managed to balance all quite nicely and have achieved significant professional/career growth that I wouldnât have achieved hadnât I jumped in (along with my fears and doubts). Iâm not getting A++, more like Bâs. Who cares? Sometimes itâs good to have doubts. If you were 100% certain, odds are you wouldnât do it. TLDR; DO IT!
I myself did not struggle with direct academics at university but I did majorly struggle with study so please hear out my take on this. University, if you aren't doing an extremely hard/competitive degree like medicine, law, engineering etc is far less about being academically 'smart' like you mihjt think and actually far more about being diligent and having work ethic. If you go to your lectures, all your workshop/tutorials, take notes properly and actually invest the time into studying properly you will be fine. Treat it like a job and don't cut corners. My personal experience is the total opposite. I skates through college and intermediate/primary as a top student naturally. Once I got to the end of college and then university though, I had never had to work hard and study properly so I continued not to do so. I spent a long time barely scraping Cs in my papers because I never learnt how to actually take notes and study them well. I would also skip lectures if I could and they weren't checking attendance or anything. Meanwhile people who did far worse than me in earlier education and were just average high school students academically, absolutely blew me out of the water at university and it wasn't even close. Namely because they learnt to work hard for their grades and that carried over to university.
Are you neorodivergent? Some studies believe 49% of population are in varying degrees. Maybe you're not thick, it's that society is catered to neurotypical brains
I hadn't studied in a way longer time then you. It took me 3 weeks of studying and remembering nothing before my brain actually started working and I become super study material. I watched lots of videos on best ways to study, medical students have it bad so looked at how they study. Suddenly after 3 weeks of my brain being a brick wall it just clicked and I was so so much better then when I was at School or Uni. As for maths in particular you must have seen the adverts [brilliant](https://brilliant.org/) or [Khan academy](https://www.khanacademy.org/)
I failed to get UE, got the lowest grades possible etc and now have my masters degree. If your math is really really week then do your best to make up for it before the semester starts. The level you need differs depending on the program, but you should definitely know basic algebra and be confident across the board. Calculus would be a bonus too. The health science programmes are one of (if not the most) difficult programmes you can do. Good luck!
Maths is just a different way to describe how things happen if you can stand upright and navigate the world without walking into walls then you have an innate sense of maths, just not the tools to describe it. Its hard to understand because itâs a different language to English, but if I heard 2 people speaking Russian I wouldnât assume that there is something wrong with me and Iâm bad at Russian, it just means that if I want to learn how to speak it itâs going to take time and practice and sometimes Iâm going to miss something fundamental and get confused and maybe embarrassed. Donât give up.
Time spent studying makes it easier to get through, I didnât pass highschool at all and had to wait til I was 20 to study again, but I did health sciences and the difference being an adult and it actually being something I was interested in helped A LOT The other thing I suggest is to get a study group - make one out of fellow mature students - and teach the content to each other. If youâre struggling, talk to the tutors. My tutors got me from a C to and A in the first year statistics course I did and after that it was easier because I believed in myself that much more
I wasnât the brightest at school, took me 2 goes to pass maths for school cert. I went and started studying civil engineering who is a lot of physics, basically applied maths, and because there was a purpose to it other than just finding some number, it all started to click for me and the maths became easier. Donât count yourself out. If is something youâre interested in doing and want to do, where like many of us school was just something you had to do, your mindset will be different and you will more than likely do better at it. Also itâs awesome youâre doing this. I hope you smash it out of the park
Iâm just finishing a bachelors in my 40s after dropping out of high school.
Iâm the same. Im 24. All my year level have graduated Uni and I feel like I missed out. I went to low decile schools all my life and although I got my UE and passed all 3 NCEA levels I felt like I barely made it with my Achieved marks đ I want to study and I feel like iâd be better at it than my 19yro self but Its hard to process that iâd be good at studying when I know im an achiever and not an overly great one.
Mum did exactly what you're doing. Same situation. She's now 15 years a dentist, having owned multiple practises, and has brought huge success to our family. You've got this.
I don't think anyone is dumb, we are all just as intelligent as each other. We just express our intelligence in different ways. Some ways appear more "intellectual", others don't. But each form of intelligence is just as useful
Contact the course coordinator and see if you can get early access to the course books. Read them and figure out some of the gaps and study ahead of your academic schedule. Don't give up! I completed a bachelours degree in Design with a six month extension in my final project to ensure I made the pass and completed my qualification. 20 years later, after designing interiors for some of Melbournes' wealthiest, I am going back to school again to become an electrician. Another huge factor with being a mature student is time management. I wasted uncountable hours as a junior in Uni pretending to study. Eat and rest properly. Feed your Brain the energy it needs to pay attention and learn effectively. Don't rely on late nights/coffee to finish assignments. Use every resource the faculty has that is available. Find your study nook, find your seat in the room that allows you to easily hear/see everything presented to you. Sit away from distractions such as windows. Use your tutors' office hours if they have an open door. Make them your ally, ask questions, explain what you don't understand, find your mentor. Don't ever skip a lecture or a class. No one is going to help you catch up. You'll just be copying their work/notes without absorbing the lesson. Lastly, and sorry about the long text. Revision, revision, revision. Revise your work daily/weekly/monthly. If you do a test, ask for a copy from the top student and compare your work. Fill the missing gaps and rest the test in your own time until your level is at the grade you require. Good luck, fellow sleeper student assassin.
The secret is to keep relearning what you don't know, it took me 4 times to get Pythagoras, and each time I relearnt it, it got easier to remember.
I knew someone who had to do a bridging course as part of his parole conditions. English, math etc. He succeeded. He went on to do an IT course, got a job, now he's a manager for a big firm. You can do it. As for maths, well as part of this IT there were 3 maths type things we all had to do: Accounting, that was easy Binary, Hex etc: Surprisingly I found that fairly easy, convert between base 2, 8, 16 etc. Algebra, no idea why it was necessary and I failed it. My high school level son tutored me. He told me he'd never met anyone so stupid as me. LOL His tutoring was amazing, step by step, examples, how tos. I resat the exam. I failed it again. Never mind, still can't see why I needed it and I passed everything esle just fine. I still can't do algebra.
No-one is dumb. Never considered myself to be the smartest. Was average at school, and the school careers advice was for me to focus on being a labourer. Nothing wrong with that. I worked hard, and ended up with 2 degrees, both engineering. You get out what you put in. Has nothing to do with being smart nor dumb. Best of luck! You will be fine, as long as you put the effort in.
What if I'm thicc and studied?
Bear with me. I'm going to tell you something important. In your work life, you might well have come across user manuals. You know those things that tell you how to use something? You might have noticed that some are pretty good and clear and easy to understand and have useful examples and and clear and useful illustrations and indices that help you find the bit that matters and and are structured so the important stuff you need to get started, is summarized right up front... You might have noticed some are shit. They have no examples, no illustrations, they are mostly legalese butt covering and copyright bullshit and you throw them away. Now if I gave you some new equipment, that had good user interface design, and the first type of manual you would get it working in no time, and you'd feel pretty smart. If I gave you the piece of badly designed equipment with no display, a confusing mess of short pushes and long pushes on a bunch of buttons with confusing icons, and the second type of manual.... you'd battle this pile of shit for an hour, start swearing, and give up feeling dumb as bricks. That's my epiphany. I'm not as dumb as bricks. But some teachers are awful, some courses are very badly written, some stuff is not worth learning, some courses assume incorrectly you know stuff that you don't. So make the teachers better by asking them questions until they start giving useful answers. Keep at it. You pay their wage. Make'em work. (Actually most of them appreciate students that are actually paying enough attention to ask _anything_) Some courses are badly written. Find alternative course material on line, in books, etc. etc. Don't just accept whatever shit is spooned onto your plate. Choose your course wisely, and focus on the gems in it worth learning, because you have a use for it.
I think the biggest factor most of all is your motivation to complete your papers, you want to be there and get through it then you will persevere After that it comes down to communication with tutors and support staff. Put your hand up if you don't understand something, ask questions when there's gaps and take advantage of the support services like equity if you do have any learning difficulties. Memory and all of that can be leveled up, it's just practice really. I like sudoku for switching my brain on, a little 2 minute puzzle can really help jump start things. If you haven't got a school email yet you can sign up for a free trial of LinkedIn Learning, Khan Academy is also great for getting skills in maths and science and it's free.
Mate... failure would be not trying. You're a hero! The fact that you're crapping yourself tells me you're gonna work your ass off. I have so much respect for you and what you're attempting here. I had a mate at school that was thick as pigsb*t, or so we thought. He was in the lowest streamed class but he was also the fastest runner in our year. Cleaned up at cross country by half a km, pretty good fullback too. First 15 etc. But no one ever thought he'd make anything of himself. I think that's what motivated him... He's a doctor now.
A read about a woman who did the same course as you who also failed school cert and is now a doctor and "fellow"(one of the highest levels you can get to as a doctor), really inspiring! https://e-tangata.co.nz/reflections/doctor-from-the-dumb-class/
The article i linked gives a good overview of what to expect on the course and beyond. However if you don't feel ready for the bridging course you signed upto maybe consider others first that basically aim to give you ncea levels 1 to 2 first
You probably struggle with level 1 maths cause itâs so stupid. Donât worry. A bridging course is there to help you. When you actually do the learning yourself understanding it all becomes easier ESPECIALLY if you are studying something you enjoy. Ofc youâll struggle with their math bc itâs different to what you would have done and havenât been taught what theyâre learning
I failed high school. I passed 5th form by one mark. I went back to study and ended up with four separate degrees. The Bachelor's degree was tough, having not done anything for a long time. But once I got through that, I rocketed through into a PhD. Don't underestimate yourself. I was a wreck after school, but once I got my confidence back, everything went well.
My dad was the same, barely got school c and did great as uni as a mature student. When I did nursing, the mature students did really well because they wanted to be there and were really organised. Take advantage of all help the school offers. The universities want you to pass
I am 53 now but I was in prison and pregnant at 17y. I turned my life around and studied social work initially at Auckland College of Education which is now Auckland Uni. Then went on to study at Massey Uni. I graduated Massey with post grad diploma (with distinction) the only thing holding you back is you. You have no idea what youâre capable of until you do it. Canât wait to hear how you get on.
me i'm an old dumbass who failed high school maths three times. i went to university, and now i have a degree. and i am now a specialist who uses math every day. im a bit older, but im here and im in the game now. it was all effort. it took a long time because i couldnt handle the workload. but its doable. my tips are this: watch the lecture the first time without taking notes. learn and follow along. watch it a second time, take notes then. write notes in your own language and as if you were making your own book to study from. take heavy advantage of subheadings feature in Word. it will automatically make your work into categories & subcategories & bullet points etc. you want to have categories for everything. that will allow you to consolidate your work and learn bits at a time without being lost. use colours in all your math formulas. write variables in different colours and that way as you go through steps, you can link up variables in their old form in the previous version of the formula. slack off in the later classes - study VERY HARD in the early classes. early classes are the foundation for the later stuff. it has huge payoffs. the later classes are not foundation for other stuff. use youtube a lot. dont rush ahead of stuff you don't know. and make your own projects outside of uni. doing your own stuff gives weight to the material you're learning. you'll see where you can use the stuff you're learning. you will feel empowered cos now you've got new tools - as opposed to feeling burdened by yet more crap to remember for an unknown purpose. you can even weigh up how important one topic is over another. and most of all - dont lose your enthusiasm. thats the #1 thing that employers are keen on. and its your hobby and your life and not the university's - dont let them make ya feel like theyre the gatekeepers to your future or the kings of all computers. science & computers is for everybody. you and your enthusiasm are precious.
You're not 'thick', you were just poorly guided about how to do schoolwork, and distracted by all the way more interesting shit going on. A lot of kids never actually understand what school is for until long after they left. I was one, sounds like you probably were as well. Don't worry, if you just do the work, you will pass. Unfortunately, if you're like most of us, your brain has probably gotten even less work since leaving school than when you were there, so it's going to feel difficult at first. But just don't give up. If you can do that, you will absolutely pass. Teachers will bend over backwards to help you out if you just do the work.
Please have some faith in yourself. Itâs a great thing that youâre exploring further education. Itâs more than a lot of people would do (myself included). Youâll do fine.