Moms: Are you feeling inspired to advance your education, but unsure about enrolling in college? We get it. Raising humans is not an easy task – whether your kids are toddlers or teenagers – and adding homework and classes into the mix may feel daunting. However, if we’ve learned anything from our incredible student moms, it’s that you have what it takes to accept new and rewarding challenges. In fact, the very skills you’re developing as a mom could help you excel as a student!
Over the years, we’ve noticed that our student moms have many unique strengths. Time and again, they demonstrate resilience, adaptability, and strength under pressure. Plus, career college offers a flexible and supportive post-secondary experience, creating the best conditions for student moms to thrive.
Today, we’re taking time to celebrate every mom who has made the decision to pursue their education and career goals. Here are 5 traits that make moms so special:
1. Moms are Masters of Time Management
Being a mom means having multiple schedules in your head at once. School functions, playdates, soccer practices, homework deadlines – and that doesn’t even account for your own social and professional life. While every mom receives a different level of support on parenting duties, we’ve found that they tend to have lots of practice managing time and multitasking. Otherwise, there simply would not be enough hours in the day!
As you can imagine, time management plays an important role in college. Students are required to balance a variety of tasks, like reading textbook chapters, completing assignments, studying for tests, and attending classes. To stay on top of everything, they will need to apply skills like tracking deadlines, prioritizing the most important projects, and maintaining focus. Observe any mom in your life, and you’re likely to see these valuable skills already in action.
2. Moms Are Expert Communicators
Have you ever heard a toddler express a seemingly unintelligible arrangement of sounds, to which their mother smoothly responds, “You can have your fruit snack after naptime.”
Parents not only learn how to communicate with children at all developmental stages, but they are also expected to model effective methods of communication, in order to foster healthy relationships and help their children develop into strong communicators themselves.
According to the University of Missouri, effective communication with children involves the following skills:
- Choosing age-appropriate communication.
- Responding to the needs and interests of the child.
- Recognizing the child’s unique communication style.
- Connecting through storytelling.
- Asking open-ended questions.
- Talking through strategies and solutions to problems.
- Providing reasons for decision making.
- Acknowledging the child’s unique perspective.
As evidenced by this list, communicating effectively as a parent requires active listening, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution skills – all useful in academic and professional settings.
For example, as a college student, you may need to ask for an extension on an assignment. In communicating with your instructor, you can draw on skills like acknowledging the situation from their perspective, providing reasoning for your request, considering the instructor’s preferred method of communication, and using the appropriate style (informal or formal) according to the circumstances. If you’re a mom, you’ve likely been practicing these communication abilities for years!
3. Moms Know How to Embrace Change and Adaptability
One moment, you’re responsible for yourself and perhaps a couple houseplants. The next, you’re in charge of an entire human. That’s a pretty serious change. Suddenly, everything is different, from the time you have to yourself in a day to the amount of cutlery you need (at least two spoons).
College is a big change too; that’s one reason why it’s so exciting! As a student, you’re sure to encounter many new faces, ideas, and expectations. With each class, you’ll need to adapt to a new schedule and style of teaching. You’ll also have to adjust to working with partners on group assignments, who may approach the project differently than you would. Finally, you’ll be introduced to new tools or technology as you prepare for your career.
Those who are unable to shift gears may find some aspects of college difficult until they learn to go with the flow. Moms, however, are experts at adapting to change. They have not only withstood large changes to their personal life – they are helping their kids navigate all the changes that come with growing up.
4. Moms Work Well Under Pressure
It’s 9:00 pm. You hear a nervous knock on your bedroom door and find your nine-year-old clutching a bake sale notice in hand. For first thing tomorrow morning.
Kids are essentially stress machines. They make messes, they break things, they embarrass you in public – and they hand you last-minute requests for 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies.
College, too, is stressful. It’s common to be nervous about speaking up in class, to experience anxiety on exam days, and to feel slightly overwhelmed by the number of tasks on your to-do list.
Moms have been there, done that. Having had substantial practice in the art of staying calm under pressure, they know methods for channeling stress into success.
Here are a few mom tips for withstanding stressful situations, whether that’s a crowded grocery store or an exam:
- Practice deep breathing.
- Divide an intimidating task into simple steps.
- Stay in the present.
- Close your eyes for a moment of stillness.
- Drink water.
- Take inventory of your senses.
- Use positive self-talk.
5. Moms Are Resilient
Parenting is a life-long commitment that involves planning for the future. Parents know the magic of seeing their children change and grow, achieve exciting milestones, and become their own person. All-in-all, moms have experience practicing a long-term mindset.
This perspective is a powerful tool for college students. Feeling the pull of what you’re working toward – a graduation cap, gown, and college diploma – can help you overcome roadblocks along the way. Because of their experience helping a growing human figure out life’s winding roads, moms know how to stay committed to academic and career goals that may be months or years away.
Resilience – sometimes referred to as grit – can play a larger role in achieving excellence than you may think. Angela Duckworth says it best: “Grit [AKA resilience] is about working on something you care about so much that you're willing to stay loyal to it...it's doing what you love, but not just falling in love―staying in love.”
Sounds like a mom superpower to us.
Tips for Success as a Student and a Mom
Even as we celebrate the incredible skills and talents of mothers, it’s important to acknowledge that they aren’t actually superhuman. Self-care is essential for moms, who are often expected to do it all – default parenting, housework, and earning outside the home.
Here are a few ways to take care of yourself as a student mom, to support your success and wellbeing:
Lean on Your Support Network
Identify the people in your life who you can trust and who care about you. These supports may include partners, parents, and friends. Communicate your needs to your network and ask for help, whether that’s an afternoon of childcare so you can study, or just someone to listen to what’s on your mind. This is what community is for!
College is also a great place to strengthen your support network by connecting with other student parents and scheduling time to meet with your instructors, advisors, and other administration. By participating in your college community, you will gain valuable support and encouragement from new friends and mentors.
Celebrate Your Achievements – Big and Small
Did you finish a course? Pass a test? Learn something that totally shifted your perspective? Celebrate it! This could look like words of affirmation, a delicious treat, or sending a text message to a friend commemorating the moment. You deserve acknowledgement for your hard work.
Access Student Resources
Your college likely has resources available to help you succeed. Do some research to find out what those are – and use them. For example, you may be able to receive career counseling to find a job with flexibility for working moms or access mental wellness resources.
Sundance College: Where Student Moms Thrive
Sundance College provides a uniquely welcoming environment for parents and caregivers. With flexible, online study options and personalized guidance from advisors and instructors, our programs fit into the busy lives of student moms, offering extra support to those who need it.
Additionally, our career-ready programs are a great way for moms to re-enter the workforce after taking time away. Career Services works with students on resume writing, interview preparation, and job search techniques, helping moms launch their new career in less than a year!
To learn more about the programs we offer, complete an application form, and one of our advisors will be in touch. Or, to find out which program is a good fit for your interests and experience, try our Career Quiz!
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