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Being a Mature Student - WeAreOCA

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Being a Mature Student

As a relatively recent mature student myself I thought it would be interesting to explore some of the aspects of being a mature student.
I am planning a series of blog posts asking the same questions of a few different designers, illustrators and artists. Some completed degree courses and others MAs. However, I have started the series by responding to questions I agreed with Alison Churchill at the OCA about my MA and PhD study – both of which I undertook after a 10 year gap in my education. We all undertake further study for different reasons so I hope you will find it interesting and useful to find out other people’s motivations and experiences.
My own experience as a mature student has taken up a significant part of my adult life. I studied for an MA in Design via Independent Study – part-time over 3 years and then in my forties studying for a PhD in Sustainable Design – part-time distance learning over 9 years
Why did you decide to go back into education?
I needed to formalise my visual work to satisfy my then employer and I also wanted to work within a structure to help me actually do the work and meet targets. I thought that if I was going to do the work anyway then I should get the benefits of a formal qualification for it! It was also an opportunity to be visually self-indulgent and experimental. It allowed me to develop new skills and push existing ones.
 
How did your previous experiences benefit your period of study?
They made me value the time that I could set aside for learning. I had also gained many practical skills through my job that I could apply – such as being focussed, organised and meeting deadlines. Teaching students also made me aware of the difficulties that students can face. Being a student whilst teaching also, I hope, made me a more understanding tutor.
 
Are you glad you had a gap before continuing with your education? If so, why?
Yes. My work was totally different to the end point I reached on my degree. I still used some similar processes but the content was different and my MA/PhD really explored a particular area of interest that hadn’t emerged at the end of my degree. It took time to percolate and form. I can see that there are links between the work that I was doing in 1988 and the work I am doing now. Both are quite type driven and socially aware. My post-degree work was mostly concerned with overtly promoting charities. My PhD work had an inherent social and political meaning through the use of discarded materials generated by our wasteful way of living. The 2 photos below show my post-degree charity work and a piece of letterpress work that is currently in progress.
 
ep1 post degree 1988ep2 current work in progress
Did you face any difficulties as a mature student? If so, what were they?
Where to begin with this one! It was difficult to juggle home life, the demands of the course(s) and working full time. When I look back I have no idea how I fitted it all in. I guess at the time you just do! As I was, mostly, enjoying the studying it usually wasn’t a chore to do it.
 
Did you ever want to give up on your course? If so, what / who helped you get back on track?
Trying to complete my PhD was the hardest of tasks. I nearly gave up in the final few months of completion. I am glad I didn’t as I never give up on anything. My family and friends got me through at this point.
 
What 3 attributes do you think a mature student needs to succeed with their work?
Determination – don’t give up – pick yourself up, do something nice, get back to work!
A willingness to undertake visual risk-taking – experiment with methods, processes and ideas.
Be organised – set aside chunks of time to concentrate on your visual work and writing.
 
How did your work change over your period of study?
As I did an MA and then a PhD back to back I had a considerable length of time in which to develop my visual style and working methods. When I finished my graphics/animation degree in 1988 my work mixed type and image with lino-cut and mixed media. When I started my MA in 1997 I started off collecting found and discarded objects. These items of ‘rejectamenta’ became the focus of my research and this extended into my PhD. I explored many different processes during this period and really enjoyed developing my screenprinting skills. I definitely consolidated my multi-media approach during this time.
 
How important were sketchbooks to you during your study?
My work wouldn’t exist without my sketchbooks. It is where I record my thoughts, ideas, developments, experiments and mistakes. I look back at my sketchbooks if I am stuck or if I want to be reminded about a process, a time exposure or an exhibition I visited. A good sketchbook is an extension of yourself and as such should reflect your personality in its content, style and structure. Mine go off in all different directions and often burst the spines! I am constantly developing binding methods to deal with this issue! The photos below show a box of my PhD sketchbooks and an open pile of my post-PhD sketchbooks.
 
ep3 PhD sketchbooksep4 post PhD sketchbooks
If you did your course(s) again is there anything you would do differently?
I would try not to worry so much about whether what I was doing was ok and at the right level – particularly on the PhD. I would just try and enjoy my work and go with the flow. My MA was much less pressured than my PhD so it was more enjoyable – this was probably because it didn’t last as long. Having the luxury of studying full time might have helped to reduce the pressure.
 
What have you been doing since you graduated?
I am still working in HE. I did change jobs whilst doing my PhD and I would strongly recommend NOT doing that if you can possibly help it! I have also written quite a few articles which I really enjoy doing and my work has been published in a few books and journals.
 
I also set up we love your books with an ex colleague (there will be a blog post about that in more detail soon).
 
Where can we find out more about you and your work?
www.oca-uk.com/profile/emma-powell
www.rejectamenta.com
www.weloveyourbooks.com
www.flickr.com/rejectamenta
 
We would love OCA students to tell us their experiences of the joys and challenges of being a mature student


Posted by author: Emma Powell

7 thoughts on “Being a Mature Student

  • I found it very pleasurable but sometimes sticky retiring and then taking art classes. Too many years of leading a class made me very aware of avoiding taking over! So I tend to take a conscious back seat in classes. These issues dont arise as much with the OCA distance learning. And the courses have helped me structure my time. I’m not sure I’ve ever stopped being a student though. When I graduated, I found that everyone in my department had an MA, then it was a PhD and then all the experience, publications and things. Goal posts are constantly moving!

  • I too am a mature student – very mature having been retired for almost 18 years. During my working career I completed a BA(Hons) Degree with the Open University and an M.A (in Human Activity Systems) at University of Lancaster. For both I received full support from my employer (the Prison Service) and in the case of the M.A. was granted a years sabbatical. The work with the OU necessitated some fitting in both at work and at home. The essential is the support and encouragement of your family because without it you find yourself having to make instant decisions about priorities and this can create negative feelings both within yourself and those you love. Distance learning is a tough road to travel with at times apparently insurmountable obstacles. I found the way to cope was to constantly remind myself why I set out on the journey in the first place.
    It is difficult to judge whether I gained anything both in terms of career and finance from my studies (in fact I received an apology from a senior member of the Prison Service because he had been instrumental in refusing to promote me because of “my M.A.). What I did get was a fuller understanding of the world around me and the ability to make better decisions.
    So why my pursuit of an Hons degree in Photography. The presenting reason is that I wish to improve my photography and this is what I keep at the forefront of my mind when I feel like kicking everything into touch (usually happens when I am not in full agreement with my tutor – it is so irritating when they are right). The publicly unstated reason is that I feel that if I do not use my mind it will quit on me – the shadow of dementia is always there. Photography has also the added benefit of the need to get out and about and to get ‘unnoticed exercise’ – the exercise you get whilst you think you are doing something else.
    I have been studying with the OCA for about 4 years and if all works out this will be my final year. This realisation has led me to ask the question – what next? I am certain that it will be to continue my education because if there is one thing that I have learned over the years is that its never too late study something new.

  • I too am a mature student and have been learning with the OCA for several years. I am so glad I am not the only one who finds it extremely demanding trying to juggle home, full time work and study! I am often late with assignments because life gets in the way but I have found the staff and tutors to be very kind and so accommodating. I am thoroughly enjoying my studies and would definitely recommend anyone to take up a course – wish I had done it sooner!

  • I have been toying with doing the creative arts BA with the OCA as a mature student. I have been offered a place at a bricks and mortar university for this September and can’t decide which route to take. Has anyone learned through a traditional university? How has this compared to learning online? Any feedback would be great.

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