Graduate school while homeschooling... Am I crazy?

[Katydid]

I'm wanting to go back to school to be an architect, but I homeschool my 4 young children. Has anyone else pursued graduate studies while homeschooling? Is it crazy to even attempt?

[Katydid]

Well, I don't really expect to be able to take on a full time course load while homeschooling, so I would imagine it would probably take a good five years at least to complete my degree. I wouldn't be starting right away anyway.... I'm just trying to see if it would even be fesable, or if everything would end up suffering.

[Dolphin]

I also thought about it. For me it would be the right decision, but the wrong time. They are only little once, and they require a lot more effort at this age. When they are older they are more independent. You can sit together and do work, and you don't have to worry about childcare. *For me* this is not the right season in my life for graduate school.

[fhjmom]

If it's crazy, then send then men in white coats to my house! LOL!

 

Actually, I do think I am crazy sometimes and I have had to scale back a lot on other commitments, but I am working on my masters on deaf education. It is all online (from a state university), which is good and bad. Since it is somewhat flexible, I can work on my school on my schedule, but at the same time the flexibility makes it easy to put things off. I am scrambling to finish assignments for this semester now.

 

I say go for it!

[DawnM]

Well, I got two MAs while working full time and being a mom.

 

Dawn

[Dana]

I don't think I could.

 

Do check on how your school does credits. Sometimes they're only good for a certain length of time.

 

It definitely depends on your degree. I got an MAT in math. (1 1/2 years of coursework at the graduate level in math and in education, 1/2 years of student teaching) The math continued to build on prior coursework - and there are qualifying exams to pass at the end of coursework as well. If I'd stretched that out for too long, I wouldn't have remembered enough to pass the quals (probably).

 

As it is, I teach courses 2 nights a week, my husband does the grocery shopping, housecleaning, and cooking in the evenings... and I still feel time pressure issues. I'm always very grateful not to be a student as I see what they're juggling.

 

There was also something really neat about our cohort through the program. You'd lose that stretching your studies out over years. We were all in it together. In our program, 3 Cs and you're kicked out as well. A is good, B is adequate, C is poor.

 

I'm definitely in favor of education - and I'm very glad I have my degree... but it was a lot of work. It also took about 10 years to pay off the student loans... and 4 of those years were with me working full time. Think about what your purpose of the degree is. If you'll be working afterwards, will you lose out on employment if you don't do internships or work immediately after getting the degree? If you wait until kids are in high school and more independent, you've got more study time.

 

My folks did get MDiv degrees when I was 5 and my sister was 3...but school was their full time job & we were in public school while they were studying too.

 

Good luck with your decision. Sorry to be a downer... but I wouldn't be able to do a degree and homeschool at the same time. YMMV.

[bettyandbob]

I think it's possible in some disciplines.

 

Architecture I wonder about though. I don't know how graduate architecture programs are structured. I know that undergraduate programs are very intense. The undergrad degree in architecture takes 5 years at one nationally known university in my state and 6 years at another nationally known university in my state. (6 years for an undergrad degree). And that's full time and getting all the classes you need in the correct cycle. So, I wonder how a graduate program is structured.

 

I guess I'd ask myself what my ultimate goal is. I'm taking a graduate class right now. I was sure it would help me with my ds who has disabilities. I realized by the 3d class this isn't the right way to go with ds. However, the class is part of certification program I'm going for and I would have had to take it eventually. I'm doing fine in this class, but I feel like I'm not doing enough for the class, my time is eaten up with kidstuff most of the time. Last summer I took a graduate class that met everyday for several hours for a couple of weeks. That was much better for me. I made babysitting arrangements for that period (summer day camp) and completely focused. We had a few weeks after class was over to complete some projects and get them turned in. I tried to do as much as possible for the class during that concentrated period.

I think it would be very hard to do. I would also humbly point out that architects have one of the highest unemployment rate for any graduate degree. Also, I think there are very few architecture schools which admit part-time students.

 

Back in the stone age, when I went to school, the architects were the ones always pulling all nighters to finish their projects.

Edited May 2, 2012 by GGardner

[missmoe]

I have been itching to get back to school, but am waiting until all of my kids are in high school. My dh went back to school a few years ago. He worked full time (or more) and had classes M-T for four hours. In addition to classes he spent most weekends studying. It was hard on me, him, and our kids.

 

My two youngest are in 7th-grade right now and I can see time opening up for me. I teach most mornings and am done by 11 most days. They of course need help throughout the afternoon as they work, but I can picture myself sitting with them working in the afternoons.

 

No matter what you decide--homeschooling and being a mom is all about finding balance.

[lailasmum]

I think it is doable in some disciplines but architecture might not be one of them. A few years ago when I only had one child I looked into architecture and the courses were seriously the most full on I think I have come across short of medical school. I think a student just concentrating on architecture with no other commitments would have a very very full life.

 

I am thinking of doing a totally different degree from october but it is designed to be very part time and could take 12 yrs to do the whole thing. That seems manageable.

Edited May 2, 2012 by lailasmum

[G5052]

I have a technical ABD degree that I took an M.S. in. After I quit, I swore I'd never finish it, and I never have. I was working full-time and some of the classes had 40+ hours of homework a week. After six years, I couldn't take it any more, and I didn't have a husband and family then. I cannot imagine what it would be like now.

 

Since then I've done two graduate certificates in with reasonable studying and homework and took classes leading to a professional certification (not that hard though). All of those were doable while homeschooling only because the homework isn't that hard (mostly papers), and I'm used to perpetually juggling. I didn't do this though until my youngest was six and pretty self-sufficient.

 

Periodically I have thoughts of doing another degree in a liberal arts field, but I think that I probably will wait until my last one is in high school.

[Pam in MA]

I have a Masters of Architecture (4 year graduate program) obtained when I was in my 20s and it consumed every waking hour other than the 10-15 hours/week I worked. It involved staying up all night fairly regularly and was exhausting. Now, that's just me, but I can't imagine homeschooling at the same time. JMHO

[Amy in NH]

I'm wanting to go back to school to be an architect, but I homeschool my 4 young children. Has anyone else pursued graduate studies while homeschooling? Is it crazy to even attempt?

 

I take one course/semester, and finished my Master's this way in five years. I'm working toward a Doctorate now. It is just the right amount of time away from home. The challenge is to stay awake long enough to do the reading after the kids are in bed.

 

Honestly, I've found graduate courses to be much easier, and more intellectually stimulating, than undergrad.

[garddwr]

I'm wanting to go back to school to be an architect, but I homeschool my 4 young children. Has anyone else pursued graduate studies while homeschooling? Is it crazy to even attempt?

 

I did one semester--my children were 6, 4, and 2, and the semester I started I found out I was pregnant. I enjoyed school but things at home were definitely neglected--I was spending time writing papers instead of keeping the house in order and teaching the kids, and it was also a lot of stress on my husband because he was watching the children in the evenings after work while I went to class. He was very supportive but I could see the strain on the entire family and decided after one semester the benefits weren't worth the costs. I keep thinking about trying again, but only if I can do a self-paced online program.

[Katydid]

Thank you all for your replies. The more reading I do about architecture as a career, the less I think it would work for me. It sounds like the schooling is just going to be too intense. I think it's time to say good bye to that dream.

 

I think, for now, I'm going to work on self-education in science, math, history and literature and also work on honing my photography skills. Maybe in a few years I will take some graphic design and business/marketing classes and see if I can make a go as a freelance photographer/designer.

[Momling]

It depends on the kind of program you're considering... A serious funded PhD program? No way! A professional degree or MA for working adults? Possibly.

There will be sacrifices... Consider what you're willing to give up.

[Birkenkathy]

I haven't read the replies here. I helped put my ex-husband through architecture school when we were first married and the work-load was ridiculous, bordering on unreasonable.

 

He was at USC. The professors expected architecture school to be your life and your religion. He was often at school working all-nighters trying to get projects finished. And it took everyone 5 years to get through the program (it was an undergrad degree).

 

I don't know if all arch programs are this rigorous, but for me personally there is no way I could do that and homeschool (and this is coming from someone who homeschools 4 as a single mom and small business owner).

 

I'm not trying to discourage you, but realistically, you probably want to really check the requirements of the program you are looking into and see if it is like this. And I can't imagine that this was a program where they would have let anyone attend part-time either.

 

Hold onto your dream though. Sometimes that means waiting, or making a choice, but it doesn't mean never.

[SwallowTail]

I plan to return to my PhD studies in polymer science and engineering when dd is a bit older. If we have no more children, I can resume coursework to some extent and just bring dd with me. She can study while I am in class or in the lab. I will do it part time for at least the first couple of years.