Open University (OU) Law student Sade, 27, has big plans for the future. With savvy advice for squeezing study into a busy life, Sade shares how she manages to fit everything in and keep her eye on the prize.<\/p>\n
A mother of two young children and NHS administrator, Sade knew that going to a campus university wasn\u2019t going to work for her. Determined not to give up on her childhood dream of becoming a lawyer, Sade says distance learning is the perfect solution.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve wanted to be a lawyer for as long as I can remember, but it wasn\u2019t until I discovered the OU that I started to believe I would actually get there,\u201d Sade says. \u201cThe way the course material is designed means that you know exactly what you need to do, and you can put time aside to do it. When I realised the BA Law course<\/a> was so manageable, I wished I\u2019d signed up years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n With so much to juggle in her life, Sade has adopted a slick approach to time-management.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething that really works for me is to get ahead with my studies. As soon as you get behind, everything becomes psychologically more difficult.\u201d Sade adds, \u201cBefore a module starts, I look to see what\u2019s coming and I start reading up on the topic. Important dates and deadlines are on my wall planner where I can always see them, so I\u2019m always on top of it.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s rare for Sade to have long periods of time to herself, so she\u2019s become skilful at carving out time to get her head down and study.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether it\u2019s grabbing a few hours once my kids are in bed, or using my lunch hour to do some reading, I make sure I do a minimum of an hour study each day. A little can go a long way and it helps me to keep momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n Sade is philosophical about her situation and says it\u2019s too easy to be put off by feeling you don\u2019t have enough time, \u201cIf you wait for the perfect time to do something, you\u2019ll never do it. Focus on where you want to be, and you\u2019ll get there. Life\u2019s too short \u2013 you need to do what makes you happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that she\u2019s on a clear path to realising her ambition, Sade describes what motivates her.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got two little people now and I want them to be proud of how hard I\u2019ve worked. I imagine them shouting \u2018that\u2019s my mum\u2019 when I cross the stage at my graduation ceremony. That keeps me going.\u201d<\/p>\n A great believer in manifesting the future, Sade has a stand-out vision for her career.<\/p>\n \u201cI dream of being a named partner in a law firm. I think about getting out of the lift and seeing my name on the door. I\u2019ve got a vision board to remind me of what I\u2019m working towards.\u201d<\/p>\n Knowing that the OU offers different avenues of support is something Sade appreciates far more than she expected.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are tough days when you\u2019re working, looking after the kids and a course deadline is coming up. I find student forums great for that – hearing that you\u2019re not the only one struggling and being able to help each other through it.\u201d Sade added, \u201cI know that I\u2019m with a university that will look after me, the tutors and the Student Support Team are brilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n Embarking on this new path has not only developed Sade\u2019s academic ability, she\u2019s noticed a shift in her personal life too.<\/p>\n \u201cStudying has given me so much confidence and I\u2019m more empathetic than I was before. I feel like people listen when I talk and they respect my opinion, which feels good.\u201d<\/p>\n Keen to inspire others to take the plunge, Sade explains why her advice is to \u201cgo for it!\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the OU, you can take learning at your own pace, so it\u2019s never too late to change your life path. Even if you think you don\u2019t have the right qualifications, the OU is so inclusive and there\u2019s always an access route you can take.\u201d<\/p>\n Sade reflects, \u201cI\u2019m grateful to the OU for giving me the push I needed to achieve my dream.\u201d<\/p>\n Step into your future with the support of the OU.\u00a0Register before 7 September<\/a>\u00a0for courses starting this October and discover what you\u2019re capable of.<\/p>\n Find out if Sade is ‘The Smartest in Their Space’<\/a> in the one and only OU themed game show, in partnership with Word on the Curb. Catch all four episodes on YouTube<\/a> where OU students and well known content creators battle it out for the coveted trophy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Open University (OU) Law student Sade, 27, has big plans for the future. With savvy advice for squeezing study into a busy life, Sade shares how she manages to fit everything in and keep her eye on the prize. A mother of two young children and NHS administrator, Sade knew that going to a campus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":23854,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1643,2142],"class_list":["post-23853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-stories","tag-ou-news","tag-student-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Making it work<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Focus on your goal<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Making the most of support <\/strong><\/h2>\n
Personal growth<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Inspired by Sade\u2019s story?<\/strong><\/h2>\n