Studying with life!!

I didn’t come to The Open University with a plan.

I came with responsibilities. With doubt. With a life already in motion.

As a mature student, you don’t arrive feeling ahead—you arrive wondering if you’ve already fallen behind. Watching others move faster, understand quicker, fit in easier.

And for me, that feeling was louder because of dyslexia.

Nothing came easy — but I came anyway.

Studying law with dyslexia means nothing is straightforward.

Reading takes longer. Writing takes effort. Confidence doesn’t come naturally.

There were moments I questioned everything—whether I belonged, whether I was capable, whether I was just trying to keep up.

But I stayed.

Because I realised something important: struggling doesn’t mean you’re not capable. It means you’re doing something difficult.

Life didn’t pause — so I learned not to either.

During my studies, I lost my father.

Grief doesn’t wait for a “better time.” It doesn’t adjust to deadlines. It sits with you while the world carries on.

There were days I couldn’t focus. Days I didn’t want to open my laptop.

But continuing became part of how I coped.

And then there’s motherhood.

Alongside everything, I was raising a child born with a cleft lip and palate.

Hospital appointments. Surgeries. Recovery. Worry.

And still—assignments.

I studied in waiting rooms. I worked through exhaustion. I kept going when stopping would have been easier.

Because when you’re doing it for your child, giving up doesn’t feel like an option.

This isn’t just a degree.

From the outside, it might look like a qualification.

But it’s more than that.

It’s every moment I chose to keep going when it would have been easier not to.

It’s every piece of self-doubt I pushed through just to submit an assignment.

It’s every late night, every setback, every quiet win.

I didn’t just study.

I persisted.

And now, I’m not only completing my law degree—I’m continuing onto a master’s.

If you feel like you don’t belong here—you do.

Even if you’re older.

Even if you struggle.

Even if your path looks nothing like anyone else’s.

You don’t have to move fast. You just have to keep moving.

I didn’t take the easy path.

But I showed up.

I kept going.

And I’m still here.

Please feel free to comment and share your story!!