Evening Standard

Yes, you can fulfil your ambitions

- Niki Chesworth

ONCE you have establishe­d yourself on the career ladder and are used to earning, or have family and friends you don’t want to leave, it is very difficult to go “off to university”.

Yet, you may have always wanted to study for a degree — or perhaps retrain by earning a masters. So why should you have to give up on your ambitions?

The good news have to.

Many university degrees involve just 10 or so hours a week of “contact” time spread over five days. These traditiona­l degrees are just not designed for people like you, which is why you need to look at universiti­es that do things differentl­y. And Arden University is one of them. Flexible, ‘blended’ degrees,

is that you don’t Feel you missed out by not studying for a degree? Want to progress, but do not want to give up your career? Arden University has the solution

a mixture of two-to-three fixed days at one of their three London study centres and online distance learning, enable you to combine work and family commitment­s with studying for a degree.

Arden allows you to learn when and where it suits you.

Whether it’s evenings, weekends, during your lunch hour or while the kids are at school, this flexibilit­y means you won’t have to change your current commitment­s too much and you can continue to work and earn.

Don’t worry, you will still benefit from plenty of support, with all the resources you need online, tutors available via Skype, email and phone, and online study groups. The always-on virtual classroom is there to help you to progress your learning and work through assignment­s. Arden also gives you choices. You can start at different times of the year, not just September, enabling you to begin your degree course whenever you feel ready. They are now taking applicatio­ns for their courses starting in February 2018.

Think you’d prefer studying alongside others? If you want that face-to-face interactio­n with fellow students, tutors and lecturers, then “blended” learning could be just the thing for you.

With blended learning, you only have to commit to two-to-three fixed days a week in the classroom, and progress the rest of your learning online.

To make it easier to fit in working and studying, Arden has three study centres across London, all in convenient locations.

You can find these study centres in Ealing, Tower Hill and Holborn — simply pick your perfect location, whether it’s close to your home or workplace, and save on travel time so you can use the rest of your time effectivel­y. over two years, with just one evening session every two weeks in the classroom. Remember, you will need to factor in time for independen­t study and assignment­s too.

Where will I be learning? With blended learning, you will combine online learning with classes at their study centres. The three study centres in Ealing, Tower Hill and Holborn are close to great transport links to reduce travel time and ensure you make the most of every minute to fulfil your ambitions.

How much does it cost? A three-year blended degree at Arden costs £18,495 in total, while an MBA costs £9,855. They also offer online learning, which is even more affordable, with degrees from just £12,825.

Do I still qualify for Student Loans? Arden is the same as any university. So, if you qualify for a student loan (and this is your first degree), the answer is yes.

As these are full-time degrees condensed into two-to-three days at the study centre, you may also be eligible for a Maintenanc­e Loan to help cover food, accommodat­ion and travel costs. Masters programmes can also be funded using the new Postgradua­te student loan.

 ??  ?? Making it work: you don’t have to give up on your ambitions if you are firmly on the career ladder
Making it work: you don’t have to give up on your ambitions if you are firmly on the career ladder

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