Mature reflections on a love of books

ALL IN A DAY'S WORK: Alison Kennedy, mature student, social science and archaelogy, UCD.

There are three students in my house and I'm the oldest. My day starts over breakfast with my fifth-year daughter and college-fresher son. They never tire of teasing my "mature-student" peculiarities.

Apparently I'm a nerd because I study and worry about exams. I'm taking a degree in social science and archaeology at UCD. I got a yearning to go to university while working part-time in the UCD. I love the campus atmosphere, I love the contact with students, but most of all I love the books.

My first lecture is in archaeology, paleolithic cave art. It's wonderful. I chose archaeology as a second subject after social science because I'm addicted to archaeology programmes on TV.

My second lecture of the day is in social policy - it can be quite heavy and awful some days, other days it's fascinating. I chose social science because I'd like a career as a social worker, but also because there are 30 other matures on the programme! No one likes to be in the minority. All the same, my first few weeks were harrowing. I couldn't get over the crowds - 600 people at one lecture, crowds flooding out and in - it was like being at a rugby match. For weeks, I just kept thinking; What am I doing here? I'm making a total fool of myself.

By the third week things had calmed down. Now I'm used to the crowds, but I'll never get used to the booklists coming at me from every direction. I hurry home after lectures to get down to some reading and the kids laugh at me. They say I'm a typical mature student. I think we matures do worry a lot. We're terrified of being left behind. We also have part-time jobs and households to run. I still do eight hours a week in the library.

However, I've read some incredible books that I would never have come across without taking this course. Helen Burke's The Poor Law in Ireland - I couldn't take my head out of it. Philip McMichael's Development and Social Change is a book everyone should read, I think.

If I have an assignment to do and I'm not working at the library, I spend the evening working on that. I've had to change my priorities - if the house is in a state and I have an essay to do it stays that way. The family are very supportive - even if I can't always convince them to make the dinner. My son says that there are people in his class in college who are not half as intelligent as I am. That kind of support really helps. All the same, I'm not looking for permission to do this. I don't think anyone should.

I haven't much time for extra-curricular activities, but I have joined the Archaeological Society and I think they'll be starting field trips soon. To relax in the evening I bring the dogs for a walk. My head's so full of the things I have to do that I need to switch off. I need to tune into the kids too, make sure that hockey matches are prepared for, study is being done for exams etc. Mind you I'm the only one that has nervous breakdowns about exams. I can't remember my own mobile number!

I'm in bed by nine o'clock. I want to stay on top of things - I'm determined to get this qualification. I'm tired of feeling untrained in the workplace; everybody else is so specialised.

I used to read at bedtime, but now I'm all read out by then. I've always loved books. When the children would get their schoolbooks in the summer I could never understand how they could just leave them untouched until term started. I'd take them out and read them straight away.