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1 SEPTEMBER 2000 ------------------------- MATURE STUDENT NOT OVERAWED BY TASK… NOW is the time to take the plunge, says mature student Sally Milner. The 37-year-old has left her job as
county organiser for Northumberland Young Farmers and is about to start a three-year theology degree at Durham University. "I wake up one morning worried Im poverty stricken," she
says. "Then the next morning Im elated – I think what an opportunity, I can concentrate on a subject Im fascinated by." Being surrounded by people nearly half her age is not a
prospect that fazes her. "Im more of a Radio 1 than a Radio 2 person myself. But Im not going to try and recapture my youth." The mixture of school-leavers and mature students
makes for a good balance, she says. "They complement each other." But money is more of a worry. Sally, who plans to make the 50-plus mile round-trip daily from her Ponteland home
to the campus, will fund the venture with part-time jobs. "You have to graft your way through uni. If you want something enough, youll go through rigours to get it." Her HGV/PSV
licence will provide job opportunities. "You can always find driving work." The Durham course marks a second foray into full-time higher education for Sally, who had a brief spell
at Sheffield Poly after A levels. "I didnt have any self-discipline or study skills. I made a complete hash of the whole thing." Her interest in study, however, was rekindled
recently with a part-time course at Newcastle University. "It was very stimulating. I looked forward to going to the library. I looked forward to working on an essay. I did work on
time, early even. "I was afraid that I might not have the necessary self-discipline, but I did get work in on time and I did get good marks." Sally, whos single, hopes to learn a
language while shes at Durham and top up her computer skills. "Keep an eye on being employable." She wants to get a good qualification, too. "Mature students have to get a 2:1
to justify the poverty and the hard graft." And the prospect of studying a subject in which shes so interested is a hugely exciting one. "Some of the modules look fascinating.
Youve got to go for it. You only live once." _Durham-bound mature student Sally Milner: "What an opportunity."_