Concentrating on school in the midst of family crisis.

[soliloquy]

I've been so excited to have the opportunity to complete my BS. I have been anxiously awaiting my program evaluation from COSC so I could figure out what to take next. If I could have my evaluation back by Tuesday I was ready to enroll right then.

Unfortunately, a couple of things have happened. My grandfather passed away (my grandmother passed away a couple of years ago). He was found several days after Christmas and had probably been alone for a few days. My mother then proceeded to literally have a stroke and she is now in the hospital about a 10 hour drive from me. I've been trying to get a flight up there but the weather up north is impossible right now. I have to wait until midweek to get up there. It's just been a lot to process.

Have any of you experienced trying to balance crisis and school. I had to deal with my father's death when I was last enrolled in school and it was so overwhelming...

I don't want to delay my education any further but I don't know how I'm going to be able to concentrate on my studies with all of this going on...and her health and everything up in the air.

[ShotoJuku]

[COLOR="#000080"]First, my condolences on the loss of your Grandfather and for your Moms medical concerns.

Secondly, many years ago one of my Sensei from Japan reminded me of Family First and all others, including friends, work, school are second and I have lived by that advice ever since and I urge you to do the same and know that school will be there waiting for you after you deal with your family concerns. You need time for them, and yourself - time to process and time to heal; injuries do not always manifest themselves on the surface and never materialize at once.

Third, take a time out, live for now - in the moment for you and your family and allow yourself the ability to sort things out. Remember...slow and steady wins the race![/COLOR]

[UptonSinclair]

School can wait. Take care of your personal and spiritual needs first. Once things settle down, you will be in a far better state of mind to proceed.

[Tedium]

I'm sorry about your loss and best wishes for your mom's speedy recovery.

I absolutely agree that school can wait. You have to think about it this way: if you are not up to it mentally or emotionally you run the risk of flunking out or getting sub par grades. If you decide to take the time off after that then you will have that much more trouble re-enrolling. I had a family emergency and I wish I had taken the time off instead of trying to power through. It definitely would have been worth it.

[cookderosa]

My deepest sympathies in the loss of your grandfather and the illness of your mother. You do what you can- your heart knows what you should do, and how much. Just listen to it.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Add my sympathies for the loss of your grandfather – and strength for you, for your mother, and for your whole family – to those of everyone here.

Remember that one of the great things about the way you're approaching earning your degree is how self-paced it is. This quality is there for you if and when you're ready to sit a blitz of credit-by-examination tests or fast-assessment online courses.

It's also there for you when you need to take a break. Use it how you need to.

[Bibby]

Sorry to hear that. My condolences to you and your family. I went through something similar last year when I was starting a new degree program. Since I was committed to taking four classes, including two in person, it would've been very hard for me to take a break, so I thought the best way to deal with it would be to do the best I could in my studies. If taking a break is a viable option, though, I would definitely consider doing so.