College students who are also mothers balance time between their children, their school and their jobs for a better life.

“I am speaking to any mother who might have concerns about balancing motherhood and school,” Major Keyea George, 31, nursing major, said. “If you focus your mind and are determined, you can obtain good grades and succeed as a mother.”

Young mothers who are also college students are becoming more common. Many young mothers who attend college sacrifice their free time to fulfill their educational goals.

“I think that having good time management skills is important,” George said.

“Some days are better than others. I purposely don’t work 3p.m. to 11 p.m. during the week so I can help my kids with their homework.”

George has roughly four hours of homework per night, takes care of her three young children and works part-time as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) on the weekend.

“I have a lot of support from family and friends,” George said. “The children’s dad and grandmother take care of them sometimes. I don’t think that I could handle motherhood, school and work without their strong support system,” George said.

“It is definitely not easy to manage a family, school, and a job,” Eileen Avila, 22, child development major, said.

“My mother-in-law and husband watch over the children to help out. Financial aid helps out with the costs that students endure.”

Avila has 5-year-old girl. She works as a part-time clerical assistant and is a full-time student.

“I study about three hours every night,” Avila said. “When I study at home, the noise level is high. The library is the only quiet place there is for me to study.”

An adequate amount of study time is essential for students to receive good grades.

“I like to study at my kitchen table because its peaceful,” Casey Chu, 43, nursing major, said.

Chu added that she needs to always find time to study.

“I need to study about four hours every night. My children are grown which leaves me with a lot more freedom to spend time on my schoolwork,” she said.

College students who are mothers spend a considerable amount of time studying, but what do they like to do in their free time away from school?

Mother’s who are going to school have a lot going for them but it seems worth it.

For people like George who juggle family and school, it helps to find alone time with the family when she can and escape the daily pressures.

“I really don’t have a lot of spare time”, George said. “Sundays are family days. I take the kids to church and then we go out to the movies or go out to eat. On Sundays, we spend the whole day together as a family.”

“It is necessary to have some kind of alone time,” Avila said.