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If you’re considering going back to school, you’ve likely thought about the financial costs, time commitment and academic requirements. But have you considered what your daily life might look like when you’re enrolled? How, for example, will you balance your coursework with your job, or your household responsibilities with your relationships? How can you prepare both yourself and those around you for the rigors and requirements of going back to school? Read on to find out how establishing a strong support network has spelled success for others — and just might help you too.

To better understand the landscape facing this population of learners today, ��ɫ��Ƶ commissioned a survey of 500 nontraditional students in the U.S. who were enrolled in online or hybrid college programs within the past four years. (In this case, “nontraditional” refers to students who did not enroll in college directly after high school.) Of those students, 75% considered themselves successful.

The graph below reveals how success can be defined in a variety of ways, and surveyed students identified the following factors as potential measures of success:  

While everyone’s path is different, survey results suggest that students who consider themselves successful usually have at least one thing in common: They have a strong support system.

Going to college requires a significant commitment, and it’s important to not wait until you’re feeling overwhelmed to get help. The data bears this out. According to surveyed nontraditional students, those who felt successful were 2.5 times more likely to proactively seek help and support.

A support system, like one’s measurement of success, can look different ways. It may consist of close family or friends or it may leverage the mentorship and encouragement of an employer. The following graph shows who surveyed students reached out to when building their support systems.

Why are diverse support systems important? Not only can those in the inner circle of a nontraditional student offer emotional support, but friends, family, colleagues and neighbors can also help pick up the slack when life issues arise. For example, maybe the car won’t start or your child has a doctor appointment. This is more than conjecture. The chances something will happen during your academic journey are high: Eight in 10 nontraditional students reported they had a personal issue while enrolled.

Sometimes these issues directly affect the people in your support system. After all, dedicating weekends to studying or evenings to completing homework means that time is taken away from something — or someone — else. Half of the survey respondents reported they missed events with friends or family, while 39% reported that at least one of their relationships was strained while they were actively taking classes.

To give you an idea of some of the pressures that can arise, here’s a closer look at the specific challenges faced by nontraditional students in the survey: 

If you find you’re struggling to get the emotional and moral support you need, it’s important to have the difficult conversation with the friend or family member to ask for help — and make a plan to achieve it.

Of course, it can also help to have a conversation ahead of time to set expectations. Let those who depend on you know there will be less time for them while you pursue your education. A conversation like this can also be an opportunity to talk about what’s essential and what you can live without during the dedicated time you pursue a degree.  

While emotional support is important, nontraditional students may also need practical help. Daily responsibilities where extra support can make a difference include:

• Child care
• Pet care
• Grocery shopping and meal preparation
• Household chores and maintenance
• Errands

Reach out to your spouse, your partner or a trusted friend or relative ahead of time to discuss how you can share daily workloads.

In addition to help at home, successful nontraditional students benefit from support in their workplace. Compared to their less successful peers, nontraditional students with workplace support are more likely to have:

• Flexible working hours
• Coverage during scheduled class times
• Support during exams or busy academic periods
• The ability to work from their preferred location

To maximize the potential of receiving workplace support, talk with your manager ahead of time about what you’ll need, and be sure to offer ideas on how you can make it work within your employer’s framework.

One way to complement a strong support network is to safeguard regular and uninterrupted study time. In fact, surveyed students who felt successful were almost twice as likely to utilize uninterrupted time to study.

While finding uninterrupted time can be challenging, students can employ such strategies as:

• Creating a dedicated study space at home
• Setting firm boundaries around study hours
• Using early mornings or late evenings when others are asleep
• Leveraging lunch breaks or commute time (if using public transportation)
• Scheduling study blocks like any other important appointment