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  • nervous and excited...

    So I've decieded to go back to college.

    I'm starting a business, so I'll be trying to get a degree in business management.

    So I'm a 31 year old college drop out, going BACK to school near 12 years later.

    I've applied for the fall semester, and have approval for finical aide approved already. I'll see how much that covers before I look for other debts.

    Any college kids out there wanna give me any advice?
    It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire 'tude, the lips acquire mouthiness, the glares become a warning.

  • #2
    I'm nudging up against retirement and am back in school, so here's some of what I've found:

    1) Prepare to have not a lot of spare time.

    2) Keep up-to-date with your assignments -- in fact, get 'em done early, if at all possible! I keep losing track of the online assignments they've given us and then scrambling to get them done.

    3) Your college may have a lot of online contact. If so, familiarize yourself with the college website ASAP -- where's your email, where do your teachers post info about your classes, where can you find other stuff (your class schedule, etc.)

    4) Bring your lunch if at all possible. The college I was attending before I moved back to My Hometown had some decent foods in its cafeteria. This one ... doesn't.

    5) Is there anything you think you might need extra help in? Many colleges offering tutoring (college pays the tutors, who are students, usually in the same program as you, but a year ahead of you). Don't hesitate to ask, and don't wait until you feel like you're going down for the third time.

    6) Christmas and birthdays: ask for inkjets for your printer and reams of paper, LOL.


    That's all I can think of ATM. Good luck! You'll enjoy it!

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    • #3
      1. I hate not having spare time, I'm gonna see about taking a light schedule if I can. May not be possible of course.

      2. I hate homework, and projects always and forever. I'd rather get them done ASAP and have to much time free then scramble.

      3. There is online student email, I have a laptop and desktop computer and my scanner and printer.

      4. I'm trying to loose weight, I have a soft sided lunch that big enough to hold drinks, snacks, and lunch. Espically if lunch is middle of the day (give or take), and dinner waiting at home, I won't need to pack to heavy a lunch.

      5. Math and English are my weakest subjects I know that already. Math I've gotten better in, but I've always had a hard time grasping certain concepts. English...just never interested me, when I put my mind to it I can write without thinking and knock out 60 pages. but i can't tell you the difference between a noun and a verb or conjugate out a sentance.

      6. Because I'm doing this to improve my business, I'll probably be able to write most of that off as a business expense, since I need to keep those on hand for the business.
      It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire 'tude, the lips acquire mouthiness, the glares become a warning.

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      • #4
        Nearly 35 here and 1/2 way through my nursing degree that I've gone back to uni for...the thing that has surprised me the most is how the other students act, they aren't taking their schooling seriously at all, and considering just about all the students I've been around are trying to get into the highly competative nursing program, this is more than a little disturbing.
        Don't wanna; not gonna.

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        • #5
          The students who aren't taking things seriously ... are they fresh out of high school?

          And any idea who's paying for their schooling?

          Just askin' ...

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          • #6
            For math help, the best site I've found is http://www.khanacademy.org/. Also one thing I've noticed now, even more so then when ten years ago, is the disrespect some students have for both professors and for other students trying to learn.

            Also try to get to campus early to find parking. The school I go does have enough parking, but it may not be in the lot closest to the building, and I'm surprised at the number of students that don't plan that time into their commute to school.

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            • #7
              I'm 34 and have been almost constantly at Uni since I was 19.

              I'm in the final weeks of a PhD and sat in on a course for third-year students of a BA degree a few years ago. When the professor said that 75% of the grade would be an essay, there was much disapproving muttering. They could write on any subject they liked, but had to have it approved by the Prof. The Prof was nice enough to arrange the due date so that it was two weeks before exams began, and that anyone else who had major work due that week could talk to her about an extension if they came to her before week 5 of semester.

              The group of five around me Flipped Their Shit. It was hysterical to watch. I'd been talking to them before the lecture began and so afterwards I gathered them around me and listened to them wail and moan and complain about how unfair it was, particularly because I didn't have to write the stupid 5,000 word essay.

              I pointed out that my essay was 80,000-100,000 words instead.

              It got very quiet after that.

              I sat them down for 20 mins and asked them what areas of the course interested them. In twenty minutes I had worked each of them out a topic that interested them and all five of them had working chapter plans to be getting on with as well as several sources to check for the material.

              The Prof happened by at the end of this and approved each essay question on the spot.

              Sadly I stopped attending the class after week 7 when it ceased to interest me (I didn't have to go and preferred to spend time on my actual thesis) so I don't know how it worked out, but I imagine at least five people in the class passed...
              "Bring me knitting!" (The Doctor - not the one you were expecting)

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              • #8
                I have no problem writing papers, I can knock out pages and pages of work without to much thought....its usually putting it into a coherent thought process like an outline.
                It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire 'tude, the lips acquire mouthiness, the glares become a warning.

                Comment


                • #9
                  I did what you're doing - I went back to college after a break of about 14 years (yay navy!).

                  Spare time ... yeah that can be an issue. If you're working while going to school especially. Although I personally found that I liked the morning classes best. I was awake and ready to go, and it freed up the rest of the day for other things.

                  Projects & homework - yeah. It becomes a bit of a shock to the system. I always did best when I did them right away. When I procrastinated (and believe me i'm good at that ) it always reflected in my grades.

                  For harder subjects you may want to consider placement tests to ease your way back in. I... didn't do that. I figured "Well I took pre-calc and aced it back in 1995 so I can take Calculus in 2009, no problem." I ended up being proud of the C+ I got cos it was a LOT harder than I expected, especially since I'd forgotten so many concepts that were required.

                  Business expense: I'd suggest talking to your tax-person as well about that. find out what you specifically need for to show proof of it. Also, check with your local state - some states give you tax breaks for your tuition.


                  And something else to consider - you probably won't be alone.

                  I personally picked a community college (cos it was cheaper) and ... I found a lot of classmates who had similar goals. It ended up really helping cos I had classmates I could look to for help, or provide help for. Some were returning college students, some were former military, some were just looking to expand their current careers, and some were first-time students.

                  The key factor is... I found people who matched the kind of studying I wanted to accomplish.

                  That really helped me stay on focus.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    unless I can get into work study I won't be working an outside job (other then running my business of course), and all that is online and can be handled with a few clicks of a website, or answering emails.

                    one thing I realized while talking with a friend last night....is that while my backpack from high school is still in REALLY good condition (this being bought new in 1997), it was sadly made before laptops. meaning I'm gonna have to look into a new bag....I was thinking this one....namely cause I've wanted one for ages for personal use.
                    It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire 'tude, the lips acquire mouthiness, the glares become a warning.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Quoth Sarlon View Post
                      So I've decieded to go back to college.

                      I'm starting a business, so I'll be trying to get a degree in business management.

                      So I'm a 31 year old college drop out, going BACK to school near 12 years later.

                      I've applied for the fall semester, and have approval for finical aide approved already. I'll see how much that covers before I look for other debts.

                      Any college kids out there wanna give me any advice?
                      I'm 36, and started back to school last year myself. I have a family and a full-time job as well. I'm majoring in Computer Science.

                      Best advice I can give you is this:

                      Do not overload yourself with classes. When I first started, I wanted to get my undergrad as quickly as possible, so I thought about taking 4 classes per semester (including summers) and just knocking it out in about 3 years.

                      Then, I realized that might be too much of a course load, so I lightened it to two classes per semester, and I'm glad I did. It's going to take me longer to get my degree, but I think with the two classes, it gives me more study time, and more time to do the work, and it doesn't overload me. It also means that there's a better chance I will get better grades. Right now I'm pulling about a 3.5 GPA.

                      And it still allows me time to fulfill my obligations to my family and my full-time job.

                      My courses are all online, though, through a 4-year school.

                      Your results may vary, but that's the best advice I could give.
                      Skilled programmers aren't cheap. Cheap programmers aren't skilled.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        so its offical....pending my high school ACT scores and transcripts being sent from my high school (went there personally today and got that rolling), I've been accepted to the pre-business program for the fall of 2013!
                        It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire 'tude, the lips acquire mouthiness, the glares become a warning.

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