Going back to college

[Parrothead]

I'm 28 and just now going back to college for a degree (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration for the curious) and I'm open to advice. It's going to be online (never taken online courses before) and my last collegiate adventure I flunked out. Twice. Any advice anyone want to throw my way?

[bhskittykatt]

http://www.coursera.org has free college-level online courses (though not for credit), so you can sign up for a few to get a feel of what a courseload feels like before jumping into the real thing. I'm working two jobs and going to school 3/4 time in a "hybrid" program (mostly online, but we meet once a month for lab weekends and we also do internships), and I took Coursera courses beforehand just to make sure I could handle it as well as get a head-start on some of the material. I've taken lit classes, art classes, a course on epigenetics, a course on Mid-East political systems, a public health course...there's a whole lot on there to pick from.

I also had to ditch my procrastination habit. It's one thing to physically be at the college where you have access to study space and something else entirely to be home where there's all sorts of distractions. I have to hunker down and just knock stuff out. Sometimes I arrange with the husband to have him head out with friends so I can have quiet and (relatively) distraction-free study time at home.

Good luck on your venture!

[mjr]

I'm 28 and just now going back to college for a degree (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration for the curious) and I'm open to advice. It's going to be online (never taken online courses before) and my last collegiate adventure I flunked out. Twice. Any advice anyone want to throw my way?

I started doing this myself, a couple of years ago.

My advice: See if there is a community college in your area that offers online courses in your area of study. Community college will offer transferable credits at a lower dollar amount. Just get the curriculum from the school where you want to graduate, and make sure you're taking the proper classes through the CC. That's what I'm doing right now. Depending on how busy you are, I wouldn't suggest taking any more than two classes at a time (i.e. per semester). And take courses in the summer, too, if you can afford it. Granted, your degree will take longer, but if you've got other things you're dedicating your time to (family, work, etc), you won't be as pressed for time to get the work done.

When you're ready to transfer the credits in, go ahead and do so. But maintain the "no more than two classes" thing -- unless you think you can handle more.

If you're going to take time off, I would suggest the summer instead of fall or spring. That said, sometimes you can squeeze in some extra classes through "short" semesters during the summer (this depends on the school. Some offer it, some don't).

[JPD]

While I've never taken an online course, the advice I can give you does apply. One the first day, once you get your syllabi, get a calendar, and write out when all assignments are due.

Being able to see all assignments out like that (and if you can, try to make the whole semester viewable to you at once) you can see where you might have a more busy week school wise, or have 2 exams on the same day. Then eyeball the calandar, thinking about your work schedule, and mentally thinking about when you will study or work on projects (or if you are big on planning, write down advance due dates for yourself to give you time to proofread and make any final adjustments.)

This is something you want to realize early in the semester, not the week before both exams.

One other thing that has helped me. If I don't understand a topic the way my professor is explaining it, I look to see if their is a you tube video on that topic, as sometimes all it takes is to have someone explain the same concept in a different way.