Going to college for the first time as an adult?

[Lauren8211]

Although FF got fired on Friday afternoon because "it just wasn''t working out"

...

We talked, and it has inspired him to go to college! I''m so excited for him. He''s never felt like he wanted to go, but now he''s really motivated to work on his degree.

He''ll be 30 next year -- and this will be his first college course that he''ll eventually take.

Any advice from those who waited a siginifcant time to go back to school? I''m trying to help prepare him as well as I can!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

That is so awesome, tell your FF that when one door closes another opens (or a window opens, etc.)! I didn''t personally wait a long time, but I am friends with a non-traditional student that started in her 40s. The advice I have (via what she''s told me) is don''t get discouraged that so many people are a lot younger (*try* to be patient with the kids), make sure you get time management skills down if you don''t have them already, sit in the front of the class, ask questions, and go to office hours!

 

[Lauren8211]

Date: 9/22/2008 1:40:07 PM
Author: SarahLovesJS
That is so awesome, tell your FF that when one door closes another opens (or a window opens, etc.)! I didn''t personally wait a long time, but I am friends with a non-traditional student that started in her 40s. The advice I have (via what she''s told me) is don''t get discouraged that so many people are a lot younger (*try* to be patient with the kids), make sure you get time management skills down if you don''t have them already, sit in the front of the class, ask questions, and go to office hours!

Yeah, I''m finishing up my last year at age 25, and I get annoyed with the young''ins.

Thankfully most of my classes are upper level now except for a few gen-eds that I have to sneak in.

Thanks for your input! I''ll definitely have him work on that stuff before he goes back, and work on his patience with the young''ins. His biggest concern is "having to show work" in his math classes!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 9/22/2008 1:48:33 PM
Author: elledizzy5

Date: 9/22/2008 1:40:07 PM

Author: SarahLovesJS

That is so awesome, tell your FF that when one door closes another opens (or a window opens, etc.)! I didn''t personally wait a long time, but I am friends with a non-traditional student that started in her 40s. The advice I have (via what she''s told me) is don''t get discouraged that so many people are a lot younger (*try* to be patient with the kids), make sure you get time management skills down if you don''t have them already, sit in the front of the class, ask questions, and go to office hours!

Yeah, I''m finishing up my last year at age 25, and I get annoyed with the young''ins.

Thankfully most of my classes are upper level now except for a few gen-eds that I have to sneak in.


Thanks for your input! I''ll definitely have him work on that stuff before he goes back, and work on his patience with the young''ins. His biggest concern is ''having to show work'' in his math classes!

I definitely know what you mean, but I''m probably not the best judge because I''ve always been annoyed by anyone younger than me AND my own peers. Haha!

Yeah I think the showing work thing will probably be important! But, I''m not a math person. Hehe.

 

[mimzy]

that''s great!

if he starts taking his gen-eds at a community college i bet there will be a lot more people his age than if he did it at a university, plus it will be cheaper, and i think that once he gets into his major classes there will be people there of all ages! that''s not really advice....just a general comment haha. but good luck to him!

 

[Independent Gal]

I went to college with a guy who was in his 70''s. He was a Big Celebrity and everyone loved to hear about his experiences as a fighter pilot and as journalist. We considered him part of our education! But I guess being 30 doesn''t make you quite as "cool".

I guess my advice would be to see college as a good way to become thoroughly confused about things you thought you were sure about so that the whole world becomes more complex, multifaceted, and fascinating. Everything looks bigger and more wonderful on the other end of college, if you go through with an open mind.

 

[Daydreamer7130]

Sorry about the firing.... CONGRATS on picking himself up and dusting off!!

How big is the college?

Going to college as an adult has so many advantages. Maturity, better time management skills, better grades and life experiences all increase the chances that he will succeed.

Good luck!

 

[Lauren8211]

I told him to definitely go in with an open mind!

He''ll be doing community college for his associates, then a university for his bachelors. I already have 20 grand in student loan debt, so we''d like to keep his to a minimum.

I think he''s at the age where''s he just old enough to be annoyed by the young ones, and not SO old that his presence is considered "cool".

 

[jewelerman]

congrates on the decision.I went back to college at age 41 and recently graduated in the top 7%of my class.It was a lot of work and I had to focus all my time on class work...as much as 60 hours a week including 2-3 hours round trip travel time a day.I also made the choice not to work and lived off of savings and recieved scholarships....I moved into a smaller place with a room mate,only took the bus,stopped eating out,no movies, and no shopping outside of food and school supplies.When i was working I would spend as much as $200 a/month on just shirts and ties.I spent no more then $200 on clothing in 4 years while going to school.If you and your boyfriend can get through the lack of finances,lack of time together and the demands of school so he be truely productive(just showing up isnt going to count)then the money and time will be worth it...make sure he gets an exprianced school counciler who knows exactly what is needed to get a degree in his chosen field of study...plan out the whole 4 years in advance...dont plan as you go...know in advance what classes are needed,if the teachers are experianced,and the cost of tuition and books,I met and talked with all my insatructors before i took their class.Talk to several councilers in the department to get an outline before you start to take classes...and double check all information you recieve.

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 9/22/2008 2:17:20 PM
Author: mimzy
that''s great!

if he starts taking his gen-eds at a community college i bet there will be a lot more people his age than if he did it at a university, plus it will be cheaper, and i think that once he gets into his major classes there will be people there of all ages! that''s not really advice....just a general comment haha. but good luck to him!

I took all my generals at comminity and the math and english classes were so much easier and the smaller classes were better for learning and asking questions...i saved alot of money this way.The classes were 15 to 40 people compared to 100 at the university.I still talk to the professors at the community college.

 

[Haven]

Oh Elle, how wonderful that he is making a good thing out of this bad situation!

I could not be more enthusiastic about the high quality of a community college education. I used to teach CC, and I LOVED it. The classes are smaller, the tuition is smaller, but you do not compromise one bit in educational quality.

Good for him! I am so happy for you both that you were able to make that decision together.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 9/22/2008 2:40:57 PM
Author: elledizzy5
I told him to definitely go in with an open mind!

He'll be doing community college for his associates, then a university for his bachelors. I already have 20 grand in student loan debt, so we'd like to keep his to a minimum.

I think he's at the age where's he just old enough to be annoyed by the young ones, and not SO old that his presence is considered 'cool'.

That's what my husband did. He worked full time and his employer had a tuition reimbursement program, so my husband worked and then took night classes. He did that for both his associates and then for his bachelors when he changed schools.

I think it's great that your boyfriend is thinking of going back to school. It's not easy, but it's so worth it. I don't have much advice but I wanted to congratulate your boyfriend.

ETA: I had read about your boyfriend losing his job. I'm sorry that happened! But now look on the bright side -- would he be thinking of going to school if it hadn't happened?

 

[oobiecoo]

Congrats on deciding to go to college!

I think your husband will fit in just fine. At community colleges, there seems to be a good mix of young students, old students, and those in between. At my university, we have a few older students (30-42ish) in my program and they have made friends among themselves as well as with the younger crowd. Tell him not to worry!


ETA: Agreed, Haven! I feel like I learned MORE in my community college classes than many of my university ones. The smaller class size lends itself to more group discussions and teamwork which helped me learn the material very well!

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 9/22/2008 1:29:36 PM
Author:elledizzy5

Although FF got fired on Friday afternoon because ''it just wasn''t working out''

...

We talked, and it has inspired him to go to college! I''m so excited for him. He''s never felt like he wanted to go, but now he''s really motivated to work on his degree.

He''ll be 30 next year -- and this will be his first college course that he''ll eventually take.

Any advice from those who waited a siginifcant time to go back to school? I''m trying to help prepare him as well as I can!

My FI is also entering school as an adult and was incredibly nervous about it.

I just reminded him that as a 7 year career college student (LOL), he is in good hands with me. I can help him study and critique papers before he turns them in.

Just remind him that its going to take a while to get used to it. He won''t walk in and understand what''s going on immediately but he''ll come around. It''s not like what he remembers in high school and even though he''ll be stressed beyond belief (ok maybe not that exaggerated LOL), he''ll get through it.

 

[katamari]

Hi Elle! So sorry about the firing.

I adjunct at a community college, and I suggest that your FF select the one that has a partnership with the university he wants to graduate from. Most of the time, universities have branch campuses and the transfer credit is guaranteed 1:1. Also, he may want to check about the AA and the BA. Most AA programs will require he take courses he doesn''t need for the BA. If the goal is to get out as quickly as possible, that may slow him down.

I also suggest, if it is possible, that he not work much when he first starts. When my SO decided to go back after leaving, he tried to do it while he was working 40 hours and just didn''t have the energy even though he had the interest. So, he would take 5 or 6 hours a quarter and then would get discouraged by how long it would take him to graduate at this pace. We were able to figure out financially how to cut back enough to let him not work at all for the first few quarters and now only works about 15 hours a week (I am a grad student, too, so it is possible if you are willing to live modestly). It is financially taxing, but worth it if he can do it.

Oh, and also your FF may be entitled to grants. My SO got almost enough to pay for his schooling in grants because he was a non-traditional student (he returned at 27). This really helped with him working less, because we don''t have to come up with much tuition money, just living expenses.

Good luck to your FF! What an exciting time!

 

[Lauren8211]

Thanks everyone again for your support and suggestions!!

We are definitely looking into the associates vs. degree transfer. Of course, we don''t want to waste money on classes that he doesnt need. The community college he goes to has a large amount of people transfer to the university that he''ll likely go to, so I told him to find out about any available transfer tracks to get to the university.

Luckily for him I''ve been working on my bachelors for 8 years, and I''ve transferred schools, so I consider myself quite the professional student!

I am a WEALTH of information when it comes to college! I''m so excited to see how this goes for him!!