Never Too Late For College

One of the biggest questions and frustrations students with kids have is how to find the time to study. It can be so hard to get anything done when you've got little ones who rely on you to take care of them or even big kids who are busy with lots of activities. I wrote an article on this subject awhile back, and you can read it here

In addition to the tips I gave back then, I'd also recommend that you:

Build It In

You can do this by scheduling empty periods of time into your academic schedule. Adding an extra period or two in between classes gives you time on campus to devote to studying because we all know it becomes more difficult to dedicate the time when you get home. This is a the best way I know of to increase your study time and to make your life as an adult student easier.

Sneak It In

You'll have to get creative with finding time to study. I know lots of people who have used any small windows of time during the day to read a chapter or review their notes. If your older kid is at karate practice, you may want to take that hour and sit in your car or at a nearby coffee shop and study. I have a good friends who sneaks in writing time while her small children are taking their bath. She sits in the bathroom beside them and scribbles ideas for her writing. Another recommendation I've heard is to use time waiting for doctor's or service appointments to squeeze in some study time.

Schedule It In

Another suggestion I have is to add specific time into your schedule each day for studying. Write it in your calendar or planner. You'll learn lots of time management techniques as you go along or if you take a study skills course. One tip is to add important activities like studying to your planner. Treat it as part of your day or act as though studying is your job, and you'll find it becomes a natural part of your everyday routine.

Do you have any study tips you'd like to recommend? What works for you?

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There are many reasons to feel anxious about going to college as an adult student. You may wonder if you're too old to keep up with the younger students. You're probably worried about how to pay for college. There are lots of reasons to feel nervous. But there are so many more reasons to feel hopeful, excited, and confident!

Increase Your Opportunities

By furthering your education, you're opening yourself up to so many opportunities. Of course, there will be career and financial gain once you've compoleted your degree. It's common knowledge that obtaining a college degree increases your income potential. Other opportunites exist for you when you make the decision to go back to school. You'll meet many people throughout your education. Many of these can become important networking contacts and may even lead to lifelong friendships.  In college, you'll be exposed to opportunities to try new things and open your mind to new possibilities. Who knows where these opportunities and experiences can lead.

Grow As a Person

Don't laugh. You have no idea the growth I've seen in students in just a two year period at community college.  The opportunities and experiences you'll be exposed to while pursuing higher education are bound to lead to internal changes. I came across this great article from a woman who went to college twenty years after grrduating from high school. She talks about her insecurities and how she overcame them through the expriences she throughout her continuing education. You will become more confident in both your academic abilities and your personal strengths because of going back to school, as long as you're open to change. I can promise you that!

Count On Your Experience

As an academic adviser, I always told my adult students that if they could raise children or manage a household, they could surely be a successful college student. When I returned to graduate school with two kids and a full-time live-in job, I thought there was so nervous about handling everything. I did some reading about women returning to school, and I learned that women, in particular, doubt themselves. The best way I know to get past that fear and doubt is to recall a time in your past when you've overcome an obstacle or accomplished a challenging goal. What skills did you use to do that? We all have internal resources as well as external abilities that serve us well in our lives. Give yourself a pep talk, remembering how you got through past difficulties. Use those skills and resources to help you overcome your fears related to going to college.

What are your bigget fears? I'd be happy to talk about them in more detail. What are some ways you've overcome either academic or personal challenges?

It may be called College Success or First Year Experience at your school or it may actually be referred to as College Study Skills. Whatever they call it, it's likely your college or university offers some sort of study skills class. These classes are excellent for everyone, even students right out of high school, whom you think would have a pretty good handle on study skills since they're just getting out of school. College is a whole new ballgame and requires a different set of skills than high school. Here's a list of some things you'll learn in a first year study skills course.

Time Management, Scheduling, and Planning

One of the first things you're likely to learn in a college success course is information on time management. As an adult student, you may already be good at managing your time. Chances are you've learned this skill through life experiences like juggling your job, home, and personal obligations. But we could all use a refresher, particularly in regard to managing academic time. You'll also cover topics like goal setting and the transition to college. These are great topics that help you to consider how to best incorporate your family and current lifestyle into your new academic world.

Specific Study Skills

It seems obvious that you'll learn study skills, but what kinds of skills? As I mentioned in a previous post, note taking skills are important to college students, and it matters not only what you write down, but how you take in and process the information. You'll also cover reading comprehension in a study skills course. Yes, we all know how to read, but do you know how to read for understanding? You've probably find yourself reading a few pages of something only to have to go back and re-read the material because you weren't really paying attention in the first place. In a college success course, you'll learn ways to read more actively, which is so important due to the sheer volume of text you'll be reading over the course of your college career.

Test Taking Skills

Ah, yes, the dreaded test. Maybe it's been years since you've taken a test. You may be more than a little nervous. If so, a study skills course is for you. You'll learn tips for approaching different kinds of tests like matching, fill in the blank, or essay, as well as suggestions for taking tests in different subjects. A math test is certainly different than an English Composition exam. You'll also learn proven techniques for handling test anxiety so that it doesn't sabotage you from the get-go.

Critical Thinking

This is another area in which adult students are ahead of the game. You've learned to think things through, to consider all sides of an argument, and to not take everything you hear at face value. Students right out of high school may have a ways to go in this department. But it's always a good idea to take a look at your own patterns of thought. For example, how do you view authority figures like professors? Learning more about critical thinking may help you to better deal with your instructors or to realize that it's okay to question them. Even as adults, we sometimes find ourselves accepting the word of authority blindly.

Communication Skills

A college success course will go over methods of communication, from in person to written. You'll learn ways of using e-mail most effectively and how to handle conflict with ease. You'll also get insight into dealing with people of other cultures, and yes, those of different age groups as well. This is always good information to keep in mind.

Career Topics

Your institution may offer a separate career exploration or job search course, but you may find some of this information in your first year studies class as well. These classes offer career and personality assessments that give insight into your aptitudes and what kinds of careers may be of most interest to you. You'll probably also find good sources of information in these classes on how to pursue a career after graduation.

This is an overview of the kinds of things you can expect to learn in a college success or study skills class. I recommend reading this article from Redfokker's site, Nontraditional Students Reaching Long Term Goals. You'll get a current non-traditional student's opinion on the subject. Explore  his blog for more real-life advice.

Image courtesy of Rennett Snow

If you're a new college student, chances are you may be unsure about taking notes. You've been out of school awhile, so your skills are rusty. Your instructor may talk too fast. Maybe you're not sure which information to write down. Maybe you just don't know how to organize all that information. I'd like to offer some tips that may help you to find a note taking system that works for you.

Be Prepared

One thing that mya help quite a bit is to take a look at the chapter before coming to class. You may not necessarily have to read the entire thing, but at least familiarize yourself with the content a bit. This will make it easier to follow what the professor is talking about. You may find that you don't have to write as much down if you already have some idea about the material.

Get Involved

Take part in the conversation. Share what you know about the topic, and ask questions. Getting involved in the lesson personalizes the material, making it easier to understand and more relevant to you. Non-traditional students are known for their active participation, you know! Maybe the younger students will even open up a bit with you leading the way.

Look For Clues

Be aware of your professor's actions. If he seems to get excited about the material, it's likely you'll be seeing that information on the test. So write it down. Listen for words like "in conclusion", "the most important part":, or "the follwing factors". These kind of words clue you in to information that is important, so be sure to include the facts in your notes.

Organize Things

It's important to choose a format for organizing your notes. Choose one that resonates with you or something that seems to fit the course material. You may choose to structure your notes in paragraphs for subjects like history. Maybe each paragraph represents an event or time period. Don't, however, feel that you have to write complete sentences. There simply isn't enough time for that. Maybe you prefer an outline form. Outlining your notes helps to see how things go together and is a great way to recognize patterns.

Put It In Its Place

You may want to consider using a three-ring binder. This way, you can insert handouts from the instructor where they correspond in the lesson. You can also add notes of your own later without worrying about whether you'll be able to find which class notes your information goes with. I'd advise writing on only one side of the page and not being concerned with saving paper. Leave white space for adding sketches and diagrams that will help make things clear. Maybe taking notes on 3 x 5 cards will work for you. This way, the information can be organized the way you want it, and it's in a handy travel form for studying on the go. As an adult student, you'll need to sneak in study time wherever you can!

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Check out the College Board's article on note taking for more information. I defnitely like what they say about reiewing your notes. Doing this soon after class ends will help you to retain the information. What works for you with note taking? I"d love to hear about it!

As a returning adult college student, it's likely you're worried that some of your academic skills may be rusty. And you know what? They may very well be. That's to be expected, and it's okay. You probably had to take a placement test in Math, English, and Reading to determine your level of preparation for each subject. How'd you do? If your score placed you in a remedial or developmental class, it's really nothing to be concerned about. This is in no way a reflection of your capabilities as a student. According to an article in USA Today, about 40% of students entering community college must enroll in at least one remedial class.

It's Been a Long Time

Maybe it's been years since you've been in school.. Chances are, there are many academic skills you haven't used in ages. Take, for example, algebra. As an academic counselor, I could nearly always predict when a student would test into either Preparatory Algebra or Developmental Math just by talking to them for a while about their academic history. Many students fresh out of high school had difficulty with the algebra test. Do you know why? It's because algebra skills are not used every day. It's easy for us to forget the kinds of concepts we may have learned in high school Algebra class.

Concepts Build Upon Each Other

Developmental classes usually don't count for credit. Lots of students panic about having to take a class that doesn't count and fear they'll fall behind on completing their degree. The truth is, developmental classes teach the skills you'll need to build a foundation for higher level coursework. It's these very skills that will increase your chances of doing well in your upper level English, math, and science courses. Without taking the time to refresh your skills, it's likely that you would struggle greatly or even fail such classes, costing you more time and money in the long run.

You'll Learn Other Skills

Often, developmental classes teach other skills like time management and study skills, which are fundamental to the life of all college students. These skills are especially crucial to busy adults with families, households, and jobs to manage on top of their education. Those you've learned some of these skills through life experience, tailoring them to the college experience will help you to begin to apply them right away.

Seriously, please don't worry if you have to take a developmental class or two. It's likely you're already seeing the benefit of them. If not, you will by semester's end. I can tell you countless stories of students who've gone on to excel academically after taking remedial courses in their first semester. Drop me a line if you'd like to hear some of the stories!

An initiative through eLearners and participating institutions is currently accepting applications for a $4000 scholarship toward online learning. This initiative is called Project Working Moms...and Dads Too!, and it's amazing. I wrote about the program last year, and I later had the chance to talk to the first scholarship recipient about how her life has changed since winning the scholarship. Her story was inspiring. It seems that the program has changed a bit. Once, a few full ride scholarships were granted, and now it appears that one $4000 scholarship is awarded each month. Not too shabby!

The Project Working Moms site is full of resources for adults returning to college. You can search for online degrees, learn about paying for college as well as budgeting, and connect with other moms and read articles about the issues facing them. My favorite part of the site is the resources page that links to articles on everything from time management to study skills; the information here is for everyone, not just moms! And there's even a page just for dads.

So go check it out and explore a little. You'll find tons of great information to help you, whether you're just thinking about going back to school or are currently enrolled. And be sure to apply for the next scholarship - the deadline is September 30th!

Please let me know what kind of information you come across that's most valuable to you.

The idea of going back to school can be overwhelming, and one of the biggest worries many returning adult students have is how to pay for it all. That's understandable. With today's economic situation, who wants to risk putting themselves in more debt with student loans? Thankfully, there are lots of options out there.

In fact Forbes magazine just put out an article on ways adult students can pay for college. I recommend checking it out. It points to a variety of ways you can find money to pay for school ad explains a bit about the ramifications of each. Maybe these suggestions will help you to brainstorm ways of financing your own education and point you to resources that will help you.

One thing the article mentions is One-Stop Career centers. financed by the Department of Labor. CareerLink and CareerTrack are such centers in my state of Pennsylvania, I believe. Visit the website's state resources page for information on what's available in your own home state. Forbes also recommends filling out a FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The article points to the official government website. Be careful of online scams, asking you to pay money to have your application filled out for you. The application is very easy to complete; you'll simply need your tax information from last year to do so. If you're looking for reliable financial aid help, I recommend visiting Chris Penn's Financial Aid Podcast. You'll find good information here on everything you need to know about the financial aid process and what to expect. Chris is a trusted online friend of mine, and I recommend his programs without hesitation.

The article also lists ideas like checking with your employer and looking into scholarship sites like FastWeb. These are all great suggestions. I know that financing college is a big deal, and I will work to pass along any information I find on how to make it less stressful for you. Please feel free to share in the comments any resources you may know of to help adults pay for the high cost of college.