Have any of you done this? I’m talking 10, 15, 20 years or more after your last college class, returning for full course loads.
Did you graduate? (or complete your graduate studies) How hard was it to get back into the proper mindset? Did you have any real trouble reconciling school with homelife? How about schedules, managing the kids and dinner and getting to class on time?
Am I totally crazy for trying?
I just haven’t been the same since that house fell on my sister.
I went back to university ten years after my initial attempt. I just completed my third year of a four year degree.
I’m a single parent of an 8 year old child and I waited until he was in school before I went back. I’ve been lucky enough to arrange my classes (for the most part) so that I get home when he gets off the school bus. Other than that I have a reliable babysitter.
I’m not going to say that it’ll be easy but it is possible with good time management skills. This means doing the homework after the kid’s in bed. Makes for some late nights sometimes. The first thing to go, of course, is sleep!
Oh how I miss sleep…
I’m in school now and work full time. I work late on the days I have morning classes and do homework on the nights when I don’t work late. I also go to one class on Sat, so I do homework all night Friday night for that one. Not much social life here, haha!
When I first went back to school, I was overwhelmed, I really needed a good month or so of adjustment. When I first got to class and got the syllabus, I thought, man, I’ll never get all this done! But it’s really not as bad as it seems. I was afraid of writing thesis papers, I had no idea what was involved, but now that I’ve learned the process, it’s not that bad! Hooray for Freshman English! (Even if I have to do it on Saturday! Ugh!)
Also, I thought I’d be the oldest in the classes, but I’m not. Not in any of them. (I’m 33.)
Hope this helps! I say go for it!
A girl
You are not crazy for trying Suzanne, you are to be commended.
At 33, I am just finishing my first year back to college full-time after an extended break of 15 years.
Is it hard? Hell yes. I have dust-bunnies the size of elephants, and my children (13, 11, and 9) have a close personal relationship with the micro-wave. And of course, my husband is off in Saudi Arabia, so I’m a single mom for this semester.
But you know what? Everybody is still healthy, happy, and I know we will all be better off for my doing this.
Hang in there Suzanne, e-mail me if you need someone to talk to.
Drink up, dear. I made it just for you.
sig by WallyM7
Suzeanne, my kudos to you!
A large number of my students have been out of school even longer, but the “non-traditional” students tend to have better motivation and time management skills (they have to) and do better than average. More important, they are a treasure to have in classes, offering experiences and their stories. Most college teachers that I know would agree with me–they’ll be very glad to have you in their classes.
P.S. I teach a college success class. Let me know if you need any help.
Bucky