O/T Going back to college at an older age.....

[GorillaGenetics]

i am 24 years old right now and i did one year of college when i was 18 and hated it after working and traveling the past couple years i have decided to go back and finish school and i gotta say its a weird feeling

i was in there today signing up for all my classes looking at these young kids and it made me feel kinda scared i decided to do secondary education for math and science a lot of the high school kids at the gym look up to me and respond well to the advice i give them and i could coach high school football now that my career is over.

anyways just thought id share it would be cool if u guys had any experiences you would like to share

o and i didnt realize how expensive this shit is paying for it is gonna kill me

 

[Kott425]

Yea man I feel ya. I'm 24 and just went back to school after a 2 year break. Same thing all these younger kids. What makes it worse is My degree is game programming so in my programming classes its around 30 small nerds and I'm the only big nerd lol. It's good being over 23 though cause you are off your parents income in the school's eyes. You can get alot of grants and loans so you don't have to pay for anything.

 

[malcom young]

24 ain't old dude!

 

[SL1CED]

There is a separation of maturity.

I'm 19, but I'm enrolled in classes with kids 22-24. I'm always the youngest in the class, and there's a huge line of difference between us. I'm more mature, but the kids I hang out with aren't, yet the kids I go to class with live an actual life; work, jobs, off-campus, perhaps kids, it's just different.

As for price of tuition. Google search simple scholarships. Make 2-3 DAMN good essays, and submit them to like a 100. At least 2,3 will take you and that's a quick 5-10% off tuition. Do GREAT in school, and lobby for scholarship.

I was about to change schools this year cause my scholarship wore off, and I wasn't going to pay. But since I've been real good at school, outside of just academics, I got my department to fund school for the last 2 years of undergraduate studies.

 

[Femlifter]

Here's a cliche: It's never too late!

Do what you have your mind set on to do and if anything, you are doing something for yourself so try not to allow the fact that you're 24 in a class with younger students affect you. If anything, you are inspiring them and showing them that though college may not have worked out the first try, you did not give up. You went back. Now just do the best you can and prove to yourself only that you have it in you to succeed at any goal you put your mind to. You can help set a positive example for those "younger" students.

 

[eroc613]

You guys are funny!!! I'm 33 and have just went back to school for the first time in nearly 20 years. (Yes, I dropped out) College, IMO, is to easy. Been making straight A's, and I just got my GED when I started.
One more term and I can apply to nursing school, most of these pre-recs seem to be a huge waste of time.

These colleges seem to have no idea how to prepare people for life after college. I still feel like college is a waste of money, but I know it has to be done to have the degree, to get your foot in the door.

Looking foward to getting to Nursing school, so that I can actually start learning something useful.

 

[totalrecomp]

27 here and went back about a year ago. It was a great feeling for me. I wish I could do the whole dorm life again to be honest. I like college life. Of course being the 27 year old in the dorms would be super creepy, considering when i first went to school they would have been in fourth grade, anyways I like school now and am much more mature about the responsibility it entails. Yes the cost sucks.

 

[tri-terror]

I went back to school at 26 so I know what you are talking about. It was a little weird at first, but I got used to it and was focused on graduating and the time flew by. Use your few extra years of life to your advantage. I'm sure you have some experiences that the younger people don't have yet.

 

[Carnivore]

This made me smile. As a hobby, I signed up for the auto mechanic program at my local community college. Most of the guys in the class were 18-20, learning as a profession; I was 38 at the time. Didn't bother me at all.

24 ain't old. If you want to feel old, wait until you start working with people, as peers, who were born when you were already working in your profession.

 

[ironone1]

Got my bachelors back in 2007. I started in '84 but dropped out. I was 43 when I got it. Only problem now is there are few opportunities and it's hard to find something without experience in the field you are applying for. I was lucky that my FAFSA aid paid for most of it and I got tuition reimbursement from the one job that I was working for.

 

[Bleed]

I just turned 27 and got out of the military so it was back to school for me. I didnt realize how much of a dumbass these 18-19 year kids were when I was one. Likwise, I must seem like a dumbass to a lot of the 35-40 year olds here.

 

[Mr.Bungle]

35 y/o College Junior here

Went back to community college at 31, got my A.S. at 35 now I'm starting Temple as a Junior. At Temple Universities orientation, I looked around the room and saw some people that looked roughly my age and a little older and I didn't feel so bad. Later in the day I realized they were the parents of incoming freshman. LOL. Hey better late that never. My mom got here degree at 40 and now makes over 100K.

 

[ironone1]

Went back to community college at 31, got my A.S. at 35 now I'm starting Temple as a Junior. At Temple Universities orientation, I looked around the room and saw some people that looked roughly my age and a little older and I didn't feel so bad. Later in the day I realized they were the parents of incoming freshman. LOL. Hey better late that never. My mom got here degree at 40 and now makes over 100K.

Over 100k in what field? Was she already working in that field with experience? Just curious. I'm guessing it was a Masters or PHD degree to make that kind of coin-not typical results.

 

[ironone1]

Nowadays a Bachelor's Degree really isn't enough with all the people competing for jobs these days. You really need a graduate degree with most specialized fields.

 

[Mr.Bungle]

Over 100k in what field? Was she already working in that field with experience? Just curious. I'm guessing it was a Masters or PHD degree to make that kind of coin-not typical results.

Never worked in the field. Just a bachelors. Bear in mind she graduated at 40 but she is 60 y/o now. She also graduated magna cum laude and was fast tracked by her employer from the start. And health care is her field. My reason for mentioning her is to remind us late starters it is possible, but you are right it is not typical.

 

[Chrysler]

Going back? Shit, I never left. This coming Fall semester will be my 22nd enrolled college semester. I just turned 32.

 

[GorillaGenetics]

Went back to community college at 31, got my A.S. at 35 now I'm starting Temple as a Junior. At Temple Universities orientation, I looked around the room and saw some people that looked roughly my age and a little older and I didn't feel so bad. Later in the day I realized they were the parents of incoming freshman. LOL. Hey better late that never. My mom got here degree at 40 and now makes over 100K.

cool ur right up the road from me i live like 30 minutes from temple ive partied there a few times its a wild neighborhood

 

[SIR-LOIN]

yep, 24 aint old at all. I started college right out of high school, didnt have focus, all I wanted to do was train and chase girls, but I knew I had to get a degree in something. Started in Engineering, but it didnt interest me. After 2 years of screwing off, my folks said get a degree or pay for it yourself, so I got my accounting degree. It took 6 years to get a 4 year degree. I was 24 then. 2 years later got my CPA (that was a bitch, hardest thing I've ever done). I decided to go back and get a 2nd major in IT when I was 29, finished in less than 2 years, all A's. I'm 43 now and dont regret any of it.

All that to say this, now that you are paying for it and your'e more mature, making the grade and getting it done is much easier. Not as many distractions, go for it!

 

[pumpt73]

Damn Im old. Im 32 and just finished up my Associates last fall. It's only in Industrial Technology, but I still have the paper. I work for an energy company and started out a boiler operator for them. Bid into an Electrician's apprenticeship and almost all the credits counted towards my associates. The company even did the tuition reimbursement thing as long as I passed with a C+ or higher.

Now that I have this, Im looking to go to a larger school just south of where I live (it's a MAC school), but still unsure on what I want to pursue for my Bachelor's. Like Femlifter said, "it's never too late!!!!"

 

[nickels]

I got my bachelor's about 15 years ago, but I'm planning to go back for either a technical degree or a master's in about 3 years.