Tips For Adults Returning to College
Scheduling Courses and Family Support are Key Elements of Success
Jun 2, 2009
As unemployment figures increase, more adults are returning to the classroom to learn new skills or obtain training to make them more marketable in the job search. Other adult students may be working a full time job and caring for a family. These groups often include single mothers who are forced to balance a job and caring for children while still attending classes and fulfilling course requirements.
Don't Schedule More Classes than You can Handle
Having made the decision to enroll in classes, usually at night or even on Saturdays, adult students frequently underestimate the demands. Additionally, there is the desire to “get it done” as quickly as possible.
Working with advisors, adult students should ease into a program, enrolling only in as many classes as their schedule will permit. Unemployed adults may have more time to complete several classes but employed adults or adults with families should look at their daily and weekly commitments before adding an impossible load of courses.
Beware of On-Line Courses
Some students enroll in both traditional courses as well as on-line classes, thinking that the on-line experience is more flexible. If attended to regularly, the on-line course is very flexible. However, many students put off assignments, believing that they can “catch up” at the bitter end. This is seldom the case.
Begin with Less Demanding Classes
Adults beginning a program should take less demanding courses in the first semesters in order to better ease into the process. In many cases, this might mean learning or relearning to write essays and papers, covering fundamental math concepts, or developing reading and study skills.
Consider Family and Work Obligations in the Planning
Working students should tell their employers that they are taking classes. In some cases, employers offer tuition reimbursement. Additionally, in jobs were working hours might fluctuate, employers will, hopefully, not schedule students during times they are taking classes. Adult students with families should discuss the entire process with all concerned family members; daily changes in the family routine might become necessary and spouses and children should be a part of the long-term decision.
Single working moms will need to arrange child care while they are at school: most institutions do not permit children in the classroom, citing liability issues. In many cases, adult decisions to return to school will involve both the immediate and the extended family.
Establish an Early Rapport with Instructors
Talking to the instructor should not be done to elicit sympathy for any particular hardship or obstacle. The discussion should be straightforward. “My employer sometimes keeps us a few minutes after work hours. This means I might be late for class on some nights. Will this be acceptable?”
It is always better to apprise the instructor of specific situations rather than being listed tardy without explanation and risk being dropped from the class. Personal tragedies such as a death in the family, the hospitalization of a family member, or a car accident should be communicated to the instructor either via E-mail or the telephone. In every case, students should keep up with the required assignments.
Perseverance Should be the Primary Goal
The very best advice is to persevere. Perseverance entails sacrifice for the student and the supporting family. But the stakes are high and students must repeat the mantra, “failure is never an option.” Far too many students give up half way through the first year and this often begins as they start to drop one class after another, fueling discouragement.
Going back to school as an adult should begin with college advisors trained to develop workable course schedules and programs. Family and employer support can ease the transition, a new routine that might take several years. This may entail revisiting the commitment several times throughout the duration of the degree program.
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