College scholarships for adults (Pittsburgh, Reading: low income, credit, transfer to)

[okaydorothy]

Are there any college scholarships for adults. I am browsing the idea of going back to school ; I am doing a paralegal cert online at the moment which is going very well and thinking of what the hay, go for law instead.

Background ; ok, next year I will hit the big 50 and some may think I am crazy but after just getting the associates three years ago, I am hooked on learning. I don't smoke, don't really drink, have no hobbies, and yes I am boring. But I work full-time so I would need to do it mainly online which is fine by me ; yes, i am focused. I just looked at Penn state and boy oh boy ; the cost is enormous as it would really be a very expensive hobby for me. By the way, I do work in a law firm, was thinking of changing but if i go back to school, I will stay where I am.
Any opinions, ideas etc.

[gg]

If you are minority, you may find something more easily. I don't know if women get deals anymore, since they are the majority in college these days.

[BarqCider]

have to be considered a resident I think for any scholarships. I know with pitt, I didn't qualify for any sort of scholarship or grants, other than federal ones that have to do with low income.

[shadowfax]

My brother in law ended up getting a 4 year scholarship to Pitt years ago. He was in his 30's at the time and on disability for a major knee problem. Having been a general laborer mainly hanging drywall. Don't recall exactly how he did it. Some sort of test he took that he scored very high on. Now he is a biomedical engineer.

[Hopes]

There are many scholarships for women returning to school. They all vary according to where you reside, your intended major, your income, the university, etc.. I have no idea about law school scholarships, but you still need to finish your bachelors. You'd need to pick a major to search the scholarships available. It can be maddening to find them. For example, I just did a quick search and found one that was perfect except you don't live in Altoona, another was perfect except you're not planning to major in education, and yet another you met all criteria except for income. But it's well worth the effort to research and apply to all the scholarships you can find.

[Kippy]

If your employer does not offer tuition reimbursement, convince them that they should! All tuition reimbursement programs have to start somewhere.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Kippy

If your employer does not offer tuition reimbursement, convince them that they should! All tuition reimbursement programs have to start somewhere.

Excellent suggestion. If they won't provide tuition reimbursement, that could be on Dorothy's list of priorities when job hunting. If she wants to stay in the legal field, she could try to secure a position in a legal department in one of our major corporations that does provide tuition reimbursement. If she can't get into the legal department, she can take a position in another department. That way she'll have tuition reimbursement until she is able to transfer to the legal department when there's an opening in the future.

[okaydorothy]

My employer will not offer any tuition assistance at all. I have found a university that will take all my credits towards my bachelors which is great, so I just need to see how many more I need to do ; my associates is in accounting and I will stay with that major. I did read that I need to have a 3.0 GPA (which is fine, mine so far is 3.7) and need to do the lsat after the bachelors. Reading about law degrees ; it costs $28K per year and there is no way I can afford that ; esp as I would graduate when I am about 57, so I could work for about 13-16 years after I graduate which is fine with me. But it would be so awesome as I came here with nothing so to finish a working life with a law degree would be out of this world.

Will keep watching ; maybe there are irish croups or immigrant groups that I could tap.

[Hopes]

You'll certainly set an example and be an inspiration to your children.

Seriously consider getting into a corporation that has tuition assistance.

[doo dah]

Originally Posted by okaydorothy

My employer will not offer any tuition assistance at all. I have found a university that will take all my credits towards my bachelors which is great, so I just need to see how many more I need to do ; my associates is in accounting and I will stay with that major. I did read that I need to have a 3.0 GPA (which is fine, mine so far is 3.7) and need to do the lsat after the bachelors. Reading about law degrees ; it costs $28K per year and there is no way I can afford that ; esp as I would graduate when I am about 57, so I could work for about 13-16 years after I graduate which is fine with me. But it would be so awesome as I came here with nothing so to finish a working life with a law degree would be out of this world.

Will keep watching ; maybe there are irish croups or immigrant groups that I could tap.

If you are thinking about any of the major universities around (i.e. Pitt, Penn State, Duquesne), you might check with the school itself about scholarship opportunities:
External Scholarships | University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Scholarships | University of Pittsburgh School of Law
https://law.psu.edu/admissions/jd-ad...ctive-students
https://law.psu.edu/admissions/finan...d-based-grants
Law Scholarships | Make a Gift | Duquesne University

Oh, and, by the way, education benefits for Pitt staff.