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Wow, you know, your story may be indeed inspirational for someone. I think that it's never to late to continue education if person wants to. But you know, because of the age difference, some people give up on their dream. My mum is 49 and she wants to get a degree in Psychology, but she is afraid. But I'm trying my best to tell her that it's okay!
It's been fun and a good challenge for me, I hope your mom goes for that Psychology degree. It is not too late, she can do it.
The one thing that has truly surprised me is that I haven't forgotten nearly as much academically as I thought I had. I need refreshers, for sure, but I find myself remembering a lot of what is being taught which is kind of cool.
A lot of the 4 year universities have placement tests of their own that you must take for class placement purposes even if you were accepted, in part, based upon your ACT/SAT scores. I saw no downside in taking the placement tests at the community college. I wanted to be placed in a class that I had the prerequisite knowledge for and could be successful in.
Also, community college professors tend to understand that the students who have been out of school for a while might be a little technologically challenged. They've never taken quizzes with lockdown browsers for instance. They may not know how to navigate Canvas well or even how to log into Canvas. In my case, when I was last in school back in the 80's, we did our research in a library and cited physical books, magazines, microfiche, newspapers, etc as our sources. But in 2022, many sources are online, and I have no idea how to cite an online reference or even which online sources I'm allowed to use. So I'll probably wind up taking Comp 1 just to get the new rules down.
There is a definite learning curve that extends beyond the actual material being covered for those returning to school after an extended absence. I think that community college professors anticipate that and are fine with helping students get up to speed, within reason. I doubt a 4 year university professor would want to help a student learn which buttons to use their scientific calculator, for instance. And the rest of the class would be annoyed by such questions. In community college, the professors don't mind answering those questions and the other students seem to be patient with that sort of thing because many of them are a bit rusty, too.
For me, community college has worked out well and I believe it was the right place for me to start.
I am glad that community college worked for you. It did for my husband also, who went on for his BA and MA later. I usually do not recommend it to most average and below-average students, though.
NOT all colleges require placement tests. Mostly, state colleges and universities do. Private colleges vary.
Private colleges are not all overly expensive. Many are generous with in-house financial aid.
I NEVER recommended an online college for this poster. So references to Canvass, Black Board etc. are irrelevant The only time I would recommend an online college to a returning student would be if there is a program geared specifically towards adult, returning students.
I am glad that community college worked for you. It did for my husband also, who went on for his BA and MA later. I usually do not recommend it to most average and below-average students, though.
NOT all colleges require placement tests. Mostly, state colleges and universities do. Private colleges vary.
Private colleges are not all overly expensive. Many are generous with in-house financial aid.
I NEVER recommended an online college for this poster. So references to Canvass, Black Board etc. are irrelevant The only time I would recommend an online college to a returning student would be if there is a program geared specifically towards adult, returning students.
There are so many Test Optional colleges now. That is, colleges that do not require the ACT or SAT. These are private colleges. State Universities are strictly quantitative in their admission standards. Private College are not.
My classes are in person and I use Canvas and have taken online quizzes using lockdown browsers, etc. You have to electronically access grades, course assignments and submit assignments online even though it's an in person class. Exams are usually in the classroom but for some courses you take the exams online, often with a lockdown browser and/or a camera that the professor monitors.
Back in the 80's, everything was done on paper, submitted in person and tests were taken in the classroom with the professor there to monitor everything.
I graduated HS and last took the SAT way back in the mid 80's so my scores are now obsolete and no longer submittable.
NOT all colleges require placement tests. Mostly, state colleges and universities do. Private colleges vary.
There’s a huge difference between placement tests vs. admission requirements.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sheena12
I am glad that community college worked for you. It did for my husband also, who went on for his BA and MA later. I usually do not recommend it to most average and below-average students, though.
Typically it’s the average or below-average students (and/or those who are cost conscious) who enroll in community college. That said, we don’t know if the OP will be average, above-average or below i.e. a 32 year-old returning to school is a wild card (and often will be a better student than they were in high-school relative to work/life experience and/or their reason to enroll). They may also lose motivation when reality hits or decide an associate degree is the route to go; hence it’s a great start but allows for a variety of options once he/she has evidence of how good of a student they will be or how much they enjoy it (and whether it realistically aligns with their long-term goals or not). As such, a community college is actually tailor-made for such a scenario - particularly since the OP hasn’t taken the initiative to pursue/research this on their own.
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