Adults Going Back to School

It sounds like you not only took a semester off, but you are also changing colleges. The process you'll go through is simply to apply. You'll need your transcript from your previous school, and those courses which apply to your new major will get transferred. As for recommendations, they may be required, and if so, you'll have to deal with that. Good luck.

You have options. First off, there are any number of very good four year schools that are "non-competitive"--that is, they will take you without great concern about your past grades. Get a copy of Barron's Profiles of American Colleges to find out which ones they are. Another option would be to begin again in a two-year, college transfer program at a community college. If you do well in these and complete the work, you are a near certainty for admissions to a four year state program (unless you've killed someone along the way). Another possibility is to try the evening college of a better four year school. You enter as a non-degree candidate, are limited in the number of courses you may take (although many are during the day, not just at night), and are not guaranteed admissions. However, with very good grades, you typically get in. Finally, I would suggest you look at two-year programs. Some of these programs parallel careers of four year grads, but often make as much money. I feel your pain. So many people have been down your path. Don't give up.

Lots of people return to school after starting one career, and teaching would probably be good background for law school. Law school is typically a three-year program; there may be some colleges that have five-year undergraduate degree programs that count toward law school completion, but I'm not aware of any. Generally, you'd get your undergraduate degree (four years), then attend law school for three years. Then, of course, you'd have to pass the national and state bar exams.

They might be able to determine it, and yes, they could expel you for it (lying on your application usually does that). If you are many years away from that event, you might simply tell them about it and try to avoid giving that information. However, colleges are pretty open when it comes to adults wanting a second chance. I really wouldn't worry too much about it.

Your husband is one of the many adults returning to school. The average age of college students graduating continues to rise. I would assume that he plans on attending school nearby, and probably not full time. Often, adults take college courses at a nearby school, racking up credit hours without becoming a degree candidate. There are usually few requirements beyond a desire to learn and a positive checkbook balance. Later, when they decide to get a degree, the college is in a position to assess their ability without the SAT or ACT. Be advised that without good grades, getting admitted as a degree candidate may be impossible—taking classes is one thing; getting a degree is another. I would encourage your husband to contact the school which he is interested in attending and ask how one goes about taking classes without becoming a degree candidate. Just make sure the courses he takes do lead to a degree and that it is possible to be admitted later on.

I think for older students, some other considerations apply. Are you willing to relocate to attend school? Are you going full time or do you need to work (as in support a family)? We recently answered a questions from a woman whose husband wanted to return to college. Check that answer out. I think picking up the additional courses you need for a completely different major could be accomplished in the same way. Since your question seemed to allude to the money side of things, I would thoroughly investigate what jobs pay what before I plowed into a degree programs. On the other hand, maybe you just need someone to help you break into another field without the formal ed. With a masters in English Lit., you could do many things—heck, you could get a real estate license in about four months and probably make $60K a year with your eyes shut.

The problem with your approach is that you’re essentially asking a school to accept 100+ credit hours toward graduation. What you should do is contact the college you attended and find out what specific courses you need for graduation. Then see if 1) you can take those courses by correspondence from the college you attended, thus completing your degree; or 2) you can find courses at a nearby college that will satisfy your degree requirements. The key is to coordinate this with the school you attended since they are the ones issuing the degree. It’ll work.

OK, first, let me say that I am not an expert on Cornell’s admissions criteria. Second, I’m going to assume that you applied to Cornell out of high school and for whatever reason, didn’t get in. Every university has a unique transfer policy; many schools welcome transfer students with open arms and go out of their way to make it easy for them to do so. Your first step in making your dream come true is to find out what Cornell’s policy is. Call the school’s undergraduate admissions office, tell them you’re interested in transferring, and ask for all the appropriate information. As a prospective transfer student, you will need to structure your current academic work so that it will transfer as credit for graduation to Cornell. This means you need to review Cornell’s requirements for graduation and begin to work toward that goal even though you are not a student there. This will likely require some contact with Cornell to ensure that the courses you are taking in Albany do transfer in the way you expect. Keep in mind, though, that you may eventually want or need to finish at Albany so it is best to try and take courses that “work” at both schools.

And there's The Back Door. This does not work at every school and has an element of risk, but I’m going to lay this out for you as truly an alternative for dreamers. Many universities have an evening college or continuing education school where you can take courses offered by the regular university, often at the same time of day. The difference is that 1) you are not a degree candidate; and 2) you aren’t going to get certain benefits of other students (like the option of living on campus which, for freshmen, lessens the college experience). The strategy here is to rack up a number of hours (maybe 30-50) toward your intended major, then apply to the school for admissions as a degree candidate. If you’ve done well in these prior courses, the school typically admits you as a degree candidate. Again, there is always the possibility that you won’t get in, but if you discuss this possibility with Cornell openly, you may feel good enough about your chances to give it a try. I know a number of students who have gained admissions to colleges and earned degrees by this back door admissions approach. But by all means, apply to the school first as a transfer student. Good luck with your dream.

There are many online learn-at-home opportunities which would lead to college credit. You can find them by checking out Yahoo or Google and doing a bit of surfing. Many colleges and universities also offer by-mail, study-at-home courses for college credit. Simply call the school’s main number and ask for the office of continuing education. If they have one, you’re off and running. The trick, of course, is to make sure the credit you earn transfers to the college in which you ultimately plan on earning a degree. For a more complete discussion of this, check out the previously answered question on this subject a number of questions down.

Pre-college courses are classes that students may take at a college level while they are still in high school. These courses are often offered for credit and may benefit students in three ways: 1) they may prepare students for the required subjects they will encounter when they enter college as a freshman, 2) they may open a student’s mind to new ideas or life paths, and 3) they may give students a taste of campus life. A student who elects to take a pre-college course may feel more comfortable on campus and in the classroom than a student who did not take one.

But pre-college courses are not necessary for college admission and are not needed to get a jumpstart on an intended major. Many students change their major a few times before settling on one, so taking pre-college courses in high school for an intended major may not be helpful. Some colleges even discourage students from choosing pre-college courses based on what their intended major in hopes that they will broaden their horizons.  Also, pre-college course credit is often not transferable, so students who do not attend the school at which they have pre-college credit will not receive credit hour benefits.

Congratulations on making this important decision to return to school!  Have you tried talking directly to the admissions officers about your situation?  Often schools can work with you to make special arrangements for you to obtain your degree.  This school might be the same.  If you really want to attend this same school that you used to, let them know that clearly and share your dilemma with them honestly.  If you need to work to support your family, explain this to the school and ask what options you have with them.  You might even be able to apply for additional scholarships that favor people in your situation (working students, students with dependents, nontraditional students, etc).  Also check to see if your current job offers any tuition reduction options for continuing education.  If your work is in any way related to the degree you want to get, you may be able to apply tuition credit--and people who do such continuing education through their work are most often able to work at a slower pace, like you desire.

If the school doesn't allow for a slower pace of work on your end, then I suggest you check into other schools that may offer nontraditional ways to get your degree.  You may be able to transfer a large chunk of your credits.  But of course I highly suggest you try to work with the school you speak of before this, as it sounds like more of your credits will naturally count for you there.  It depends on what is going to be most cost-effective for you.  Weighing the cost of possibly losing some credits against the potentially higher cost of attending your original tuition will probably help you in the decision-making process.  My best to you as you move forward.

Well, as far as money options, you should definitely apply for scholarships for nontraditional students.  FastWeb is a great place to start.  Even if you can't get a government grant, there's no reason you couldn't qualify for school or external scholarships and help supplement your college career that way.  Look for scholarships for mothers; scholarships for women; scholarships for married people; scholarships for adults going back to college.  Also, is there a way you could get a part-time job?  Or will that hinder your relationship with your children?  You can decide what's best for your family and act accordingly.  Lastly, there are certainly different options for your schedule.  The easiest way to start your research is on the Internet.  Lots of community colleges, technical/vocational schools, and 4-year schools offer options for night study or students with nontraditional schedules.  And there are options for programs of study you might not have even realized.  Check out the majors listings of schools around you.  Then contact the schools you're interested in or schools in your community and discuss your options with admissions offices.  Hope this gets you off to a good start.

Without the pertinent information about what you're intending to go back to school to study, I'll give you some general advice: It's basically whichever option you would prefer.  If you are wanting to seek out a master's degree in law, say, then an English or humanities (or pretty much any) degree would be fine to lay the foundation for that master's.  However, if your bachelor's degree doesn't really apply at all to your intended master's program, then you won't be able to apply those older courses to your new master's program.  In that case, you could certainly apply for a new bachelor's program of study as a nontraditional undergraduate student.  Does the field you're intending to pursue require a master's degree, or will a bachelor's degree be sufficient to obtain a job in that field?  Talk to people you know who might be in that field; collecting advice from others based on their own experience will be very helpful for you.

Now, in your case, communications could apply to many different master's programs, so that is one advantage you have if you really do want to get a master's instead of a second bachelor's degree.  You will just have to check with each school you are applying to in order to find out the specifics of what might transfer from your older degree.  A little research will do wonders for you as you're reentering the academic world.  And there's much more out there these days, especially online, to aid you in your pursuit.  Congratulations on your decision, and I wish you the best.