Here Is A Method That’s Helping Adults To Go To College
Adults usually work full time or part time and are likely to be married or to have kids. They are usually very short on time and require a college solution that is very different from most traditional college students.
Flexible, degree completion colleges allow adults to study at their own pace while having a job, and to afford college and other living expenses. These colleges provide many low-cost methods of college credits outside the classroom such as credits transfer, online courses, credit-eligible exams and so on.
Degree completion colleges are more affordable and more accommodating of adult learners. In addition to helping reduce the cost of college by as much as 80%, these colleges provide many less known opportunities that can more than halve the time to college degree completion.
Best Advice For Adults Going Back To College
Most adults are desperately in need of a college degree, either for getting a job or a promotion in their current job. Even with many years of experience, the absence of a college degree can critically impact a person’s ability to get a higher salary and to land a more senior position in the workplace.
As for those who are presently not employed, completing a college degree can open the doors to a good job and career. Another advantage is that, as an adult, you are in a better position to choose a college major that you like and which also provides ample job opportunities.
Here are 3 essential ingredients necessary for any college program for adults:
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1) Since adults are very busy most days with a job, or with taking care of the family or kids, they need to be able to earn their college credits outside a typical classroom. |
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Here are a few ways to earn college credits outside a classroom for adults in degree completion colleges: |
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(a) Since most adults a few college courses years ago, this learning can be transferred to their present college degree at the degree completion college. For previous college courses, simply list them in your new college application and attach your course brochures and send the college your previous course transcripts. |
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In case you have work experience, ask the college if they are able to evaluate your work experience for possible college credits via a portfolio or prior-learning evaluation. |
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(b) For any new course credits, adults need a way to study at their own pace in their free time such as evenings, weekends and so on. Most working adults are unable to follow a fixed college-study schedule due to work deadlines and other unexpected daily-life events. |
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Therefore, a more flexible and changing study schedule is possible for students when they take online college courses, and write other standardized exams that provide college credits. |
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2) As an adult, you likely have a family or a lifestyle full of additional expenses such as a comfortable house to live in, a vehicle, and many other related expenses. Therefore: It is important that your college expenses are kept to a minimum so it does not adversely impact your living conditions. A degree completion college program is a perfect fit for this since it provides many low-cost ways to earn college credits through online, third-party, accredited course providers and so on. |
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For more information on reducing college expenses, take a look at this article on Low-cost Online College Courses For Credit. |
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3) As an adult with a fulltime job or a family to take care of, the only reason you’re signing up for college is because its critical for: |
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This again means you need to complete your college degree really fast, as you have a lot to lose if your college degree gets delayed. |
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Degree completion colleges can cut your college completion time by about half. With a degree completion college, your 4 year bachelors degree can be completed in as little as 2 years or less. |
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Here are the different ways to reduce the time to college completion: |
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(a) Transfer all your previous courses for college credits |
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(b) For other course topics which you find easy or have some knowledge of already, schedule CLEP, DSST, TECEP or ECE exams. On completing these exams with a pass or higher score, you will immediately be awarded college credits at any of the degree completion colleges. |
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(c) For all other credits you need as per your degree requirements, take online courses with one of the following: |
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The above are the 3 college benefits of flexible degree completion colleges:
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80% cost reduction
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Earning credits in half the time, and
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With study outside a classroom
These colleges and the techniques we’ve explained here can help you complete your 4 year college degree is as little as 2 years or even lesser time than that.
Programs For Adults Returning To College
Degree completion programs have been specifically created to provide adults with the tools and support for quickly and affordably completing their accredited US college degree. These programs have been around since the 1960’s and many states all over the US have these programs, New York being one such state with many such college programs.
Some large universities have continuing education departments that focus on degree completion programs for adults. There are also specialized colleges such as the following which were created for the sole purpose of providing degree completion programs, as follows:
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Excelsior college in Albany, NY is a private college which was initially created as a public college as part of the University of the State of New York. Excelsior college is the largest degree completion college in the United States.
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Thomas Edison state college in Trenton, NJ which is the largest such public college in New Jersey state. The college is well known for providing an almost unlimited number of credits by transfer.
- Charter Oak state college in New Britain, CT is a comparatively smaller degree completion college that focuses on providing exceptional service to adult degree students.
I Want To Go Back To School, Where Do I Start?
⇒To begin the process of going back to college, you first need a complete list of all the college-level learning you’ve already completed in the last 10 to 15 years. Such previous learning will be useful for earning college transfer credits at your new college.
→Next, you need to choose a good degree completion college by reviewing and comparing them for your needs. One way to do this is to email the colleges with your questions and by asking them for their degree-specific college brochures.
→Upon choosing the college, submit the college application with your relevant documents. Be sure to also specify in the application all the previous college courses you’ve completed and attach the score reports or send them your official course transcripts.
The degree completion colleges have open admissions policies and admit most students with a passing high school GPA or grades. So there is no need to apply to multiple colleges in this case. In case there is a delay in receiving your college acceptance, simply contact them to find out if they need any additional information from you.
→Next, upon receiving your transfer credits and once they are updated in your new college transcript, you need to schedule an appointment with your college student advisor. Now you can go over your degree requirements and get further advise from your student counselor about which courses to take for your remaining college credits.
Be sure to emphasize with the student counselor that you are looking for the most affordable ways to earn college credits such as CLEP, Study.com and so on.
The reason I say this is that most degree completion colleges also have their own online college courses which have higher per credit tuition fees. Instead of the college’s own online courses, you save a lot of money by taking other third-party online courses and standardized exams such as CLEP or DSST.
How Can I Go Back To College in my 30’s or 40’s?
The main thing to realize is that its not difficult as you think to go back to college in your 30’s or 40’s. There are many people who have successfully completed their college bachelors degree in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and even in their 60’s.
Rather than choosing a fulltime college, it’s best to choose a college that specializes in flexible degree programs for adults. This will allow you to study in your free time and will give you all the tools to be successful in balancing college and career with a family.
Choosing an adult-focused college will also mean that you will find many peers in your own age group and you will feel right at home there.
Since you might already be working and have other responsibilities during the day, the last thing you need is a large college campus will all the frills and expensive buildings and facilities. As an adult, there is no need for you to hang out with all the youngsters who are living in a college dorm and studying fulltime.
The absence of these elaborate college buildings and facilities will also mean that the tuition and other college expenses will be more affordable since the college need not spend money in maintaining a huge college campus. So its best to choose a college that passes on those cost savings to you, the adult student. For this reason, a degree completion college is likely to be an ideal choice for busy adults like you.
If possible, choose a college you like which is at a comfortable travel distance from where you live. This will allow you to meet in-person with your student advisor at the college and provide you with opportunities to occasionally meet and study with your college peers.
Colleges such as Excelsior have the same fees for both in-state and out-of-state but some of the other degree completion colleges charge a slightly higher tuition for out-of-state students. This is something to keep in mind and be sure to have a good idea of the fees and expected college expenses before enrolling into the right college for you. By the way, you can still qualify for college scholarships at the these already-affordable degree completion colleges.
How To Study Effectively At Home
The key to success as an adult student is to master the art of studying on your own.
There will definitely be tutor help both online and via phone or email. You can also meet with students for group study occasionally but the maximum ROI from college as as adult is achieved by studying in the privacy of your own home.
Every once in a while, you can combine the study at home with visiting your local library and reserving a desk at a students study room. Form personal experience, I’ve found this to work very well for hours and hours of quality study time. Most libraries have a common WiFi network which you can access by visiting the library help desk.
Is It Smart To Go Back To College As An Adult?
As long as you choose a flexible program that fits in nicely with your work priorities and schedules, going back to college can be the best decision of your life! To minimize any inconvenience to your lifestyle and to maximize your college completion ROI, choose an affordable college that requires only your spare cash and NIL student loans, with many convenient ways of earning college credits fast.
In fact, going back and completing college can be a very fulfilling experience. It’s a great feeling to be able to finish something as important as college which you felt compelled to break from years ago.
But if you decide to go the traditional full time or part time college route, college can be a major inconvenience and obstacle to your family, free time and especially your work priorities. So choose the right flexible college to get the maximum benefit from college with minimum inconveniences.
Once you have your bachelors degree in hand, you can proudly share the news with colleagues, family and friends. Your college degree will pave the way for future pay rises, promotions or more lucrative job offers. So its definitely worth it to finish college quickly and in as easy a way as possible.
