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Author Topic: considering going back to college  (Read 3709 times)

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Offline bravebuddharich

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  • Posts: 179
considering going back to college
« on: January 15, 2007, 12:11:10 pm »
Ambivalence - worries - not sure - yet... I regret not having finished college when I was younger, and would love to figure out a way to go back! It would take a long time to apply, find money for it, and to pay for fees, etc. Has anybody gone back to college as an older student? The good, the bad, & the Ugly of it?? How exasperating was the application process? Did it affect your health at all?? I'm leaning towards out of state - Minnesota or Vermont, I think... i'm tired of procrastinating, I have nothing better to do with my life, (i'm trying to talk myself into it!)...

Dan J.

  • Guest
Re: considering going back to college
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2007, 12:21:17 pm »
Just do it!!!!

Dan ;D

Offline JPinLA

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  • Posts: 148
  • Cheers!
Re: considering going back to college
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2007, 12:32:03 pm »
I agree with Dan...jump right in there and do it.  If you REALLY want to, why not?  Life's way too fleeting to not do the things you want.  If it's important to you, don't hold yourself back. I know lots of older students and although intially they said it was difficult to get back into the student mode, it was the best experience they had because they were really committed to the education and their life's experiences really helped them along.

By the way, I grew up in VT and lived in Burlington for many years and I suggest it highly! What a great state!

Good luck and keep us posted on your decision
11/06 - Diagnosed - VL/5784 & CD4 326
2/07 - VL/6000 & CD4 290 2/07
3//07 -Began Truvada/Viramune 
4/07 VL/undetectable and CD4 320 22%
7/07 VL/undetectable and CD4 286 22%
11/07 VL/undetectable and CD4 302 26%

Offline NycJoe

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  • Posts: 252
Re: considering going back to college
« Reply #3 on: January 15, 2007, 12:35:11 pm »
I just returned to college this past August after a LONG absence.  I am loving it.  Best thing I ever did.  It's not always easy trust me but it is very rewarding.  I am 39 and going for a degree in radiology with a focus in nuclear medicine and or radiation therapy.  Unfortunately I am not as hip as the other students.. I think I am the only one without an IPOD!  I thought the application process was fairly easy.  Its just the trouble of getting your records to them. aka..high school and or college transcripts.  As for health..I feel better than ever because I think school has boosted my self esteem.  Is it stressful?  Yes sometimes it really is but I have so little time to worry about counting T-cells anymore that sometimes I forget I have HIV.  So for me..its the best move I have made in years.  Good Luck!

Offline Jnm594

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  • Fight! Fight! Fight the Good Fight!
Re: considering going back to college
« Reply #4 on: January 15, 2007, 12:36:09 pm »
Go for it! What do you have to lose? I'm trying to talk myself into going back as well so I know what you're going through...

When it gets hard I always listen to my favorite song of all time..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJEYu3KgWCE

Offline Grinch

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  • Posts: 325
Re: considering going back to college
« Reply #5 on: January 15, 2007, 12:39:48 pm »
I'm back in school full time with on on-line program.  I highly recommend it.
Look into a FAFSA loan for financing.

Offline Coffeechick88

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  • Posts: 431
Re: considering going back to college
« Reply #6 on: January 15, 2007, 01:35:27 pm »
That's wonderful you want to go back to school.  Just make that your goal and do it.  There are various loans you may be able to do and if you are working and plan to continue doing that as you go--some jobs have tuition reimbursement as a benefit.  I am going back for my Masters--I am still in debt from regular college, but it is worth it, life is too short.  I remember having a guy in my classes pushing 70 and getting his college degree, I thought that was so neat and it shows you it is never too late.  He managed just fine and you will too.
Lucas James is here
Born 6-14-08 at 1233 am
8 lbs 14 oz, 22 in long

Offline Mike89406

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Re: considering going back to college
« Reply #7 on: January 15, 2007, 03:43:24 pm »
As HIV+ is considered more of a chronic condition nowdays the life expectancy is increasing which means it makes sense to be career oriented anymore.

Having said that Im 36 and restarted college after a 3 yr absence I'm over halfway finished with my B.S. Degree in Professional Aeronuatics. Right now I'm taking the hardest classes Pre-Calculus, Economics, Physics, Statistics etc..
It wasn;t easy and my self confidence in math was really low however I managed to stick with it through all the stress and am doing better than expected.

Short and simple College is a journey sometimes hard sometimes fun but in the long run the piece of paper will pay didvidends in the future. Stick with it no matter what or how hard it seems. We limit ourselves in to thinking theres no hope in the job market sometimes due to health reasons etc...

But in the end we only limit our destiny by thinking it cant be done. The choice is yours but the younger and healthier you are as of today will be easier to accomplish your goals rather than wait til the distant future ahead. So take advantage while there is time.

I cant promise the journey will be easy but patience and perserverance will help you in you're endeavors. 
« Last Edit: January 15, 2007, 03:53:55 pm by Mike89406 »

Offline ndrew

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  • ....-.-.-.-.-.....
Re: considering going back to college
« Reply #8 on: January 15, 2007, 08:26:53 pm »
Never stop learning, never stop growing, NEVER!!

And when going to school becomes futile, remember the quote, "To teach is to learn twice!"

(The same French dude (Joubert) also said, "Genious begins great works; labor alone finishes them.")

On the practical side, you could take a few classes through continuing education or through online/distance learning to get your feet dipped...

Kindest,
Drew

Offline lydgate

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Re: considering going back to college
« Reply #9 on: January 15, 2007, 08:39:45 pm »
When I was a freshman in college, aged 18, two of my closest friends were older returning students. One was a dancer all through his twenties and decided he'd had enough of that; the second was a bartender and a bit of a party boy and decided that he'd had enough of that. The dancer joined as a freshman, at the age of 30; the other friend went to a community college for two years and then joined my four-year college, at the age of 34.

Neither of them has regretted his decision for a minute. One is now a playwright and teacher, the other is a dean at his former community college.

Both, by the way, had quite a bit of financial aid, in the form of grants as well as loans.

A lot of colleges are keen to enroll "returning students" -- and this includes plenty of elite institutions. And why not?! Each campus wants to be as diverse and lively as possible, and the presence of an older student, returning to college after some "real life" time can only be a good thing. Sure, there are some frustrations (feeling rusty with calculus, say, or feeling out of step with the social "scene") but the compensations are far greater, IMHO.

So I, too, would suggest that you follow your instinct and go for it.

And plenty of people here, to cheer you on and offer advice, should you want/need it.

Jay
Her finely-touched spirit had still its fine issues, though they were not widely visible. Her full nature, like that river of which Cyrus broke the strength, spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.

George Eliot, Middlemarch, final paragraph

Offline joyluckclub

  • Member
  • Posts: 137
Re: considering going back to college
« Reply #10 on: January 15, 2007, 10:17:29 pm »
After 8 years of teaching, I am now in graduate school. 

I would just say

1.  Plan well
2.  Plan your expenses
3.  Plan what you will do after you obtain your degree
4.  Plan how you will earn money while you complete your degree
5.  Apply for financial aid, scholarships, and grants early....the early bird gets the worm!
"Honey, be who you is"  Madea.........

Offline Blixer

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Re: considering going back to college
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2007, 11:30:50 pm »
In general, non-tradiational students (meaning those who have been out of High School a while and are a bit older and have some real life experience) do much better in college.  They have more of an idea of what they want to do. And even if they have to work while going to college they tend to have higher average overall grades when considered as a group.

So go for it.  Many colleges today have a relatively high proportion of non-traditional students and the application process usually isn't that bad.  Now, finanacial aid may be another story.  But all very dooable.
David
Diagnosed 1/9/06
8/27/2007 CD4 598, 29%, VL 58 (72 wks)
11/19/2007 CD4 609, 30%, VL < 50 (84 wks)
2/11/2008 CD4 439, 27%, VL <50 (96 wks)
5/5/2008 CD4 535, 28%, VL <50 (108 wks)
10/20/2008 CD4 680, 28%, VL <50 (132 wks)
Changed to Atripla in 2012
1/14/2013 CD4 855, 35%, VL <40

Offline sweetasmeli

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  • Love what you are...
Re: considering going back to college
« Reply #12 on: January 16, 2007, 05:29:34 am »
If I lived in the UK I would be back to college in a shot, but as I'm in Greece and still learning the lingo, I've opted for online/distance courses. I've been doing a TEFL course and am currently looking into nutrition courses, a subject I'm really interested in. I'm also going to look into Greek courses in my local town, as I'm determined to improve my Greek this year.

I did apply for a distance-learning General Studies A-level course a while back, but I did it for all the wrong reasons and never really got into it. If you're serious about going back, choose something you REALLY want to do, for whatever reasons. That way you have more chance of staying interested and focused.

Good luck deciding!

Melia :)
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(=' . '=)    (=' . '=)
(,,,_ ,,,)/   (,,,_ ,,,)/ Cats rule!

The difference between cats and dogs is that dogs come when called, whereas cats take a message and get back to you.

Yeia kai hara (health and happiness) to everyone!

Offline Buckmark

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Re: considering going back to college
« Reply #13 on: January 16, 2007, 10:06:00 am »
If you're motivated to go back to college, I think you should do it.  As Blixer points out, non-traditional students generally do much better  in college, usually because they have a stronger motivation.  It will take some planning to figure out how much you pay your expenses, tuition, and of course make sure you have continuity of health care.

I've been thinking about going back to college myself, to start a second career.  I haven't yet figured out what I want that career to be. 

Cheers,

Henry
"Life in Lubbock, Texas, taught me two things:
     One is that God loves you and you're going to burn in hell.
     The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love."
- Butch Hancock, Musician, The Flatlanders

 


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