Going Back to College at 45 - any advice?

Pirate Dog

Pirate Dog

Joined
Feb 19, 2007
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36
I'm 45 years old and considering going back to college to get a bachelors degree. I was hoping someone here has some experience with the issue.

I have just started to do some research on the subject. I am looking at Excelsior college. My first tentative plan was to get an associates from Excelsior (I have some credits from Ole Miss when I was 18, I also graduated from the DLI in Monterey in Hungarian). I must have 30 plus hours. Excelsior will let me use those and I could probably get my Associates with tests. I have also talked to USF in Tampa and they accept Excelsior credits, so I was thinking of finishing my Bach degree at USF.

The more I look into it, the more it looks like I could get my Bachelors from Excelsior quicker and cheaper than I could from USF. Excelsior will give up to 30 hours of credit for GRE subject exams:) .

I would be interested in any stories of someone going back to school as an adult. Has anyone had experience with Excelsior? Getting into Grad School after?

Thanks
 
Can you tell a bit more about your plans. Are you trying to move into a particular career; looking for something to hang on the wall; or, just looking to hang out with a large crowd of promiscuous 19-year-old coeds? ;)

n2s
 
I went back to college to get my MBA at age 38. In my opinion. I had a tremendous advantage over the younger students. Marrried for 12 years. more settled, much better study habits, better motivated, and probably most importantly, I brought to school the business and life experiences I had accumulated. Knocked down a 4.0 GPA in a rigorous program that had a lot of the "youngsters" whining.

I say go for it. In four years, you will be 49. Might as well be 49 with a college degree if that is what you want.:D
 
My wife is currently in a nursing program, she's not the oldest by 20 years but everyone is haveing a rough time, mostly because of how the program is run. She says its has been ten times harder that her bachelors 9 years ago. She is very motivated and very happy she decided to go back to school.

Patrick
 
not2sharp said:
Can you tell a bit more about your plans. Are you trying to move into a particular career; looking for something to hang on the wall; or, just looking to hang out with a large crowd of promiscuous 19-year-old coeds? ;)

n2s
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plans......

That's my big problem. I don't really have any plans, although the promiscuous 19-year-old coeds sounds like a good plan:D . I have been self employed for over twenty years. If I ever did want to get a job, I'd like to have something to show. Sometimes working for someone else sounds like a good idea. Give up the headaches of self employment - and the money:barf: .

My wife wants to move to Florida so I'm thinking about selling my brick and mortar business.

I think I could knock out an Excelsior degree fairly quickly - my brother did it, then died, so I can't ask him about anything. Would an Excelsior degree help me land a better job if it ever came to me having to get a job? Would I be better off getting an Associates at Excelsior then getting my Bachelors at USF? My brother was planning on going to graduate school, never got that far.

The Frat parties are what did me in the first time I tried college. I'll do my best to avoid them if I go back.
 
Pirate Dog said:
Would I be better off getting an Associates at Excelsior then getting my Bachelors at USF?
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Only if all the credits are going to transfer. This is something you'll need to check into up front. Without credits that transfer, you're going to be retaking a lot of classes. That three to four year Bachelors could turn into a five to six year Bachelors.
 
I've been away from academia for so long I don't know the current standards, but there used to be a way to get credits for work experience and some certifications and training you may have gotten on the job. Might be worth looking into.

Good luck - I admire you for taking a step like this.
 
IMO, it would be a good idea for you to have some type of employable skill resulting from your college experience (nursing, accounting, engineering, etc.). There are a lot of good two year programs too. Just getting some kind of a degree quickly without a specific goal in mind may not optimize your prospects in the job market.
 
findout said:
What field are you going to study? I would like a study partner.
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I finally pulled the trigger yesterday and applied to Excelsior College. I put on the application that I am going to major in Marketing (still might change that, but I had to put something down). I could use a study partner :) .

I also faxed Ole Miss and The Defense Language Institute in Monterey to have my transcripts sent to Excelsior. Now I have to wait a few weeks to see how many credits I will have to start.

There is a community college near me that gives CLEP tests on the first Thursday each month. I want to take my first test on April 5th, but I doubt that I'll have my initial assessment by then so I'll probably have to miss that one. I don't want to waste any time or money taking a test that I don't need.
 
I started college at 38, and I felt as though I had a great advantage over the younger crowd. In general, it seemed that we "non-traditional" students had higher grades, etc.

A friend of my wife's took Excelsior nursing classes, and it seemed like a scam, but she got her RN license, so it's good to go.

As far as USF, if you move to Florida the tuition will be much cheaper, but you'll have to be here for a year before you're eligible for in state tuition.
 
So (other than the value of learning in itself) how valuable is a Bachelors degree in the U.S? Compared to tuition in Canada i know your tuition can be astronomical but does it pay off for you?
Just curious what exactly is an associates degree, just a prep for the bachelors?
You guys seem to use the terms university and college interchangably. Here university is university and college is more like trade school with 1-3 year programs geared towards a specific trade/profession. I did the 2 year college thing (Certified Museum Conservator) a few years back.

I'm currently 39 and i just finished my university degree last year (bachelors in Archaeology and Medieval Studies). When i was 19 i aimlessly meandered through 2 or 3 semesters of university before leaving. I think doing a degree as a mature student is definitely an advantage. You are there because you WANT to be there, not because you feel obligated by parents/society to get an education. I was not ready the first time but i was focused the second time round and did enjoy it immensely.

When you go you should also check for "older than average" groups/associations on campus. Within reason socializing is part of the college/university thing, overall it helps and does enhance the learning experience. Really you will be surprised how many mature students there are on campuses these days.
Anyway good luck with it!
:)
 
"My advice to you is to start drinking heavily."
--Animal House

Seriously, good luck. I admire you for accepting the challenge.
 
I went back to school after I came off of active duty (around 30 years old). I did a couple of years at a community college and got an A.S. and then went to UT and got my B.S. I was working full time as a Security Guard at night (11 pm to 7 am) and going to school and helping to care for 3 children during the day. Community Colleges are some of your best bang for your educational buck, so I would suggest getting all of your classes out of the way at the less expensive school and getting an A.S./A.A. will up your employability in some circumstances. If you go on to a four year school for your B.S./B.A., pick your partners on any group projects carefully. I preferred older students, or at least married students, as they were more serious about time investment and there was less screwing around, though making sure that you had the technical expertise on your team to complete the project is very important. Make a point to get to know at least a few people in each of your classes so that if you miss class you are comfortable asking to copy their notes

If you are working, take into account that a job that pays less, but lets you study at work, is worth a lot. Most of my papers were typed at work with my supervisor's blessing as long as the rounds got made and the cameras monitored. He thought that studying helped keep you awake. Some jobs that might contribute to studying on the job: security guard (especially on night shift), librarian (on campus is good), Night clerk at a hotel etc. A lot of employers seem to like older students as they are generally very responsible and on the ball.

If you do work or have a family to care for let your instructors know it, not as an excuse, but so that they know where you are coming from. I always made sure that my instructors knew my name and that I was coming to class after working nights. I made sure to sit close to the front and to actively participate so that it was clear that I was there to learn. You can make a very good impression this way since you are being compared to 18-22 year old kids who are, many times, lacking in motivation. If something does come up where you miss class or are going to be late with an assignment (try very hard not let it happen, especially early in the semester before you have a good track record) let the instructor know as much in advance as possible and see if they will let you turn it in late (for a lowered grade if necessary).

Realize that the opinion of your core requirement instructors (for marketing), Marketing, Finance, Business Law etc., are more important than your Literature professor's. These instructors are the ones you may be coming to for letters of recommendation, so having them have a good impression of you will not only help your grade, but also your internship or employment opportunities.

Remember that you are entering LIBERAL Territory and that your viewpoint won't be appreciated as much as it is on the forums, so when you get into a debate over a controversial subject stay logical, courteous and respectful of the opposing opinion no matter how big of a moron you think they are.

Doing the work is good, presenting it in a professional and polished manner is better. If you don't know all the required Computer applications, MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc., learn them as early as possible, as that will expedite completing assignments requiring these programs.

I realize that some of these things are obvious, but thought I should mention them anyway.

Sorry to run on so long. Good Luck.
 
Nuke Spook good advice there. I'm more of a politically moderate middle of the road kinda guy but yes there definitely can be extremists on campus, left, right and some that are from parts unknown!lol.
Variety is the spice of life and sometimes the appearance on the outside doesn't reflect the inside. I knew a girl both socially and on campus who was in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) basically a medievalist re-enactor type of group. I've seen her agressively beat the living heck out of people in SCA mock battles, she was also into paintball too. She has her good qualities but... she also turned out to be a raging hoplophobe (gun hater). She had a relative who was killed in one of those school shootouts and she was very very antigun.
I can see why one would be scarred by the experience but i don't get the whole blame inanimate objects mindset. My aunt was killed by a hit and run drunk driver, i don't blame General motors and Budweiser, i blame the driver.

Anyway definitely on campus be conscious of the biases of those around you. More importantly be aware of your PROFESSORS biases. The good ones will give credit to well supported arguements even if they are opposite to their own opinions. However a lot just want conformity and regurgitation of their opinions. It can take a few weeks or a graded assignment or two to guage what kind that particular prof is. Really you have to read the assignments AND read the profs!
:)
 
hey, congratulations. sad to see that you didn't choose my Alma Mater, but USF Tampa has some downsides as well. I support anyone going back to school.
 
not2sharp said:
or, just looking to hang out with a large crowd of promiscuous 19-year-old coeds? ;)

n2s
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Hehe, I never thought of that. Since I only work 2-3 days a week, I might as well go back to school at 40. Of course, I already hang out with 19 yo models, but hey who knows I might learn something.(Trust em, it wouldn't be to hard for me to learn something, I know nothing.:D )

Seriously though, I'm considering going back just to do it and improve my business skills. Plus it would freak my Dad out. He knew once I took a semester off it was all over. He was right, I never went back.
 
You've got my congratulations and admiration. Midlife career changes aren't easy,but they're becoming more common.I'm planning the same thing come the fall term,at age 50.
 
Never heard of Excelsior, but if it is a "for profit" school like University of Phoenix, then it won't do you much good in the "resume fodder" area. If you are moving to Florida, just go over and sign up at the local community college when you get here. Do well, take the CLAST and then go to the 4 year school you can get into. The best of the state schools (and the best of the schools in Florida overall) is UF. I went to Miami for undergrd and UF for law school and took the bulk of the classes for a masters at USF. USF is a good school, but they do have a hbit of making a BA a 5 year endeavor because of things like "exit requirement" classes. They also make you go to summer school for at least 9 credit hours during your stay. Not sure if UF does that, but I have been told that most, if not all of the "commuter schools (USF, UCF, FIU, FAU, FGCU, etc) make you do that so they can have enough bodies for their summer sessions.
 
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