THINKING ABOUT GOING TO COLLEGE!! NOT SU RE

“Thinking about going to college. I've never been. I'm 27 now and I'm working for myself and have plenty of time to do this. I didn't do to well in high school. Graduated with a 2.222 GPA. $1750 a semester for a full load. I think I'm ready for this???????”

“Have you considered maybe giving yourself a part-time load at a community college as a warmup? Good luck with the decision. :-)”

“Artex gave you some wise words.
There are some good 2 year schools and if you make sure the credits will transfer to a 4 year school you'll be way ahead.”

“Have fun dude I know I did when I went!

8)”

“BBinkley,
GO! You won't regret it in the long run. Whether you continue to work for yourself or decide on a different career, what you gain will be worth it. You may want to ease yourself into it if coordinating classes with work and family. I'm a firm believer in well-rounded education.”

“That's cool, bbinkley. I'm at UTK now and trying to decide if I want to take next year off. It's funny how you always want what you don't have. What are you thinking about studying?
BTW, I say go for it!”

“college chic's are so cool. I'm 35 and I'm still goinig back!”

“go.

education is a better gift than gear...

I know, I know, probably the wrong place on the net to say that...”

“Why bother if you're making good money now? You can educate yourself more efficiently and thoroughly than any university, and you'd save a ton of money in the process. There's nothing magical about higher ed. And you're probably smarter than most academics, so....”

“go to harvard and they'll teach ya how to be a liberal . .. . . .


and take some classes to help you in your current business.....”

“It couldn't hurt!!

Don't know what you do for a living, but if I was heading back to further educate myself I would look into a some Assoc. Degree in a 'white collar trade', something that is business oriented and marketable in this day.

Evevyone's dream for the most part should be, 'to be their own boss'. It sounds like you are living that dream, think about choosing an education that will better yourself and the career you wish to pursue.”

“I'm wanting to get some kind of business/sales/management degree.

I have plenty of experience in these fields but later on down the road if I want to work for a company it's hard for them to get past the"no college degree thing". I have an excellent track record as far as performance goes but I don't know how far that will get me. Who knows I may work for myself forever but I want it as an insurance policy for later on down the road.”

“If you want it... do it. If you have the time... do it.

It surely can't hurt.

Here's my advice - Get in, get the degree, get out. Don't do like I'm (still) doing and just take a class or two every semester. Trust me when I tell you that it gets old QUICK!”

“Sometimes you can test out of a class,or get credit for life experience.”

“two words:

sorority girls.


I think you should go binks.”

“LMFAO @ BB! !”

“My brother-in-law has a good tech. job. When I was talking with him during Christmas holidays, he said that because he doesn't have a college degree he is no longer qualified to do the job he held three years ago. Go figure. He did the job, well--I might add, and 3 years later he could never transfer back.

Get the education.”

“I always enjoyed school. I love learning and have met tons of great people in school who are lifelong friends.

If you are 27 now, think of it this way: In 8 years you will be 35 years old. You can be 35 with a degree or 35 years old without the degree...time passes the same regardless. Just start and don't quit.

If you did it I doubt you would ever regret it. It will be harder and harder to get the good jobs or advancement without a college degree as time goes on. You really can learn some great stuff!!”

“I always enjoyed school. I love learning and have met tons of great people in school who are lifelong friends.

If you are 27 now, think of it this way: In 8 years you will be 35 years old. You can be 35 with a degree or 35 years old without the degree...time passes the same regardless. Just start and don't quit.

If you did it I doubt you would ever regret it. It will be harder and harder to get the good jobs or advancement without a college degree as time goes on. You really can learn some great stuff!!”

“??

pineneedles - What is your major at UTK?”

“Geography. I'm a map lover!”

“so are they better rolled or laid out? :P”

“I was going part-time & I miss it. My new job (same dept) requires odd & long hours, so I can't sign up for anything more.”

“You dumbass, you didn't go to college? It was the only time in my life I stayed drunk for four years.”

“1st of all I was wondering if Phil would tutor me in Physics....

2nd of all
I am 30 and just decided to go back to school full-time.
For many years I was taking a class a semester. I decide it was time to go and get it done!
To this my wife and I sold our home (log) and downsized to put us in a better financial position.
In the long run it will be well worth it. Also I should add that before I left my place of employment I had only been there for 3 years and had already become a supervisor. Also when I left they made me some really good offers... But it just wasn't what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Look at this way...Its better to do it now then realize 20 yrs down the road that you should of done it. My Mom just went back to school for Nursing and got her LPN. She is happier now as a nurse than has ever been any other job. Because that is what she has wanted to do since high school.

I agree with others. Take courses at a community college.
This will give you feel for college and at the same time save you money. Also course times are more flexible.

Good Luck...and remember this:

I feel that regret is the hardest emotion to deal with in life!”

“Nice move adventurist!

Here are some other incentives to go now!

1. The economy sucks, and it's hard to find a good job if you have a degree or not. Go full time, and when you are done, hopefully the economy will be raging!

2. When I was attending college, I worked part-time as an Executive Recruiter for 2 years. I'd estimate that over 95% of the jobs that we were hired to fill came with the stipulation that the person had to have a degree. (I was recruiting Industrial Sales Reps and Engineers)

3. From my personal experience, my degree (B.A. History) has opened many doors for me, and every job I've had since school has nothing to do with history, directly.

4. Knowing you Binks, you are a hard worker, goal oriented and organized. That's all you really need to do well in college. You can prolly get some sort of financial aide as well to help cover the sting of going to school full time.

Good luck, just do it!”

“Thanks for the advice evryone. I will look at a community college first and see what classes I can take that will transfer to a major university. Maybe I should just ease into it a little bit.

Can you really get credits for life experience. They'll let you test out without having to take the test? If true, That sounds great.”

“They do that in some situations Binks..... it's something you'll have to talk to your advisor about.”

“I meant to say test out without taking the class.

Guess I need to talk to an advisor then.”

“Ditto on the Community College thing, BB. Maple's fixing to do the same thing you are doing. Similar situation as you with past schooling too. I went back to school at 44 and got a 97.5 average (paralegal school). I never got grades like that when I was in undergrad in Florida. The difference was focus (and also a shift in priorities). Good luck, Binks!”

“That age is about what I was when I went back to skool. And as I did poor in HS simply because I hated being there and everything about it, I can attest that now that you want to get an education you will enter the arena with a much better studious attitude. Most non-traditional students, those who did not go straight to college after High Skool and are older than the average student, tend to do very well in their classes compared to most other students. My grades sucked in HS, yet I excelled in college courses, and even went on to attain a Master's Degree.

From my experience, I suggest you at least make an attempt...for it is better to try (and meet lots of women while doing so), then to never try at all.”

“Education is never a waste, unless you have the opportunity and squander it, by not doing the work or poorly choosing classes. Choose good classes for you and work hard, it will pay off by enriching your life and broadening your experience.”

“......I have never been to college, I was drafted 2 months after high school and never went when I got out and would not have anyway, I hated school. Anyway, at 52 and having been laid off 5 times in my life and having worked at many types of jobs and now working for an energy company.....I can tell ya that a degree of any kind is needed in any profession you choose, it gives you options, and that is very important. So go, that is, if YOU want too.”

“good luck with this decision binks! I think you might want to consider at least an Associates degree, depending on what you want to do...

Some fields are more relevant than others (my bro is a computer genius and makes wellll over 6 figures with no degree...da bastahhd).

I struggled to get my BS...10 years of working a lot and going to school 1-2 classes at a time. Fortunately, I was able to challenge 8 courses, or else I would probably still be going! arrgghh

Think outside the box! Nobody is going to hand you anything...many of my instructors were reluctant to allow a challenge, because they had never dealt with one before. Walk in with a clear, documented plan. For one course, I simply wrote a term paper...another, I gave a lecture at the school. Many require tests (English, Math, etc). Oh yeah, I challenged all PE requirements by leading a backpacking trip and documenting a trip report for the school. >:D

Now that I have the (verrrry expensive) degree, I am working in a field that is completely different!! But, I couldn't be here without it.”

“Corporate America will hire without a degree, but IMHO they are very slow to promote without one.

Of course, Michael Eisner breaks the mold.”

“Some programs do give credit for "life experience", but they are often called "degree completion" programs and many do not have much stature academically.

You can challenge almost any class you have some experience in, but be prepared to take a final exam or write a paper in that course.

I went back to school at age 35 and again at age 47. It took me 4 years to get a degree each time. It was worth it in lots of ways.

Go for it!”

“All of these suggestions/ideas are great. I also waited to go back to college and it is a good idea to start small and get a feel for your strengths and weaknesses. Overcoming the weaknesses will surprise you and you'll feel great about it.

I wasn't a very good student in High School either, but surprised myself when I did take some college prep classes. I did better in these classes, than when I was in high school. My worst fear in college was to have to give presentations....the more I did the better I got, each time I still got queasy and nervous, but remembered that if you wanted the grade you HAD to do it and everyone else in that class was in the same position. It's soo different in college than in high school, everyone that is in college wants to be there for pretty much the same reason, to learn and hopefully better themselves.

The older you are when you go to college, the better you do, cause you appreciate it more and get more out of it. I say go for it, what've you go to lose.... Good luck!!!”

“You may have noted that several TTers have degrees that don't relate directly to their jobs. A good degree program of any kind will build your thinking skills and show a potential employer that you can accomplish a demanding long-term task. Consider this when you choose what you want to study.

Rather than pick a degree program based on employment prospects in that field (a hard bit of guesswork anyway), choose a field you are absolutely fascinated with or feel passionate about, something that you know piques your curiosity enough to get you through the term papers and exams. Those who are doing something they really love seem to do better at it, and with far greater satisfaction, and that goes for schooling, too.

If you already have the sales and business skills, why not use your college time to expand your knowledge of a new or favorite subject, even if it doesn't seem practical now. College is a grand chance to explore and find completely new parts of your own intellect. And like any adventure, there will be times when you are cold and weary, other times on top of a sunny summit with a grand view for miles.

I went back full-time for a graduate degree at 38 and had two of the best years of my life -- mentally stimulating and personally satisfying. Now I teach at a community/technical college. Getting your taste of college at a community college is, as others have said, a good way to ramp up to higher education.”

“I think I have decided to do all this college stuff online. There is an accredited university call University of Phoenix. I can do everything online. The conveinance factor of this route is huge. I can get a Bachelors degree in 2 to 3 years this way. Any thoughts? I am going to get a Bachelors of science business/management degree. I figured that would couple well with my sales/management experience that I have now.”

“Seems like I remember Phil saying something about the U of Phoenix not being well-respected in the academic community. You might want to check that out more fully before you spend a lot of money there.”

“On-line has its place, with certain graduate programs having some success -- but being in the classroom, with other students, is one of the great advantages of traditional education. The human interaction factor should not be underestimated.

I regularly teach via interactive TV (students in a remote classroom link to me over fiber optic TV cable), but it has distinct limitations for certain subjects. On-line has similar limitations for certain material.

Do a lot of research before making a commitment to an all on-line program. Accreditation and acceptance can be two different things.”

“just remember to smoke AFTER classes and not before”

“Go! Go 2 nights a week, take Saturday courses when possible and take Summer sessions. Don't skip a semester for any reason. Don't miss a class for any reason. Buy the text used, if possible. Always take part II of a course immediately after the first part.

My theory (which is mine!)
Go to all classes and pay attention = c
Go to all classes and turn in assignments (do homework) =B
Go to all, do assignments, study (cram for tests)=A
Usually paying attention and sucessfully doing assignments will prep you enough for satisfactory test grades.”

“I don't want to go for the interaction or the learning just the piece of paper.”

“Well, heck. I've got a computer and a printer. I can make you a fine looking diploma. Let me know when you want to send me a few thousand dollars for the privilege.

binks, if you're not kidding, then really, don't shell out the bucks just for the paper. It ultimately won't do you much good to have the wrapper without the good stuff that comes inside it.”

“Kids these days! Want the rewards without the effort.”

“College is for losers, go to beauty school!”

“From what I understand....

The University of Phoenix doesn't even except some of their online credits....

Go Figure!”

“pineneedles? youre at UTK? most of my friends went there, im from oak ridge, but i went to tennessee tech for engineering. you wouldnt happen to know a few guys named matt foster, rick landson, michael ousley, or daniel pendley, would you? (yea, yea, 27,000, big school, i know, but there's always a chance) they're heading out to thru-hike the AT this semester (or were all planning too, i think only a few are actualy gonna go) just wondering if you happened to do any hiking with them- im hoping to ge their itenary and see if i cant catch them on the trail for weekends

later,
-nate”

“My adisvor, G-d rest his soul, a highly respected person at the University of Chicago, said that you should not judge a school by the faculty, but by it's students. I think he was right. Found I learned much more by interaction with collegues than listening to a lecture. Long way around to lobbying for classroom education and not on-line education.”