Will It Be Hard
Nursing school is going to be hard no matter where you go. Nothing is easy, but with hard work, youll get through it and achieve your goal. The great thing about becoming a nurse with Utica Colleges accelerated nursing program is that while rigorous the program graduates great nurses. Our first-time NCLEX pass rate of 94% in 2015 proves it. Our ABSN program can be completed in as few as 16 months, but our dedicated faculty go above and beyond in preparing you to be the best nurse you can be.
How To Find Out How Many College Credits You Have
If youre planning on resuming your college career, picking up where you left off with one degree, or pursuing a brand new one, you should find out how many college credits you have that can be applied to your new degree. To find out how many college credits you have, youll need to contact the college or university you last attended and request a transcript. You can then share this information with any new schools you are applying to and see how many credits they will accept.
Most colleges and universities have a web portal or form that offers digital transcripts to students, and former students can also use to request transcripts. There is usually a small processing fee for requesting college transcripts . It can take between 24 and 48 hours to receive a digital transcript and one week or longer if a school needs to mail a student a hard copy of their transcripts. If you request a hard copy of your transcripts, your college or university may also tack on shipping costs in addition to processing fees.
Resuming Your College Education
If youre planning on going back to school to complete an unfinished degree program or earn a new certification or masters degree, National University welcomes students from all backgrounds, educational levels, and walks of life. To get started, review our undergraduate admissions checklist or our graduate admissions checklist to see the path ahead. Have questions? Please feel free to speak with an admissions counselor to learn which credits can apply to your new degree program and how we can help you learn and achieve more.
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I Learned As Much From My Fellow Students As I Did From My Professors
To get the most from your college experience, you must go all in. Resist the urge to retreat or get on with the rest of your day when class is over. Make time to study with other students, chat in the hallways, and sit with students in the dining hall.
And if you’re asked to socialize after school with your classmates, say yes! One of my best times at school was a night out at an arcade bar playing retro video games, filled with unrestrained laughter and silly competition playing DDR and Ms. Pac-Man. I would have missed out on a good time and new connections if I had not stepped out of my comfort zone. These connections opened the door for discussions about my classmates’ LGBTQ experiences, being first-generation students, working through past traumas and other stressors and anxieties.
As I work toward furthering my education in psychology, these informal chats with fellow students who I now consider friends gave me invaluable insights to younger generations, teaching me greater empathy for the different world that they have grown up in.
Pushing my boundaries of thought, learning, and relationships was a challenge that went beyond simply attending classes. It is a challenge I would recommend for anyone wondering “What if I went back to college?”
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Will I Fit In
Concerned that youll be in class with students ten years younger than you? Worried you wont have anything in common with anyone? Think again. ABSN students liken their cohort to a family.
The students in my cohort are the only ones who know what Im going through right now. They are my second family, says Dawn, ABSN student.
Our largest group of students falls in the 25-40 age range. You may not have a ton in common with your classmates, but youll have one big thing in common youre all trying to get through nursing school.
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Degree: Masters In Nursing Management/leadership
Brenda Echols wanted to pursue her masters in nursing management/leadership with Western Governors University, a nonprofit online university designed for working adults. She was and still is the only person in her family with an advanced degree. Here’s what she had to say about her journey to a master’s degree as an older student.
“My biggest challenge was overcoming breast cancer while working on my degree. It almost took me out of school, but when I thought about it and talked it over, I decided to hold on and hold out as strong as I could.
“I believe others can do it, too, if they believe. It’s never too late to believe. Being a student helped me maintain my focus during my challenges. My dream sustained me along with family and friends. I never missed a beat.”
Learn To Balance Coursework With Family Life
“I made it to where my classes didn’t start until after my daughter went to school and before she got out, so I could take her to school and then pick her up,” says Milligan, who plans to graduate from the University of Arizona with bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology.
Map out what help you would need before starting classes. Being able to arrange your classes around your kids’ school is great, but not everyone can do that. If you can’t, then balancing college and parenthood becomes simpler if you have a good support system and you take advantage of your campus day care, according to Tracy Griffith, chair of the Advising Adult Learners Commission. Many universities have services set up to help student-parents, so check out your target schools to see what they have to offer.
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Learn About The Graduate Program: Do You Meet The Basic Requirements
Once you have decided to apply to grad school after years away from academia your job is to carefully examine each graduate program’s requirements. Are there any stated expectations about a particular major, coursework, or outside experiences? Evaluate your background and skill set. Do you have the basics? If not, what can you do to enhance your application? You might take classes in statistics, for example, or volunteer to work in a faculty member’s lab. Volunteering is easier once you have taken a class or two and have a basis for a relationship with a professor. That said, it never hurts to ask as every professor could use an extra set of eyes and hands.
Many Of My Professors Were Younger Than Me And Easier To Communicate With
At times it felt weird to be taught by professors who were younger than my son. However, all of my professors responded to emails, had open office hours, patiently described theories and concepts I found hard to grasp, and treated me no differently than other students.
Ironically, because I was more comfortable asking questions and seeking clarifications from professors than my peers, I often was sought out by the other students when they were nervous about speaking up.
After one exam, for example, some students were unhappy with how one of the questions was graded, and they turned to me to voice their concerns. After I made a successful argument on the class’s behalf, the professor outed me, stating, “Aren’t you all lucky to have an attorney to appoint as your representative?” which actually strengthened my relationship with the other students in the class.
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Disallow Social Environment To Control You
If there were no cameras, every soul would tell an interesting story.
Im sorry but your social environment is bullying you. You have become a puppet to people.
People define your journeys and destinations, and you are losing big time.
Wake up call!
Cut the chord with your social environment which is not only polluting your personal but also your professional environment: Managing Your Social Network Addiction
Budget Responsibly And Know What Costs To Expect
Bills don’t go away once you decide to go back to college. An 18-year-old’s expenses might not be too significant, but a 40-year-old may have a mortgage, a family to feed and a car to insure. So how do you not neglect those responsibilities while still going back to college?
If working full-time while attending college isn’t possible, then you could:
- Apply for scholarships targeted to nontraditional or adult students
- Apply for grants
- Work part time while attending school part time
- Take out student loans
If you don’t work full time, you may be losing money by going to college a situation known as opportunity cost. However, it’s quite possible that having a degree can ultimately earn you more money in the long run. Regardless, you need to know how much you’re realistically able to work during the school year, what your expenses are, and whether there’s a difference between those two. Learn more about financial prep in our How to Pay for College guide.
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If You Are Over 30 How Can You Improve The Mba Admit Chances
Now that you know the reasons for the bias, the plan-of-action might seem intuitive. See how many of the admission officers concerns listed above can you address in your MBA application during the admissions process.
Your story-line needs to be stronger than the others specifically the post MBA career goals. What jobs are you aiming for? How will an MBA help you get there?
Typical questions you might think, but the answers need to be bullet-proof and the application executive strategy needs to be extra solid. A mature MBA applicant with an immature, or half-baked storyline is the best way to strengthen the bschools bias against folks like you. Dont give them more ammunition to use against you.
Help them understand how the grey streaks of hair and the slight paunch that is showing are signs of wisdom and prosperity which you have gained in abundance in the extra years youve put into the corporate world. Modestly, show them how you can teach those kids in the class a lesson or two of your own. At MBA Crystal Ball, weve helped those who are over 30 get into some of the best bschools across the world. So if you fall in the 30+ club and need some help in overcoming the bias during MBA admissions, get in touch: info mbacrystalball com.
Hope these views help you better answer the question Am I Too Old for an MBA? next time it pops up in your mind.
Here are some success stories of MBA applicants over 30:
Transferring College Credits After 10 Years Or More: How Long Do College Credits Stay Valid
How long are college credits good for? How long do college credits stay valid? These are common questions among people considering a return to school after having spent some time away from the classroom.
While the easy answer is that most college credits for core courses will stay valid for years or even decades some credits may have a more finite shelf-life. Typically, course credits within the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields expire within 10 years after the time they were earned. Due to ever-evolving technological and scientific advances, information learned in the STEM field more than a decade ago may be rendered obsolete and require students to rebuild a foundation grounded in newer practices before moving forward. So, if you took STEM-related courses over 10 years ago, be forewarned that they may not necessarily be able to be applied to your new college or university degree program. Its always a good practice to check with your admissions office to find out whether or not any of these courses may be able to be transferred.
While some courses do have an expiration date, the upside is that, if youve worked in a field related to your desired degree program, you may be able to earn college credits in exchange for your work or life experience in that field. Again, consult with your college or universitys admissions team to learn if you may be able to leverage recent field experience for college credit.
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Want To Finish College Go Full Time At Least Part Of The Time
Third, look for places that have something called a “prior learning assessment.” This is a method for evaluating a student’s that they’ve acquired from work or life or military experience. Some colleges use tests, like the CLEP, to award college credit others have faculty members create a special exam based on a course while other schools have a student put together a portfolio of their learning with documentation, and have that evaluated by a faculty member for college credit. It’s really important for somebody who has had a lot of work experience or has had a lot of military training it can really help you finish your degree a whole lot faster and a whole lot cheaper.
What are your tips for helping adults overcoming their anxieties around going back to school?
A lot of people are nervous about it and are envisioning being the oldest person in the class. This is a totally normal thing to be feeling, but it’s OK, you’re gonna be fine, and there are colleges that will help you succeed.
The book offers some tips for how to build support at home for what you’re trying to do. It includes some exercises to help you recognize all the skills that you already have this includes time management, attention to detail, things like that.
So in addition to really helping adults ask the right questions about what kind of college is going to support me and be a good fit for me, it’s also helping them really understand why it is they are doing this.
Focus On Your End Goal
Keep your eyes on the prize while understanding that challenges and setbacks can and likely will arise, says Kelley.
The decision to return to school can feel like a never-ending commitment. Stay focused by setting small goals and allowing yourself to be flexible. And remember, youre not the only adult returning to school. Dont be afraid to utilize your campus career center or ask your advisor for guidance.
Need help finding the right school for you? Check out Petersons College Search Tool.
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How To Embrace Your Age
Working well into your retirement years is certainly possible, but it does require personal branding effort and sometimes even a little creative career reshaping. Consider this: Nearly 40% of workers age 50 and over havent updated their resume in the past decade and, for those age 65 and over, the figure jumps to nearly 50%, according to a 2017 national AARP survey.
In other words, just because youve been working for decades doesnt mean you should take your foot off the gasnot if you want to have career staying power, that is. Keeping your resume updated is just the start. Here are some other strategies to try:
Stay in the know. Keeping your personal brand fresh, current, and relevant is especially important for older workers since one of the potential hesitations a prospective employer may have is that youre not up-to-date on the latest trends, says Joseph Liu, career consultant and host of the Career Relaunch podcast.
To stay informed, he recommends subscribing to relevant industry newsletters and podcasts to learn about trends, leaders, and happenings, and attending conferences to hear the latest thinking on hot topics in your field.
Dress the part. Keeping well-groomed and wearing modern styles can go a long way, says Arnold. Hire a personal shopper to help you dress, and work with your stylistor go to a younger oneto keep appropriately current, he suggests. This is especially important if youre doing the job interview circuit.
Career Change: Salesperson To Motivational Keynote Speaker/author
Getting a degree at Monroe Community College changed Yvonne Conte’s entire life. She couldn’t find work after losing her sales job due to a corporate merger. She couldn’t pay her bills and she lost her home to the bank. Financially, she was ruined. She was 45 years old with only a high school education.
“I enrolled full time as a communications major, not really knowing what I would do with that degree. I learned to work a TV camera in my classes, to write scripts, and to run a radio station. But what I really learned was how to research, interact, write, and network. And because I graduated with a 3.85 GPA, I had confidence for the first time in my life. That belief in myself was worth the price of tuition.
“I began teaching classes about writing, stand-up comedy, and acting at local businesses. Eventually, I began to speak for local businesses and I was a full-time keynote speaker and a published author within a year of graduation. I’ve now published six times and I deliver 50 to 60 keynotes a year all over the United States. None of that would have happened had I not attended college.”
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Career Change: Banking To Salon Owner
Sarah Kelly resigned from her job at Wells Fargo Bank in the spring, took a summer break, and then entered the Aveda Institute Minneapolis to get her cosmetology license in the fall of that same year. Previous to that, she had received her bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Minnesota back in 1990.
“It’s not exactly graduate school, but I’ve opened a salon and have had a very successful shop for a few years now. I’ve been so much happier in my new vocation. It’s my dream job and it’s absolutely what I was meant to do.
“Too old for school? Absolutely not! I was anxious about going to school with kids half my age, but I was also a more dedicated and serious student. I was motivated to lose weightit is the beauty industry, after all.
“I worried for nothing. The kids were gracious and respectful. A lot of them called me Mom. I was their surrogate mom away from home. I was flattered when they asked me for advice. I was gratified that they accepted me in their lives. I was floored when they asked me to speak at our graduation. It was very flattering.”