Educational Advice

Hello. When growing up I always found myself blowing off homework. I knew the material and never really done the homework. Let's just say I didn't apply myself to my classes, so I wasn't able to take more advanced classes. I also moved quite a lot, and for some reason found myself repeating some classes that I shouldn't have.

What I'm trying to ask is: doesn't the possibility of graduate school still exist? I mean I know I'm smart enough, I just need to freshen up.

You can always go back to school.

a reply to: AdmireTheDistance

Which? High school? Undergraduate? Graduate?

I have my GED. Just, taking the GED wasn't good enough for me as a "basic" education.

General Ed courses at a community college sound useful.
Thanks for your input. Definitely interested in going. I just enjoy so many things that something else grabs my attention and I change fields.

Hopefully this time around I stick with it.

Much love.

EF

a reply to: ExternalForces

It just depends on what you want to do. If you have your GED, then you should be able to go to a trade school or a community college basically any time you want. If you want to pursue a 4, year degree, you could probably get accepted into many universities as well, you'd just have to take a placement exam or two. Online courses are another option.

There are thousands of online courses that are accredited. Just do a search for what you want. Many are free like the MIT online courses. Good luck and stick with it.

a reply to: NightFlight

Quite a few of you have pointed me in the direction of MIT. Sounds like I should start this long journey.

I taught in Univ. for many years. But I also taught in affiliated Community Colleges. Dirty secret, same books and sometimes same teachers for the same course.

I LOVED the CC students because many were like you and wanted to learn and had messed up in high school.
So they came to CC to take the basic courses and did really well and then got accepted to Univ (no SAT needed).

If you messed up in college (I advised premed also). Go back and retake, for credit, the core classes for the major you want to go to graduate school for. Get good grades and study your a.. off for the required test to get into Grad school.
I've seen people do these things and succeed.

Taking free classes with no credit won't help get into grad school. They only care about how you did in classes for credit, and particularity the classes that are required for the major.

Hope this helps, the free classes for no credit online are great for personal learning, but it is only the for credit classes that will get you to grad school.

a reply to: grandmakdw

So you wish for me to start at the very beginning again. So be it. I know what must be done.

If you never went to college then you can start with a new GPA.

Start with a good Community College for 2 years and then transfer to a 4 year college.

If you didnt mess up your College GPA then you can study whatever you want.

You can become a doctor if you want. Many of the top Medical Colleges accept Community College credits.

EDIT:

Actually you can still be a doctor even if you messed up your GPA. You can retake the classes you failed, take the science classes you need, and apply for DO.

a reply to: ExternalForces

I have a family member that is 40 and is about to graduate with a bachelor in nursing . Never to late to go back.

Since you have your GED. I suggest you enroll in a community school to get your basic requirements completed. This will be a lot cheaper than completing at the university level. Also typically the classes are smaller and you get more one on one assistance. Also don't be afraid to start small to get your feet wet. I would suggest maybe starting with one class so get a feel of what to expect.

When I was younger and taking my computer Engineering courses I will never forget one of my first day in the class. There was a gentleman that had to have been atleast 65 years old in the class. I automatically assumed he was the teacher and asked him a couple questions about the course before class started. Five minutes later the REAL teacher walked in, he was a student like the rest of us. He actually turned out be a great student as well.

Now that I'm older and have been working in my field for over 17 years ,I understand the appeal of going back to college. I plan to be that guy once I retire.

Good Luck .

a reply to: danielsil18

Having a doctorate degree in astrophysics doesn't sound too bad.

I have been through some higher education. International Business College, Ivy Tech, Devry University, Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Never really completed anything though. It seems like every time I was on the right path something happened. I honestly would be so appreciative if I could relive those moments and actually complete every single college I went to. I feel ashamed of myself for trying so many times and being unsuccessful in completing them. I know they look at me differently because I was unable to finish. Sad thing is I'm completely capable of doing the work.

a reply to: ExternalForces

Normally, I would advise you to educate yourself.

If you have had a full grasp of the topic of a particular class then you ought to ace the tests without doing the prescribed homework. If you did, you do not need institutionalized education. If you didn't, you likely aren't as autodidactic as you might hope.

That said, I think the traditional university route is what you actually want. Unfortunately, the level of stress that will be put upon you in graduate school will make your previous challenges seem paltry. You must be prepared to be a slave for the professor, it always happens because they always have a pet project which you must treat as sacred and unimpeachable. You will be worked to very limit of your tolerance with little or no reward or credit.

Now, if what you really want is to be productive, creatively challenged and happy, some other route must be my recommendation.

One possibility is to intern somewhere that does what you think you are interested in and see if it lives up to your expectations. Really delve into the subject on your own and see if you can understand enough to ask useful questions.

If that works out, go back and pursue the academic certification.

originally posted by: ExternalForces
Hello. When growing up I always found myself blowing off homework. I knew the material and never really done the homework. Let's just say I didn't apply myself to my classes, so I wasn't able to take more advanced classes. I also moved quite a lot, and for some reason found myself repeating some classes that I shouldn't have.

What I'm trying to ask is: doesn't the possibility of graduate school still exist? I mean I know I'm smart enough, I just need to freshen up.

Of course it does. Just understanding a subject or idea doesn't allow you to apply it in the real world - something I had to learn because I just 'faked' my way though most high school classes as well. Doing the work is really important - even though you may be very smart if you can use the knowledge, it's worthless.

I also found that I would 'skip' the parts that weren't interesting to me and often those were the most important bits to practical application of the material.

Just show up, ask questions and do all the work assigned and you'll be fine.

a reply to: FyreByrd

FyreByrd is right.

I always taught an entire class session on study skills for the CC crowd.

The key to getting good grades:
Read all assigned material (highlight important parts)
Attend all classes, take notes by hand (there is a kinetic learning reason for this)
Do all assigned projects and papers, turn them in on time, and make sure to read the instructions several times.

Then several days before each test; sit at the computer with your book and notes; type up a new set of notes
combining the text material with the lecture material.
You will find that this really cuts down on the amount of material to study.
Then study your newly typed up notes the next few days for an hour or two at a time, before going to bed is best.
Get a good nights sleep before the test, staying up late studying is counterproductive.
Most students who did all of this went from being C or D students to A and B students.

Before a test eat a light meal high in protein and fats (not good for you but it will keep your blood sugar up and level during the test which is important for mental functioning) (something like tuna or chicken salad, stay away from carbs and sugar) No soda or sweet tea or energy drinks, just water.

If you normally drink caffeinated drinks, then have coffee or mountain dew before and during the test if possible.
If you normally do not have caffeine, do NOT do this!

If the teacher allows you to bring in candy, then and only then, line up M&M's or Skittles along the top of your desk
and suck on them throughout the test, otherwise avoid candy like the plague before a test (your blood sugar will go up which is good for your brain, but crash during the test and you'll be dumb as a doorknob and not realize it if your blood sugar crashes during the test)

Hope all this helps, it did help some of my students so much that one woman who was an A+ student of mine told me at the end of the course that she used to be a D student and was so frustrated. So she put everything into practice and became an A+ student.

It is never too late, I went to Grad school at 38 and it paid for itself within the first 2 years in a good job and higher salary.

a reply to: grandmakdw

Wonderful - I'd like to take your class.

originally posted by: ExternalForces
Hello. When growing up I always found myself blowing off homework. I knew the material and never really done the homework. Let's just say I didn't apply myself to my classes, so I wasn't able to take more advanced classes. I also moved quite a lot, and for some reason found myself repeating some classes that I shouldn't have.

What I'm trying to ask is: doesn't the possibility of graduate school still exist? I mean I know I'm smart enough, I just need to freshen up.

The first question you need to ask yourself is what you want to do. Certain fields care more about the skill set than the piece of paper, though that piece of paper helps massively with getting your foot in the door at a job. Other fields care only about the piece of paper and really couldn't give a damn about the quality of your skills.

Associates Degrees unfortunately aren't worth the paper they're printed on, but a Community College can still be a good idea. Since you haven't really had any college level academic success it's much lower risk to attend a CC as it's cheaper, and if you find out college isn't for you it doesn't become an expensive mistake. On the subject of cost let me tell you a story about a friend of mine who went to CC with me for a bit and then transferred to Ohio University. He transferred and was away from home for the first time in his life, he paid for his tuition with loans as well as his living expenses with loans. Before long he was up partying all night long and not attending class. After the first semester he was on academic probation and at the end of the second semester he was kicked out. Afterwards he had no job and couldn't begin to repay his loans which sent them into default. Fast forward several years and he's still over $50,000 in debt working a minimum wage job, his income after living expenses doesn't even cover the annual interest on the loans, he will likely have that unrepayable debt for the rest of his life. You do not want to fall into this same situation, so before you do try out a less expensive school for a year or two and prove to yourself that you can do the work.

As far as graduate school goes, don't worry about it because that's a long time in the future. It's good to point yourself in the direction of your goals but from the sounds of it you're a long way off from that point. Start with the general education classes you need and go from there. Maybe pick up some other credits that will transfer as well, and don't overburden yourself by taking more credits than you can handle because that will just be setting yourself up for failure. Some people go from a HS diploma to a Masters in 6 years while others take 12. Don't worry about things like that, life is long you'll get there eventually if you work at it.

Thank you all for your input!

You have given me hope that I thought had faded.

I look forward to the future and our conversations on ATS.

Have a great week everyone!

EF

a reply to: ExternalForces

Hi External!

Just wanted to chime in to say it's never too late! Like yourself, I totally messed up through school. Wasn't interested. Didn't know what I wanted to do apart from play class clown and bunk off. My final GCSE qualifications were a disgrace. My Father was appalled as I'm not stupid, just couldn't be bothered!

In the past 5-6 years or so, I've totally regretted my school days. Last year I gave myself a huge kick up the backside and sat down and finally decided what I want to do with my life. My choice has no option but to obtain a degree before I can proceed, and that is what I'm doing.

Being a single, working mum of a 6 year old, after much research, I opted for online studying with The Open University, as my time is so restricted.

Being a bit worried whether I would be good enough to study at this level, last year I enrolled on an Access course (Arts and Language), which is like a taster year, to see if you can cope. Well, I just got my results back. I passed, with a distinction! The confidence that has given me to continue is amazing. I have now enrolled for the first years module, which starts in October, and I can't wait! It will take me 6 years to complete the whole degree, but it will be worth it. I'm 42 now, so I will be nearly 50 by the time I hopefully get the career I want!

If you want to do it, do it!! Maybe your local colleges have similar Access courses to catch up on the basics. Worth looking into.

I wish you all the best! Please keep us updated on your decision.

Ding Ding Ding!

We have a winner! This guys starts Kaplan next month for a bachelor in liberal studies!

After that? Who knows?! As for now, I'm beyond excited to start!

Thanks for the advice everyone! You gave me the confidence and strength to step up.

Now just to refrain from old habits.

EF