Guidance on Getting Back in College

TCC is great! I'm 26 and just started college for the first time this fall. You don't have to take SAT's first, you can just take the Accuplacer or THEA test at TCC. Accuplacer is better if you are going to go for spring semester, because the THEA is only done at certain times, if I remember correctly. And you can take this years tax returns and file for financial aid for spring semester ASAP. Or you can wait until you have tax returns done again the beginning of '07. But it takes a bit to get the financial aid information back from the FAFSA people, and spring semester starts Jan. 16th, so if you wait til you do taxes in '07, you may have to pay for registration and books and then get reimbursed for it after receiving financial aid.

They also have a childcare facility there on campus. It is not free, in fact, it runs about the same as most good childcare facilities around this area. They have a good curriculum for preschool age children, and since that's what I have, I'm not sure about other ages. The childcare facility has been there since the 1970s, and the teachers are all really sweet and willing to help out. I "think" they offer some kind of monetary help to single moms, so you may want to check that out too.

If you need any other help about TCC, I can try to help. My email is ____@____.com

Good Luck!!

Hi Brandy
I was going to school when we found out I was pregnant. I took a year off and am going right now. If I were you I would go to TCC and take as many classes as you can there because of the cost. TCC is great because they offer so many night classes. I am taking 16 hours this semester at UNT ans one class at TCC. I would take like six hours to start off with just to get you back in the swing of things. Be sure you have taken the SAT and the test for placement in English and Algebra classes. All state schools require that. As soon as you get your taxes apply for finacial aid for next fall. I don't know your finacial state but more than likely you will qualify for aid being a single mom. Good luck if you have any questions let me know.
S.

I am 40 and a full time mom of 6 including twin 2 yr old boys.I am currently also a full-time college student online. I do not have to leave my house.I absolutely love it. I get on the pc when i can and get my work done. I am a student at Axia College of the University of Phoenix.http://www.axiacollege.com/...I wouldn't be able to go out to school. I can just put the kids down for their nap and get my work done. It was tough in the beginning until you learn how to post things in the right places but please give them a call. Ask to speak to Adam Buckey, he was my enrollment counselor. He was great we still talk. Tell him K. told ya to call. I love it. I am in Criminal Justice and can't wait to graduate in 2008.If you wanna talk about it call me.###-###-####- K.

Congratulations on your decision - it won't be easy, but it will be worth it. If I were in your situation, I would immediately see about starting classes at TCC in the spring. You can go there for 2 years if you like. The price can't be beat and you will find that a lot of the professors there are full-time at larger universities. It's a great school. Then, depending on where you live, I would apply to either UT Arlington, or UNT, in Denton. You will need a degree from a (legitimate) well-respected university to be successful in education here. You will get student teaching assignments at good schools and you will be ready when you graduate. It's probably too late to apply at the large universities for the spring, but if you are watching your $$, then TCC is your best bet to get back into the swing of things, and your classes will transfer to UTA or UNT. Once you are accepted, schedule an appointment with the financial aid office to see what types of aid you qualify for. If money is a problem, there are some school districts that might be willing to pay tuition in exchange for your commitment to work for them after graduation. You never know what is out there.

You will find that many of your basic courses will be available for you to take on-line through TCC, UTA or UNT. These are legitimate universities and on-line classes are fine through them. However - please steer clear of online universities. You will be out a lot of money and could even end up without a job. The past two employers I have worked/recruited for (both very large employers) prohibited me from recognizing an online degree. I met several people through the years that spend tons of money on a worthless degree. If it sounds too good to be true - it is!!! The people you will be working for spent many years working their tails off to get a bachelor's and master's degree in person, and rarely will they respect an online degree. Don't waste your money.

Enough lecture - get online with TCC and register for spring!!! Good luck!!!

My husband is going back to school soon and what we decided to do was have him go to community college for his basics. Then we will look in to a 4 year. What I will tell you is be very care full if you decide on a technical school like remington or westwood. My husband went to one and completed the program with what he thought was an associates. Then they would not give him his "degree" or transcripts, saying he still owed money to them. In the mean time we get word of a lawsuit filed against the school and find out basically that there degree isn't worth the paper it was printed on. so be very very care full.

I am a 25yo single mom and I went to TCC for a couple of semesters after I graduated in 1998. I was working full time and taking classes at night. Then I took what was meant to only be one semester off when I got pregnant with my second child when my ex-husband and I got together. That one semester off turned into about 5 years! I finally went back last year after my ex-husband and I got divorced. I'm once again a single mom, working full-time and taking classes at TCC.

Even though you are likely wanting a 4-year degree from a major university, I highly recommend you start at TCC. You can take all your basics and such at a much lower cost and build your GPA while "getting back into the swing of things" before moving on to a bigger school. (My brother did this and he wasn't married and didn't have kids. He's graduating from UTSA this week with a B.A. in History - AND a 4.0 GPA I might add!) Plus you can take classes during the day or in the evening, in addition to online classes and ITV courses!

This is probably one time when being a single mother will work a little to your advantage! In addition to the regular Pell Grants and other need-based financial aid, there are many scholarships and programs out there geared specifically toward single moms. I would start by going to www.fafsa.ed.gov and filling out a financial aid application (required by many other scholarship programs and such) and then contact the financial aid department at your local TCC campus. There is also a program on campus called Women in New Roles that helps women who are returning to school after a long break, starting over in their lives and such. I'm sure they could help point you in the right direction.

Good luck with whatever you do! -K.