I Want to Go Back to School, Where Do I Start?

You might talk to someone at Antioch McGregor. They have a BA completion program. For more info: http://www.mcgregor.edu/

I was looking into Franklin university, all of there degree programs are online as well as in the class room. The school is really set towards working adults that want to go back to school. The tuition is a little higher than some of the local colleges but it is a 4 yr school.

I would start off by contacting a school and going in to talk to an adviser they should be able to let you know everything you need to know.

Good Luck
A.

Hi A.,
You are a very busy woman! I survived going to school, and being a Mom, but I had a larger family, so the older girls helped tremendously with the younger ones. My input is to suggest that you not rush to finish the degree, but that you start to take one class per quarter/semester from now on to get in the pattern of fitting this extra (and important) commitment into your life. When I went to college (mid 80's) the youngest went to kindergarten, so going to school full time in the daytime hours was quite do-able. I did have to take a couple Saturday morning classes, but those were after we had become accustomed to the school routine, and my parents and siblings gave some precious help, too. On campus classes gave me the chance to physically change gears from being the mom at home to being the student when I parked the car on campus. It was such a definite mindset advantage.
I am currently a GED teacher and several of my students have come back to tell me that the online classes were tremendously challenging. One co-worker takes on-line classes as a preference and does well with them, but she is a very independant learner. The biggest drawback in on-line classes are that you do not get to participate in the SHARED discussions with the professor and the other students. If that seems easy to give up, then they could work for you.
Good luck to you, A., in this very important stage of your life. Nancy Ann Smith, Wakeman, Ohio
PS I was separated and on the way to getting divorced when I attended College, so I can hardly comment on how to fit in being a wife in the same years as the college classes.

I don't know what area you are in so I am not going to recommend a specific college. I would check into the local community college first. There are also a lot of local universities that offer adult geared degrees. They often have excellerated classes and online classes. If you haven't been in school a while and are unsure of how you are going to fit it in, I would not take the online courses. They are too easy to put off until later. If you are looking at student loans to help, you will have to go full time (12 hours). This seems like a lot, but it is really only 3-4 classes. If you are going to pay out of pocket, then I would start with 1-2 classes.
As for juggling the family and work, set a side time for homework where your husband takes the kids away or just to the other room. My husband went back to school last year. Before that, we discussed what changes would happen and what I can do to help him succeed.
Best of luck and it is never too late to go back to school.

Hi A.,

I got my master's degree in less than two years while working full time. I went one night a week with a few breaks here and there. It was very doable. This was before I had my son though so I don't know how much advice I can give. Several programs are online now though and you can get an associate's degree going part time in 2 years and a bachelor's in another two. Indiana Wesleyan University is the big one around here in Indiana. You only take one class at a time and they are 5 weeks long. If you're tight with your budget, a lot of community colleges are cheap but the prereqs transfer on to a 4 year school later. Good luck and good for you!

I applaud you for your decision to go back to school! The first step you should take is contacting a local college, university or 2 year school. See if they have an adult education program, most do. You can also check into vocational high schools, I know the ones around here have adult education classes. Most adult education classes are either online or in the evenings, so you can still work during the day. Start slow, maybe just take a couple of classes at first. Also, time management will be a huge key for you. You will HAVE to budget your time wisely. Good luck!

Check out AIU online. Its a school that you do online. No tests just have to have two assignments done by midnight sunday night in each course and they give you no more then two courses a week. Each class is 5 weeks long. I loved it. I recieved my Associates in Business that way. Let me know if you checked it out and what you think. They send you through FASA to see if you can get any grants. Any questions just ask and I will answer them. www.aiuonline.edu P.S this was my favorite school when I looked around because most of the schools could be a little cheaper but you have to download or copy there books of the internet and pay to do that. At AIU then send you the books so they are right in front of you and something that you can go back to later if you need too.

Take some time and research the various schools that have the program that you want.
I did everything backwards also, married, kid, divorces, remarried, 2nd kid, then the house, then college. At 30 I just completed my Master's of Education, the first in my family and my husband's. :]
It has been a trying time (my ADHD, narcolepsy (fall asleep without warning and have no control over it)) added to the situation.
If you want to go back for a human services program, do it.
When I wanted to go back for my M.Ed. I emailed or called Capital, OU, OSU, Ashland, Otterbein, etc. Further research directed me to the University of Findlay. I completed the whole degree on-line and chose to attend 2 classes in Findlay Ohio for 5 Mondays so that I could learn from a Pediatric Neurologist, not just a prof. that had been out of the classroom for too long.
A quick web search brought up lots of results for possibilities for you.
Truly set a schedule for your family and list responsibilities for each member when you start class. I scheduled times that "Mommy was at school". I was in the living room on the computer but my husband took care of the major stuff with the kids so that I could watch the lecture, participate in a discussion board or type a paper. I typically only took a class or two a semester to allow some fmaily time and ensure the class work got finished.
Good Luck! This can be done in our day of technology.

Hello A.. My hubby does NOT have ADHD and we have the same conversation over and over and over...I mean, the walls to the house remember the talks more than he does :D
As for On-Line colleges my advice is NO. I have an Associates Degree in Social Work, and there is No way (In my opinion) that you can gain the same knoweldge and experience in On-Line classes as well as in class. For general study courses, On-Line is great (I did some), but for the Social Work Courses, you must go to the classroom with a teacher who is a LISW or PhD of Social Work. It might be best for you to consider working in the evenings and going to school during the day. That is how I got my degree, I worked second/third (I had three children, was pregnant with #4 when I finished) and went to school full-time during the day. Most of my classes weren't offered during the night, and I had a job where I could do my school work at my job work. Best of Luck!

A.,

I think it's great that you want to return to school to get your degree. I too was "stupid" in my early twenties and didn't start college until I was 27. I didn't have any children, but I had to continue working full time for the pay and insurance. I started out just taking a couple of classes a semester that were being offerred by a local college. Later on I transferred to Indiana University to complete my psych degree. I carried a full time load at IU, commuting 40 miles round trip, and worked full time. It wasn't easy, but I did it. Now a days most major universities offer classes online. There are also several online colleges and technical schools that offer degree programs, just search the internet for the one that meets your needs. AIU and the University of Phoenix are 2 that I can think of off the top of my head. You can also receive financial aid if needed. When I was attending IU I was lucky enough to have a job in a group home working 4PM-12AM so I could go to school through the day. The residents in the group home were all in bed by 9 or 10, so I had at least 2 hours every night to read, study and do homework. Maybe you could set the same kind of schedule for yourself, doing your school work after your kids go to bed, before they get up if you're a morning person, or while they're napping etc. Maybe you could set a specific time to study and your husband could spend that time with the kids while you're doing your school work. That way you can do your school work, and your husband and kids get to spend quality time together. The saying, "Where there's a will there's a way" is true. I wish you the best in your academic endeavors! P. S

Try "Phoenix" they have great on-line courses for adults. My friend graduated this Spring and she loved it!
It's all a matter of want and prioritizing. You can do it! Your a mom-you can handle anything!

Good luck!
R.

Excuse me, I guess I am taking something wrong here. Just because your husband has ADHD does not mean you have to have the same conversation with him over and over again. State your feelings and your position and then go on with your decision. If he asks what you are doing remind him you had this conversation once before and this is what was decided. He is just not paying attention because he isn't interested in what you are saying and it has nothing to do with being ADHD, that is a crutch. Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

As for school do a little research on online campuses, Kaplan, Arizona, etc., have classes available in the areas you are interested in. They are willing to assist you in obtaining financial aide and look into grants as well to assit you financially while you are going to school.

As for your comment about what you can expect from your children: neither my husband or myself had college degrees, neither of us went to school after the children were born and both of my children have college degrees. I am a licensed cosmetologist and my husband was the head custodian at a school before he died. My daughter is a para-legal/legal secretary for the state of New Jersey (the only legal secretary they have with her para-legal degree) and my son has his degree in Business and Communications.

I apologize, but I got a little offended here. My husband, son and grandson all had ADHD and the grandson is Asperger as well. They can be trained to pay attention when you are talking.

A.,

I attended the University of Phoenix. They have 3 different programs: an ALL online, half online and half on ground called Flexnet and an all ground. It is difficult to get back in the swing of things. If you are just returning, I would recommend starting with the ground then moving to on-line. They have mostly 5 week classes at night, very family friendly, only 1 night a week, and then a group night. It is rather pricey (almost 30,000 for 2 years) but you pay for the convenience of completing your degree at your pace/and schedule. They have also of financial aid and grants, and you don't pay back until you graduate. Just remember, double checking that whatever university you choose is an accredited university, so you aren't just throwing away your money. Goodluck!!!

Online schools are great. I have gone to University of Phoenix. They have a great associates program; however, they are a bit expensive. All the studying is on your own. Books are online. There are rarely any live chat classes to attend. Basically, you have your entire syllabus available about 1 week before the beginning of the block of classes. You have to turn in your assignments on time, and only receive points for assignments up to 4 days late (losing points each day).

I am now attending Colorado Technical University. I absolutely love it... much better than University of Phoenix. Each class has two live chats held online a week. Each class held is archived, so you can listen to it when you have time. The entire syllabus is available at the beginning of the course. Teachers have 1 hour of office hours a week; however, they are always available by email and phone. They must reply to email or messsages within 24 hours per school guidelines. I love the course. They are applicable to life skills. It's not pertinent to read the entire textbook (sent via FedEx). Most of your sources are found in the online library. Each file is a PDF, which is downloadable. The school gives you the Microsoft 2007 office (or most recent version), so every file can be opened. Books are only $60 per class. Assignments can be turned in over a week late. You only lose 20% of your grade. I suggest turning them in on time, but if the kids or sick or work is really busy... you have time to get caught up.

Both schools (and other online schools) offer degrees in business. I suggest going into a Human Resources Management field. That sounds like sort of what you described. Of course, you can talk to an academic counselor and they can advise how your interests may lead you to a certain degree.

CTU - Richard Williams - enrollment advisor - ###-###-#### or call 866 813 1836

I am a mom of 3 who has done the college thing twice (and still doing it), so kudos to you for doing the school thing again! I was always a little wary of the online degree progeams because alot of them arent accredited, meaning you cant transfer credits if you want to get a higher degree or go say to ball state or whatever...My first time back at school was at Indiana Business College, and although I got a degree there, I was young and didnt do my homework on the school process and they didnt tell me that none of my credits would be transferable anywhere (they are not an accredited school) if I wanted to earn a higher degree somewhere.
Right now I'm at Ivy Tech, and the credits there are transferable (which is great cause I want to get my bachelors after) , they have a wide selection of majors, and for the most part the counselors are very helpful (in my area of study anyway).I would check into it, call them or go in get tons of info so your comfortable with the process and see if that might be for you. GOOD LUCK!

I'm enrolled at Indiana Business College. The campus I'm at is the medical one and we don't have weekend classes but there are evening & online classes, from massage therapy to billing & coding to surgical tech or medical assistant. I know the other campuses around town have other degrees, probably ones like you're wanting since our campus is the only medical one. I was going fulltime & working fulltime (along with raising a then 4 & 5 yo & a husband) but had to quit work cause of babysitter issues. Not sure if IBC is the right school for you or not, I really enjoy it but also know not everyone likes the same things, but I applaud you for going back to school.

In case you are looking for a local school, check out the Pickerington Center at Ohio University. They have some really good programs. I started their years ago but had to interrupt my edu when my hubby was laid off. I'm meeting w/the advisor this year to see how I can continue my edu now. They have on-line and weekend classes. I like that they are local and they are a good school. Just take it one day at a time and one class at a time to begin with. Good luck to you.