I am 43 years old and still taking college classes. I started right after high school and quickly puttered out, dropping out of SDSU for various reasons that I will share another time. Over the last 20 years I have taken classes here and there at different community colleges. I would like to share some things I worried about a lot and totally stopped me from trying to get back into the game.

I haven’t obtained a degree – YET, so all of these things I am sharing is fresh information that I am experiencing currently. This is my journey.

1. You will be the oldest one there!

This is far from true. Night classes are where I find my peers. The moms and dads with full time jobs go home, make dinner, then scurry out to their night course. I recently had to take a couple of daytime classes and this is where I was outnumbered by people that all could be my children, but that was ok. I felt special, I felt like everyone's mother. I looked at these kids in amazement at their drive and confidence to show up and do the work. That was not me at their age, my anxiety was so debilitating I couldn't walk into the classroom, but that story is for another time. 

2. Your old grades will not affect your current GPA.

Sadly, this is not true. ALL of your grades from every single class you have ever taken from community college to university from over 20 years ago will most certainly count in your accumulated GPA. I say sadly because I personally have a completely MUTILATED grade point average due to many naive mistakes I made. When I dropped out of SDSU I actually thought that once I was ready, I would be able to fix the poor grades I left behind. Ha. WRONG. So wrong. So boneheadedly incorrect. This might be obvious to many, so I am completely revealing my ignorance, but at least I have learned now. In truth, I have been going through the Academic Renewal process which will erase some of my F’s and D’s but there are other schools where fixing grades is practically impossible. It’s been a process, one that is way more convoluted than I had imagined and I am still trying to figure it out.

3. It will be difficult to get into a university.

I was scared to start school back up again. How was I going to get a bachelors degree? After I finished my general education at community college, what university would take me? It all seemed too far fetched and uncertain. Then I learned about this program called Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG).

“Palomar College students enjoy exclusive pathways to success with guaranteed admissions to six UC campuses through TAG, seamless transfer to UCSD via UniversityLink, and streamlined entry to SDSU via their TAG program along with 6 additional UCs via UC TAG.”

There are specific guidelines to meet and once met, I have a guaranteed admission to a university! It can get a little complicated navigating the guidelines. I encourage you to reach out to your local community college or university to see if a similar program is available to you. I feel secure in my path towards a degree with the TAG program and finding that this was an option for me has been a huge weight lifted off my chest. It has helped me choose a much clearer path for my education.

4. It will be expensive.

It might not be! If you are ready to start taking classes and are about to fill out the admissions applications, please also look up FAFSA. It is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Fill it out, don’t think too hard about it, just do it. It is free, easy, and it is like a funnel that provides you with personalized resources for financial aid. It will get you covered under programs your state may offer, and so much more. Here is the link that will take you to the FAFSA website to watch a video that will explain it all: What is the FAFSA form?

If you have been apprehensive about going back to school, hopefully this information can help you make that first step towards higher education. We can get through this together!

Sincerely Yours,
Jen