Let's begin with the details

When beginning the seemingly monumentous task of taking on college courses after an 11 year absence from formal schooling, its critical to get off on the right foot. So let's chronicle the initial steps needed to begin the process:

FINANCIAL AID

Due to my being in and out of the work force, combined with not having a well paid position for any amount of time, my income was less than 15 thousand dollars for the tax year 2007. I felt I was in a good position to get some aid for schooling. I filled out on-line the FAFSA website application, which was surprisingly simple to complete. In fact, the very next day I received confirmation of acceptance via an email. In essence, it was up to the college in question to pick up the ball regarding how much aid would be doled out to me. There was a score given, EFC, that I inferred to be how the college calculated my liability. I did neglect to do this part of the process in a timely fashion, for it's been 2 weeks and my college has not completed my application on their end. Lesson is - file for financial aid as soon as you receive your w2 tax forms during the start of the calendar year.

ORIENTATION

The local community college provided an orientation, which lasted an hour. During this very helpful meeting, the steps to enroll in college were outlined succinctly by an adviser. I took a tour of the campus given by current students. The people at a community college tend to be of a mature age versus a traditional four year college, and this paves a nice bridge for people such as ourselves who are in the same age bracket.

ASSESSMENT TEST

There's been such a long layoff from academic pursuits, that your knowledge needs fine tuning. Taking a test at this stage can pinpoint exactly how much tuning you need to get up to college level speed. In my case, I had taken two college entrance tests before - the first was in 2002, and the 2nd 5 years later. I had done well in the reading and writing portions in both tests, but as with most folks, my math was sub par. I mean there's only so much algebraic related tasks one incurs during their work lives after school, and by so much I mean virtually none. I know on this segment of my academic record, math and science, I will need to work vigorously in and out of the classroom to triumph. Anyway, the two tests you can take are either the community college based COMPASS placement test, or the traditional SAT/ACT versions. I took both, and they're actually similar outside of how you complete them. The COMPASS test is on a computer, while the SAT is on paper. They were both timed tests, and included essay writing. The SAT essay had me vexed, as I couldn't formulate an appropriately educated response to my question, which was in essence "materialism - good or bad?".

ADVISING

Once your scores are tabulated, you have to see the college adviser to get guidance on the road you want to take. By that I mean what kind of degree you're seeking. My adviser provided me two plans of study - one for an Associate in Arts (AA), and the other for an Associate in Science (AS). Looking over the courses listings, the biggest difference is that the AS requires a heavier course load in math and natural science. 14 versus 34 to be exact. You can be the judge on which degree is the more rigorous, but as for me the AA looked more appealing. The adviser was pressed for time, so I was given another quick refresher on how to register for classes, and to do it promptly as the course selections dwindled as time went by. I must say that the Plan of Study is very helpful in getting an overview of what lies ahead. It simply breaks down which exact classes will need to be completed and how essentially every student out there must take these same core subjects to attain a degree.


Lets sum up here. Starting college via the community college route provides a neat and tidy structure to later on complete a four year bachelor's degree. My college has an agreement with the state's university system in transferring the courses as a block. This should be the case with most people in the US. The plan is to complete an associates degree at the two year school, and finishing the second half at a four year university. To do that, there is a total of 64 credits that must be attained. That's roughly 20-22 courses. Let's do the math. We'd have to take 5 classes each Fall and Spring semester to meet our goal within two years. However, summer classes can afford us the opportunity to tweak those number of classes if need be. Given the flexibility of the courses offered either in-class or on-line, short term or full term, there is ample time to finish the 64 credit block in no more than 2 and 1/2 years on a full time basis. That is exactly the schedule I'm setting myself up for. 5 full semesters plus 2 summer terms. The first semester will be part time, as a way to easing my transitioning from a full-time adult worker to a full time class taking, food rationing, bare necessities, college lifestyle. The devil is in the details.