<p>I want to go back to school.</p>
<p>Is work experience valuable?
(I worked at Google, as a college drop out. And I started my own company, raised millions of dollars from venture capitalists)</p>
<p>3 years passwed. Now I want to transfer.</p>
<p>Not sure what you mean?</p>
<p>Hi there -</p>
<p>I too went to work instead of focusing on my education. I am successful in my career, but unfortunately I’ve found that most schools do not accept “life experience” in place of school credits earned. You may be able to transfer based on that one year of school and enter as a sophomore (anyone know if you need to be currently enrolled to transfer?). </p>
<p>In my case, I went back to school and have spent the last year taking units while still working full time. I applied to USC for this Fall and my fingers are crossed that I get accepted! Most of my application was me talking about my work experience and awards I’ve earned in that area of my life, since I did not spend a lot of previous time in an academic environment.</p>
<p>Is this helpful?</p>
<p>Work experience or live experience are valuable. Maybe you can try Columbia GS or Brown’s continuing education programs. They allow you to take the same courses but in a different environment with others who have live experience.</p>
<p>Must I apply for a “general studies”, or can I still become a transfer?</p>
<p>You can still be a regular transfer. It is just that you might want to be a general studies. You still graduate with the same prestigious degree either way.</p>
<p>Contact the transfer admissions officers at the colleges/universities that you are interested in and find out what options are available to you. You are old enough now, and have enough life and work experience, to be considered a “non-traditional” student. Some institutions will offer you credits for your work experience, some won’t, so you need to have conversations with the people at each college/university that have the power to make that kind of decision.</p>
<p>Specific wording to look for on a college/university website would be “credit for exam” “credit for experience” “credit by portfolio”. My cousin got boatloads of credits at University of Maryland University College ([UMUC](<a href=“http://www.umuc.edu%5DUMUC%5B/url%5D”>http://www.umuc.edu)</a>) for her life and work experience. She had to meet with faculty members in her department, and write about various projects she had completed over the years.</p>
<p>Things also depend on what your major field would be, and the kind of college/university environment you want to be in. Do you want a “typical undergraduate experience”, or do you want a program that is specifically designed for older/returning students? Some universities offer direct admissions to Master’s level work for people with extensive work experience in a given field.</p>