<p>Happy New Year!!! Well, I am 23. I graduated in 2008, when I graduated I was pregnant with my daughter. So I held off on going to college.. up until now, she's 5 and going to school herself so I think that to be the good example. For her, and to better my future I need to stop holding off and Go! I'm planning for this upcoming fall semester. Going to a community college. I'm gonna start small. Any advice, for how to prepare mentally and emotionally on this New journey that I'm going forth in? ?</p>
<p>Get your high school transcript sent to the cc.
You can do by phone or pick up an official transcript if permitted.
You may have to pay for the copy.
Review for the placement tests in math, English, etc.
Schedule and take them well before you plan to start so you can get advice about choosing college courses.
Do you know how to read/interpret a course catalog?</p>
<p>Best advice I can give you is</p>
<p>A) Figure out what Major and what school you want to transfer too. If you are in CA you can follow the IGETC General Education pattern but it’s only 2 (maybe 3) semesters worth of classes. </p>
<p>Without this done you will hit a dead-end fast. You need to take classes for your major pre-reqs and more importantly you need to take classes that will transfer into whatever school you plan to attend next.</p>
<p>B) Brush up on your math. Maybe buy a college algebra or trigonometry course or book and complete it. CC usually requires an English and Math placement test. Generally speaking you want to score high enough on the math placement test to enroll into “Intro to Stats” That is the math class most people take. </p>
<p>C) Use rate my professor. </p>
<p>D) If you are a hard worker I would load up on 5 or maybe 6 classes a semester. If you have a balanced schedule (1 major class, 1 math class, 1 science class, 2 electives) It’s pretty doable. </p>
<p>The faster you get out of CC the better off you will be. Trust me when I say it’s a nightmare having your CC education drag on. I graduated in 08 as well and I’m finally getting ready to transfer. </p>
<p>E) fill out the fafsa. </p>
<ul>
<li>My CCs haven’t required HS transcripts.</li>
</ul>
<p>As already mentioned, figuring out a major and a target transfer school early on is very important(assuming that you intend to transfer). Different schools are going to want you to have different classes completed prior to transferring, and knowing what their requirements are going to be very early on helps you set up a much better academic plan that will make the transfer process much smoother. Community college advisers are usually quite well versed in the transfer requirements for a lot of the larger transfer institutions, and a lot of states have statewide articulation guides that show how courses transfer from school A to school B.</p>
<p>As mentioned already, review for the placement tests. Review pre-algebra and introductory algebra topics. It would suck to place into a math class that you don’t need to take, simply because you hadn’t reviewed it. When I started at CC, that’s what happened to me. I didn’t study or review anything, and ended up placing into a far lower level math class than I should have been in. It resulted in me being bored in it for the entire semester. I skipped the next two math courses after that semester though. Had I reviewed some algebra before taking the placement test, I would have been able to place into a much higher math class.</p>
<p>Good for you!! It’s hard to go to college after you’ve been removed from school and have other life responsibilities, so you’re setting a great example for your daughter. It’ll also enable you to appreciate your experience more. </p>
<p>Everyone else gave some great advice, and I’ll just add that do be aware that it’ll be difficult. You’ll be with 18 year-olds fresh from high school, and you may find it hard to relate to them since you’re a mother and are there for a reason instead of just going for something to do. But don’t let that discourage you. There may be times where you want to just throw in the towel, but keep your eye on the prize (once you find your major) and keep chugging along. </p>
<p>Will you be working while attending school? How many classes will you be taking? Try not to overwhelm yourself. Start off at a pace you think you can maintain and then go from there. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Not overwhelming yourself initially is very important. After being out of school for several years, you can’t really just jump right back into it. It’s good to ease back into it with just 2-3 classes. You don’t want to jump right in with 5 classes at one time.</p>
<p>I graduated high school in 1988 and I am a freshman in college this year. What you are doing is great! I absolutely love college and I have no regrets doing this now. I took 5 courses last semester. I worried a bit that I would have trouble adjusting, and would have to work harder than younger students - both because my memory is not as good and I’d been out of school so long. But my motivation made up for that in spades, I worked hard, and got all As last semester! I also worried the other students wouldn’t “accept” me, but they do, and they respect what I am doing. My close friendships are still outside of school and I’m not nery social at school, but I’m ok with that. I love college and I’m actually looking forward to the end of winter break! Way to go on your excellent decision, and good luck! One more thing, brush up on math with Khan Academy online, it’s free.</p>
<p>I had some of those same concerns. I’m a little older than the typical student here. I’m 27, so I’m not ‘that’ much older, but still enough to make a difference. What I see almost universally though is that the older students are far more serious about their classes, and tend to be devoted to it much more completely. I was worried about not really meeting people I could relate too, but that’s a worry that turned out to be entirely unnecessary. I’ve met plenty of cool people right around my age, plenty of older students, and plenty of younger students.</p>