<p>Hey back2it,
Some background first, I’m 36, Geog/Enviro Studies Major at UCLA and I transferred in Fall of 2013. I’m also part of the Non-Traditional Students Network on campus and we have a pretty great group of Non-Trads with diverse backgrounds and stories. My best friend is actually a CompLit major transfer at UCLA so I’m very familiar with that program as well.</p>
<p>Before UCLA, I spent 3 years at LMU, got a cert at USC, and even spent some time at CSUN as well as a huge load of community colleges as I made my non-traditional route through life. So let me address your points one by one:</p>
<p>Being 42 definitely makes you part of the Non-Traditional club, but just know that you aren’t alone, and the path to success for us in the Omega Lambda Delta (OLD) club is to find others for support, networking, and a sense of community. We are out there, but some classes will be a bit trying at times, especially when professors mention the cold war or desert storm and preface it with “none of you were alive back then” … well, no, actually I was! LOL.</p>
<p>a 3.8/3.9 is a great GPA to have, and for our age group, extra curriculars are nice, but are offset by work and other stuff. We are looked at and treated differently than the 18-22 year olds, especially if you have had a career, family, and so on and so forth. You have a real life story worth telling on your personal statements, and it’ll behoove you to tell it! </p>
<p>As for financial aid, that’s the tricky part and the not so tricky part. Let me be blunt when I say the best way to get the extra dollars is to make sure you’re making under 80k a year. If you can tighten that belt and drop your earnings as low as possible, you’ll end up getting more in the end, BUT that 80k is a hard mark you must be under to qualify for a lot of the programs, such as the Blue and Gold at UC’s.</p>
<p>At CSUN, I didn’t get a lot of financial aid help, to be honest, but the cost of school wasn’t very much either. It was sort of a wash, especially since I applied and got additional grants based on my GPA. </p>
<p>USC gave me almost nothing besides federal pell grant. We are above the age for Calgrants by the way. </p>
<p>UCLA has the blue and gold program which allows you to go 2 full years where the school actually covers your tuition cost beyond any grants you get if you are under that 80k line. They will not cover housing, parking, and stuff like that, but say Pell grant only covers a %, well your blue and gold will cover the rest! After the 2 years, they have other resources if you wish to continue your education to finish a minor or what not. </p>
<p>Let me be clear when I say that there is nothing that limits your access to scholarships based on being a transfer student. absolutely nothing. And at 40 years of age, you would actually be given much more opportunity for research and project work and publishing compared to a traditional or younger student. My friend who is comp lit has been given the role of editor for his professors new book coming out, and they are working on it together every week. He will have his name in the credits and everything, and he will be published! The professor wouldn’t ask a traditional 18-19yo to do that, but he’s older, and impressed himself upon her in a professional way. </p>
<p>As for loans, you’ll need to look at your living situation more than the cost of school. Do you plan on working full time or part time? What about where you will live? On campus, off campus, commuter, do you own a home? Very few students at UC’s qualify for part time reduced fee status, but if you have a career and you’re our age, it’s a given. It helps lower the costs and means you’re not being rushed to take 12-14-19 units a quarter and work 40 hrs a week. </p>
<p>As for the impacted, I can’t speak to your majors at the other two schools, but my buddy has 0 problems getting his classes at UCLA in CompLit or the English classes he takes. </p>
<p>I know a lot of non-trads get shooed away from UCLA by counselors and others, but let me be clear here… UCLA is the best place in the world for a Non-Trad student! The opportunities are endless, the doors those 4 letters open up are incredible, and the financial aid has been a godsend. I never felt like a Trojan, Matador, Lion, Brahma, or any of the other freaking things out there at the schools I attended, but being a Bruin has been the best thing that ever happened to me. </p>
<p>The campus is gorgeous, the faculty is amazing, the sports programs are incredible, and the career center, student legal services, tax info, job fairs, the free sneak peak movies on campus, and westwood village is amazing. </p>
<p>And the NTSN group makes my experience here even better. It’s really a world class institute with world class people. And you know what? The faculty here respects and appreciates us OLD’ies because it’s a research institute and experience and dependability counts big time. </p>
<p>I, like many others, was told UCLA was too expensive, too much of a hassle, too this and too that, and especially that it was impersonal. You know what, being older means we aren’t shy or intimidated the way the kids are in class. We speak up, we get noticed, we are active and informed, and professors notice that! Sure some quiet person who sits in the back might go through their 4 years feeling like a number, but we don’t do that. We stand out, and we know what it’s like in life to get what we want, even if it takes us a different path to do it.</p>
<p>So shoot for UCLA, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, and really look into extra scholarships (los angeles public library and CC’s have books and websites and stuff to apply at), and manage your expenses and your finances well, and you’ll be set for life! </p>
Was also going to throw some apps to LMU and Pepperdine’s way.</p>