Wow, I didn't realize we had a forum now!

Applying to College
1

Hi! I’m not just a parent, I’m also a full time non-traditional student. In 2010-2011, all three of my family will be in college – me and my son and daughter!

My story: I started out with great SAT’s, a “gifted underachiever” and spent freshman year at a women’s LAC. Unfortunately, I had emotional and financial issues (ran up a 2K phone bill talking to a boy for hours long distance!), took a year off, and then ended up at a big southern public flagship U. While I was there, I got married, and tried to attend college <em>and</em> start a family, with poor results. (One semester I had a miscarriage during finals week!) After a professor in my major department told me that he was giving me C’s so that I would give up and stop going to school, because “It’s time to be a mother now, not a student,” I left school.

Now that I have one child in college and another nearly there, I am finally pursuing my lifelong dream of completing my undergraduate degree. Because I was already a Religion major, I’m doing that – which makes some folks crazy, because they think a non-traditional student should get getting a “useful” degree. Because my old GPA was terrible (1.4, or something like that, from all the WF’s and Incompletes that became F’s) I couldn’t go to any of the big name schools nearby. Instead, I’m at a big non-selective public university. I thought I would just suffer through as fast as I could to get to grad school, but I <em>love</em> the department, which is really well suited to my interests. As a result, I’m not rushing so much to graduate.

My son and I will be applying to grad schools at the same time. One of his goals is to get his BA before I do, which motivates him to do well in classes and not take any time off. His graduation will be a week before mine, if we stay on schedule!

So, what about yall?

2

I went back to finish my undergraduate degree 10 years ago and now am at a CC taking some pre-req’s for a different major (graduate degree this time) that I intend to apply to next spring. I am giving myself the same advice I give my kids: find something you like to study. If I went for a degree just because I could make money upon graduation (which I sorely need, don’t get me wrong!), I do not think I could do it. I keep scaring my son’s friends by telling them I hope we end up in the same class this semester! There is the distinct possibility that my older son and I will be in grad school at the same time! My husband, while supportive, simply hopes we will all be able to find some kind of employment at the end of this education rainbow. LOL.

3

My freshman year of HS my parents marriage fell apart, and they took it out on my selective HS education… dad wouldnt pay and mom wouldn’t take me to school (it was far). Then mom took off and dad raised me. Dad got me back on track Junior year at a public school, but midway through senior year he was waiting for me one day to tell me I had to drop out and work full time because he was sick. Doctors didn’t diagnose for 2 years, and dad died 32 days after diagnosis. Close relatives said go find your mother and left me destitute. Mother’s new hubbie wanted nothing to do with me… so mom and I made a deal I paid her rent and travel expenses and took out loans to finish a tech program, and took the little money left over afterwards and moved to Europe to find surviving family. Family in europe wanted nothing to do with me “because they didn’t know me”. After a while they accepted me, support me, and reinstilled confidence.

They got me back in US, at a CC doing a dual degree program HS/ AA and now with a 4.0 and 29 ACT… I’m 26 and applying to the country’s most selective schools… and I think I have a pretty good chance!

4

I was an honors student in high school and was accepted to every university that I applied to, and I did decently in my first three semesters of college (3.50+). During Christmas break between fall and spring of my sophomore year, my dad died suddenly in an accident. I attended his funeral and went back to school 4 days later. I did horribly in school after that. I couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t get out of bed, and didn’t care at all about school. I failed my spring semester and took the summer off, but fall was no better. I tried one more time in the spring, but decided to drop out midway through the semester.

I tried going back the next year, but found that my confidence in being able to handle college coursework was completely gone. I remember that I froze up in the middle of an accounting test and ended up crying in the parking lot because if it, so I withdrew from classes and figured that getting a degree wasn’t in the cards for me. I felt like I had let everyone down, because I was the first in my family to go to college.

Fast forward to last year. I was working as a admin at a physical therapists office and some of the patients were talking about their kids preparing to apply to college and I started thinking about that degree that I had always wanted. That night, I started to do research on community colleges and had applied by the end of the week. I started classes a month later, will have my AA degree in December, and plan to attend a local university in the spring.

I haven’t done as well as I had in high school or the first part of college (I have a C or two), but I am very happy with my performance, considering what happened the last time. And I am beyond happy that I will be getting my first undergraduate degree, which I’ve wanted since I was a child.

5

Oh what the heck, I’ll jump on the intro bandwagon. :wink:

Good student in HS (AP, etc.) until the middle of my junior year - you can literally draw a line in my transcript where I got my car that year and my social life became the main focus. My GPA plummeted my senior year since I already had enough credits to graduate the previous year and as long as I passed English and Govt/Econ I was in the clear. At the time I had dreams of becoming an architect, but since my architecture class was during 0 period (7:15 am - boy did that cut into my sleeping time) I really screwed myself. I had been planning to apply to USC and had I kept my grades up, should have been a shoe-in. But my social life was more fun, I wasn’t in a hurry to go to college or start a career, and I just let it all go to enjoy being young.

Not long after graduation I moved out of my parents’ house, but I was still in my hometown and thought having my own apartment was uber-awesome. I worked graveyard at a hospital making more money than most of my friends make even now (surprising since it was an admin job) and I enrolled at the community college but again, wasn’t really invested, so I dropped all of my classes except for my music and drama ones. Same thing happened the following semester, and I eventually stopped going to deal with working and paying off the credit card debt I had amassed in the past year - another fun lesson in being young.

After some other personal events, I moved home and realized I really wanted to be back in school, so I enrolled again and had a 4.0 for that semester. My hometown is essentially a black hole and I knew I had to get out, so I set my sights on SDSU and their newly created Musical Theater degree and moved 6 hours south to attend CC and then transfer. Things started out great but again, social activities were front and center and I dropped out. I was still working (another hospital) and was doing fine so I figured it just wasn’t the right time. I got married, got pregnant, and got divorced all before I was 22.

Having my daughter was my trigger - I wanted to give her the best life possible, and even though I had a new job in research and all my managers and coworkers thought I was extremely bright and capable, I was limited in career and salary opportunities without a degree. It’s been hard working, going to school, and raising her all my own, but I’ve done it almost non-stop since 2004, although I took a year off when I moved to TX so I could get settled, establish residency and save on tuition. As difficult and frustrating as the path has been, I’ve had the time to learn and grow from life in general, and I am so thankful I didn’t go straight off to college and major in something I was apathetic about, or risk burning out from back-to-back years of rigorous coursework.

So here I am: I’m 28, a single mom, full time clinical research employee, a Psych major (BS), pre-med, and still figuring out my minor (it’s required for my BS, leaning towards biology but biomedical engineering seems awesome, if it’s allowed). I’m an honors student with a 3.6 GPA and Phi Theta Kappa member, very involved in local politics and volunteer in my community, often with the kiddo in tow. I still haven’t figured out the timetable to finish my degree - I want to keep working so I have income to support us and have health insurance, but that drastically reduces my schedule availability and adds years to my degree completion. But I’ll figure it out, and after that I’ll figure out how to pull off med-school, even if it means I’m 50 before I go.

Finding the CC boards has been a lifesaver, I can vent, get advice, share my neurotic habit of checking my transfer status page 50+ times a day - it’s reassuring and therapeutic. And with that, I’m off to enjoy a glass of wine before catching some sleep and studying all weekend for a calculus exam. :slight_smile:

6

Wow, I’m so excited to see the stories! It also makes me feel better to know I’m not alone, that a lot of people have experienced life sidetracking their education. Thanks, yall!

7

Hey sundoll… I’m still new around here… what’s the transfer status page??? I need the info I am as neurotic as anyone applying…LOL

Trin~ Nope def not alone… I was thrilled to find so many people in similar situations as well!!

8

Vpappas - I meant the specific status page for UT. From what I’ve seen, most schools have everything electronic now, so you can check your application online at any time of day. In my case, it will be online long before they mail a physical letter out, so I check it numerous times a day to see if it’s been updated with a decision. It’s nerve wracking, mostly since I don’t really want to go anywhere else but if I don’t get in I have to get my application together for another school by December 1, and with either one, I have to start figuring out financial aid and work and course availability and a babysitter, etc. I’m a big planner these days, so not knowing what I’ll be doing come spring really gets to me.

9

Congratulations to you all. You’ve had awesome experiences and are more mature than traditional college students.

10

I’m glad to have found this website, and this forum in particular. Love to hear more stories, and see more posts on here.
My story - Graduated high school in the 80’s, and went straight to work. Always wanted to go to school, but for various reasons never did. I’ve been in electronic manufacturing for 20 years. I’ve never had an issue with jobs, and the field pays well. But, last few years so many shops haved moved overseas it’s narrowed down the employment options dramatically. So, I was working offsite, and the shop was sold. New President wanted me on-site, but we are talking 120 miles each way. Not happening since I own a home that we are unable to sell without incurring huge losses, so seems we are stuck here for awhile.
I decided to go to community college, and have been going now for over a year. I love school. Hoping to be able to juggle work, kids, and house so I can continue and transfer to a university someday. Really want to get into another field, preferably one still here in the US. LOL.
Anyway, thanks for all the stories. Love to hear more.

11

It’s nice to find a little nook for us non-traditions to communicate about the various issues that come from not being the average student. Since some of you have already shared your story I’ll share mine.
I originally entered the University of Hawaii in 1995 under a summer program that benefited first generation college students, lets just say i didn’t make the most of my opportunity (1.67 GPA), compounded by the fact that once school started in the fall my folks kicked me out of the house and forced me to live on my own. Poor and hungry( your can only prepare Ramen noddles so many ways) I enlisted in the Navy for what was originally 6 years.<br>
I had a plan, but life got in the way. I fell in love and got married when I was 22, had a kid a year later and was ill prepared to go to college with a wife and child, along with mounting bills because of my financial irresponsibility. Fast cars , faster women, and a penchant for flashy things were my downfall.
Shortly before my enlistment was up 9/11 happened and I answered the call to serve again, re-enlisting for 4 more years. At that point I thought I was in it for the long haul, but life has a funny way of throwing me a curve ball. In 2006, I saw the light, realizing that my family was more important than my career (long hours and even longer deployments had taken a toil on my wife and 2 kids) I made the decision to transition out of the service once my contract was up in 2007 (but I missed the benefits just enough to join the Navy Reserves in 2008).
It’s difficult to keep a family of 4 fed and pay for a mortgage on student loans alone, (my wife was in college at the time) so I found a position as a government contractor at a military base near my home in Seattle. It took me 18 months to realized how much I hated working with electronics and I guess my attitude reflected my feelings. In August of this year I was laid off as my company reorganized due to military program cut backs.<br>
It was the best thing to ever happen to me. My wife had just finished school and was offered decent paying job, I figured it was now or never to make the plunge. I am now 3 classes shy of completing my associates degree, and planning on applying to several school while I’m in Iraq with the intention of enrolling in the when I get back stateside.
I hope to major in anthropology and minor in food studies or maybe the other way around, I’m not sure yet, all I know is that I love both subjects and want to pursue my passion.

12

I’m hoping you all are still around here. I’d like to know how it’s going?
I’m still going to CC. Probably will be for at least another year. I could transfer earlier, but want to get the AS degree here, which means a few more classes than if I was just transferring. Just in case I get detoured again, I want that piece of paper with at least the asso. degree to show for my time. LOL. Anyway, still enjoying it.

13

Hey still here! It’s going good, I finally finished my applications… but I am sooooo stressed out. Between classes, PTK, etc… I need this semester to be over. Oh and the added pressure someone put on me reminding me I now have to start narrowing down Med Schools, and 6 mths from now I start applying all over again…grrr…

14

I’m still around too. I’m in my first semester at UT and really love it. It was a little strange to from from the very small classes at my CC to huge lecture halls with hundreds of students, but I’ve found my professors and TAs to be very approachable and helpful. Working with a tutor on my science courses since it’s been such a long time since I took chem (and never took bio). I will say that I was very disappointed and annoyed by a lot of my fellow students, though - they are very immature and unfocused and it makes me irritated that I worked my butt off to get to this point while they are flooding my inbox with mass emails to the entire class pleading for notes because of “family emergencies,” and in some cases even trying to pull the cancer card. I get that college is a time of discovery and fun for most people, but if you want to go out and drink one night and sleep through class the next day, don’t come to me with a sob story and expect me to bail you out.

/rant, just needed to get that out :wink: Hope everyone is doing well!

Pappas - when are you taking the MCATs? I’m on track to take my prep class either next spring or early summer and then hopefully take it before the Fall 2011 semester starts - sucks that I’m on a tight deadline if I hope to go to USUHS, but I’ll make it.

15

Hey Sundoll~
good to see you are “enjoying” yourself at UT!!! I’m still playing the waiting game… waiting around for some notifications… Really stressed as CC is winding down… there is too much going on between classes and grad events…

I think I will take the MCATs in April of 11… so that if I need to I can retake in august and apply… I have everything except for organic chem which I will take next semester so that plus an MCAT prep class, and some research over the summer should put me ready… I am looking to apply for EA so we will see… there is a possibility I may have to start over as a Freshman depending on where I transfer… so I have abit of a dilemma… go to a really great school that starts me over but where I will retake all the science classes (which will look better than taking them at a cc) or go to an equally great school that starts me offf as a junior? It’s a tough one…

that’s my rant

16

Glad to see many are still around. I’m curious - those that have transferred from a CC to a university- how would you compare the difficulty of the classes? Ii there more reading, more homework?
I’m also confused about MCATs and SAT’s and such. My counseler here at CC told me you don’t have to take any of those if you are my age, and go too CC first, as they will only look at your CC GPA. Are some of you finding that’s not the case? I’ve never taken any of those. Heck, I’m sure they existing back when I graduated. LOL.

17

MCATs are for Med School and are mandatory unless you are a super magnificent brainy prodigy that gets accepted directly from high school (and yes they exist).

As for SATs and ACTs I took my ACTs in September… my two cents is look at what colleges you are interested in and see their transfer requirements. It is true some do not require these scores if you have a certain amount of college credit, however, others like EWSP make it mandatory!

18

“…unless you are a super magnificent brainy prodigy that gets accepted directly from high school (and yes they exist).”

Drivel.

19

You know it’s true and slightly nerve wrecking to know that at 30+ you are competing against a 15 year old who has been acknowledged as creating a more efficient way to perform Cesarian sections (he was on the today show a month ago) and students that are now privy to magnet schools and special tech high schools geared towards students prepping for Med school with the specific hopes that they will be admitted directly from high school into a 6 or 8 year pipeline program. It’s absolutely daunting…

20

I like reading your stories. I’m not as super non-traditional as some of you. But I’m also not 18 anymore.

I grew up in small-town Minnesota and wanted to get out as soon as I graduated-- moving to California was my dream. I applied to some colleges as a “backup plan”-- but the colleges I applied to were 2 Ivy leagues and 2 other ridiculously selective schools, and I threw together applications a few days before deadline (note: my head was in the clouds). 4 rejections. Didn’t really care, because I wanted to take the year off and move to Cali anyway, which I did.

After 6 months of working 2 part-time jobs (and getting mono), I decided the “real world” wasn’t what it was cracked up to be and went to do a 6 month program in Switzerland, which ended in Thailand and Indonesia doing tsunami relief. I had applied to some different colleges for the following year, but was out of the country when decisions came back and decided that flitting around the world was a heckuva lot more fun than being tied down to school. Came home for 3 months, went to South Africa for 4 months, moved back to Cali for a bit, flitted around some more… and eventually ended up couch-surfing in my hometown, since my parents had moved away when I was abroad.

Through the help of some wise old friends, I began to see the importance of a) an education and b) putting down roots. I stayed in one place for a whole year, did AmeriCorps, and started seriously dating someone. I applied to college (again!) for Fall 2007 with the intention of getting serious training in the arts. Ended up in a BFA program in Montreal which I found to be too focused/restrictive. Got engaged, moved to Portland mid-year to be with him and transferred to a very small, obscure LAC. We eloped 2 months later.

Finished freshman and sophomore years at the LAC, triple-majoring and getting straight "A"s. Loved my lib-arts courses, hated the art program. Applied to transfer to a “CC Top LAC” for my junior year and got in— but had to defer for a year because they literally ran out of financial aid money. So my already delayed college education became even more delayed.

So my husband and I took this past year off and volunteered for a non-profit in East Africa. Came back this spring and began to regret quitting our jobs with health benefits. I’m starting school this fall and am really hopeful that this college is exactly where I need to be. But I still have those nagging concerns-I start thinking about things like “The kids I’ll be in Hum 110 with were 9-! when 9/11 happened” and “Being married is a little like leprosy to liberal 18-year-olds.” I don’t necessarily look that much older than the other kids, but I certainly get strange looks when I mention the word “husband.”

God, I wonder what my grad school journey will look like.