so, i recently decided to go back to school. part of this whole taking-an-active-role-in-becoming-who-i-want-to-be process. losing weight, making a relationship work, getting better educated, etc...

i've been working as an ADN prepared RN for years and just started this RN to BSN bridge program on monday. Its all online and its such a new, weird experience.

Has anyone else ever gone back to school after a long time? Ever done online schooling?

I just decided to get my associate's degree in paramedicine. I am taking an online psych class. It's pretty different with a heavier work load b/c there's no opportunity to have class participation, so there are lots of discussion questions which are graded. I've been out of school for a while, too. No need to discuss how long). Good luck to you! I hope you have a great online experience.

Jenny

I'll be going back to college this fall - very scary stuff after 40. It will be in the class learning though. I suspect I'll have summer school as it was more than 20 years ago that I took the appropriate math courses. I have an assessment next month (doesn't affect my offer of admission), and I can't decide if I should try to study for it!

My mother finished a five year seminary program two years ago - fifteen years ago she was a fairly nonobservant, un-bat-mitzvahed, fourth grade hebrew school dropout - and now she's clergy, incredible at and ecstatic in her job. You can do it!

Hey, I went back to school to finish my Bachelor's degree about 5 years ago. I was 42 at the time, have 3 kids (one of whom is special needs w/lots of behavioral problems) and needed to find after school care for my youngest. It was not the easiest thing to do; it took me about 2 1/2 yrs. to finally complete it. Proud to say I graduated w/a 3.72 gpa -- not bad for an old broad!! lol

You CAN do this. I really found it was more of a mindset than anything else and even though I was really, really busy -- well you know what they say, if you want something done give it to a busy person. I don't know, everything that needed to get done did. And remember it may seem daunting and overwhelming at times but it IS a temporary thing.

One thing to anyone returning to school -- there were a few classes (a science class and an elective) that I was able to CLEP test out of. They give you the information that you need to study well b/4 the test, you research/study for it on your own then schedule to go in and take the test at the school. I think it's like $40 or $60 or something to take the test. If you pass, you get the credit and if you fail you don't get the credit. (Either way, it doesn't affect or get factored into your gpa.) If you fail you can then either a) take the class to earn the credit or b) wait 6 months and take the test again. If you take the test again, you can be studying for it the whole 6 months. Since I was paying for my schooling on a per-credit basis (I was a part-time student), this helped reduce the overall cost. Talk to someone in the Continuing Education department to find out more about CLEP and DANTE tests.

Another thing -- apply for financial aid through FAFSA, whether you think you will get anything or not. I ended up getting 1/3 of my tuition paid for through a state grant.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

I went back to college to get my Masters after being out of college for 6 years. It took me 3 years to get my Masters doing it part time but year round. It was a lot of work at times and I had to make my life fit my class schedule. My program actually started on campus but I moved and finished the program online. Online was actually a bit more challenging than on campus but it had more flexibility built in.

Don't be nervous, you'll be fine.

I graduated college in 1994 and started back in school to get my masters' this past fall. I'm currently in my 2nd class. It is all distance learning. I get a dvd in the mail each week. School is all high tech now so my class has its own section on this website all students can sign on. I go there to print out the powerpoint presentations for lectures, find out my grades for assignments, submit my assignments, read announcements, etc. My supervisor is in the program too so that really helps. Its year round and only 1 class per semester. It is definitely more work than I thought but I enjoy the challenge.

I'm actually going back to school this coming semester. Scary!! I've done online classes before, doesn't really work for me I tend to get bored with it. I need more interaction and be able to spark discussions by asking weird questions.

I've been out of school for 3 years. Double Scary! I've got 2 years under my belt already, just gotta get a few more classes then I'm going to apply for the teaching program.

Good luck to you!