Starting College at 26, Tips.

[Rhett]

I am finally putting my GI Bill to work, I am out of the military and have a solid job that gives me more than enough time for studies. I have decided to attend Columbus State to get my feet wet. I will be starting Summer Semester and will be scheduled 12 credit hours in the evening. I took my Placement test today and have to take a developmental math, but tested well in English and tested out of any reading courses. I will not be acquiring any debt and will only have to pay a couple hundred out of my pocket each year.

 

What advice does CR have?

[ForeverMaker]

great job man.

 

I will not be acquiring any debt

 

^That would cover my advice.

[Not Brian]

My tip is not to go to columbus state.

[Otis Nice]

My tip is get a degree for as close to free as possible, regardless of where it is. They aren't what they use to be IMO.

[adamgh81]

Can you still test out of any of your basic classes by CLEP or DANTES since you're out of the military? That would be #1 on my list. Then knock out the first or second yr at a cheap school but make sure those classes will transfer easily if you decide to transfer to another school. Congrats on staying out of college debt!

[Rhett]

I talked to Ohio state they told me It would be best to knock out some classes at CSCC first. I need to look into CLEP and DANTES. I don't know if that would be paid for by the GI Bill.

[unfunnyryan]

Free up twice as much time as you think you will need. Don't skip classes (especially for math) and homework matters.

[Littleguy]

1. Figure out what you want to study that will actually make you money (not psychology, english, art history, etc...).

2. Figure out what company you want to work for and try and get your foot in the door while you are in school so you can graduate already having landed a good job.

[wnaplay1647545503]

Be prepared to become frustrated with some of your fellow students. As part of my vocational rehab I was enrolled for 1 semester right after unemployment was extended if you attended college. I hated every second of it, to hear some of their opinions on things was torturous. Edited April 26, 2014 by wnaplay

[Dharris89]

First, thank you for your service. I got my assoc degree from CSCC before going to OSU. I would advise you to talk to someone at the college you want to ultimately get your bachelor's degree from and have a set list of which classes transfer. I had about a year of bs stuff that did nothing for me. It's easy to waste time and money on classes you don't need. Also Find a schedule that works best for you. Don't take all morning classes if you hate getting up early etc. good luck.

[BDHG940]

My tip is not to go to columbus state.

 

Ignore this comment and good luck

[RS69]

1. Figure out what you want to study that will actually make you money (not psychology, english, art history, etc...).

2. Figure out what company you want to work for and try and get your foot in the door while you are in school so you can graduate already having landed a good job.

 

I agree.

[macpyro2]

For sure start at cscc as the credits transfer very well to OSU. Whatever you get a degree in check if it needs a foreign language. If it does do that first and get it out of the way. It will help you in the long run so you won't be taking a language with upper level classes you actually have to pay attention in.

[Geeesammy]

My tip is not to go to columbus state.

 

This x100

[El Karacho1647545492]

First off, congrats. A post-secondary education is a great thing if you know how to do it.

 

1) As was said before, go to all your classes. Participate. That is the ONLY way you will get anything out of them. IMO college is 1/3 about learning the actual material, 2/3 about learning how to learn. More on this in a minute.

 

2) Don't take easy classes. Waste of time. Challenge yourself. Your GPA might be lower, but I've been asked about my GPA exactly 0 times since college. The skills you pick up by challenging yourself will be far more useful than a good GPA.

 

3) Office hours. You MUST take advantage of professors' office hours. You will probably learn 3x more in 30 minutes at office hours than you will in a week's classes. Not going to office hours is like having a job but actively avoiding your boss. Professors will write you recommendations, invite you to events, and generally are your best resource for job hunting. How do I know this? I never went to office hours and college was infinitely harder for me than others.

 

4) Getting back to point #1, you're not just going to learn facts. You're going to learn how the world operates. Military teaches you a lot, but you need to learn how to work with people who have no idea how to relate to you (and vice versa).

 

5) Take a class you think you'll hate. You'll surprise yourself. I took a religion course (I am not atheist, just agnostic, I don't give 2 shits about religion) that turned out to be not only my favorite class, but my favorite professor. Only professor I actually went to office hours for.

 

6) Read stuff independently. If you have an interest in history and the military, anything by Andrew Bacevich. He was a professor of mine (Boston U) and he is a fucking genius.

 

7) At the end of the day, you're not just there to learn. You're there to experience college. Meet new people, don't just treat it like a job. I'm not sure if CSCC has student groups like 4-yr colleges do, but get involved if you can. Take in as much of the experience as possible.

 

2 thoughts as well: You will get a great education anywhere you go as long as you're committed to it. So find somewhere you want to be and go there. If you really want to be in San Diego, don't just go to OSU and look for a job out in CA. Go to fucking SDSU or something. And lastly, "The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently." - Nietzsche. You'll learn more from people whose opinions you dislike than the opposite, so seek those types of environments.

[Mojoe]

If it's Montgomery GI Bill, from active duty, here's how I did it. I joined the National Guard, they guard paid for my school. I collected the Montgomery GI Bill and pocket that cash, about $1300 a month. I worked a low end Management job for extra cash. Had all the $ I wanted for things, and school was a breeze. Only left school because I was offered a job that paid me more than I would have made with the degree I was going after. Stayed in the Guard, while wearing a suit and tie for almost 10 years. You can walk away before you're 40, with a pention on stand by, no college dept, and time vested toward your civilian career and retirement. Be fully retired by 50-55. Dept free ish. Depending on your spending habits.

[Diamonds]

As a guy who dicked around in college semi-serious on my dad's bill for the first 4 years (8-10 credit hours per semester and getting a 2.1gpa avg) I will give you some advice. Take it seriously! One day my dad showed up at my house (nearing the end of that 4th year) and cut me off completely due to his disgust of my performance. I had been there 4 years and was really only halfway through school. So, I got motivated, got student loans, started taking 18-20 credit hours and went 3.7, 3.8, 3.6, 3.8 to finish out my schooling and graduate while hitting deans list 3/4 of those semesters. It changed my whole perspective on shit, nor to mention I met a couple very influential people during those 2 years.

 

So, I got out of school when I was 25 and I felt "late to the game". My boss was younger than me, and I felt like I had missed out on so much opportunity because I fucked around too much in school. So what did I do? I fucking killed it! I got a recruiting job (similar to sales) and ducking murdered it. Being the risk taker that I am.... I worked there for 2 years, then took a chance and started a brand new firm with an old guy that had some money. Today, (5 years later, 7 total including my first job? I run shit, make really good money, have full autonomy, and the trust from my CEO that I am going to continue to explode ( exponentially) this company from the ZERO that I started with.

 

I'm here to say that anything is possible with the right direction (from people) as long as have an idea or a vision of what you want to do. The key then becomes the hustle ( or execution).

 

As far as degree, if you aren't interested in a specific degree (CPA, lawyer, etc) then get something that has to do with entrepreneurship, sales, or marketing. Virtually all jobs you see involve skills that lay in a selling capacity when you first get out. But really... Fuck it, my degree was in fine art.

 

But trust me man, it's not too late, you just gotta "play fast"

[kirks5oh]

First off, congrats. A post-secondary education is a great thing if you know how to do it.

 

1) As was said before, go to all your classes. Participate. That is the ONLY way you will get anything out of them. IMO college is 1/3 about learning the actual material, 2/3 about learning how to learn. More on this in a minute.

 

2) Don't take easy classes. Waste of time. Challenge yourself. Your GPA might be lower, but I've been asked about my GPA exactly 0 times since college. The skills you pick up by challenging yourself will be far more useful than a good GPA.

 

3) Office hours. You MUST take advantage of professors' office hours. You will probably learn 3x more in 30 minutes at office hours than you will in a week's classes. Not going to office hours is like having a job but actively avoiding your boss. Professors will write you recommendations, invite you to events, and generally are your best resource for job hunting. How do I know this? I never went to office hours and college was infinitely harder for me than others.

 

4) Getting back to point #1, you're not just going to learn facts. You're going to learn how the world operates. Military teaches you a lot, but you need to learn how to work with people who have no idea how to relate to you (and vice versa).

 

5) Take a class you think you'll hate. You'll surprise yourself. I took a religion course (I am not atheist, just agnostic, I don't give 2 shits about religion) that turned out to be not only my favorite class, but my favorite professor. Only professor I actually went to office hours for.

 

6) Read stuff independently. If you have an interest in history and the military, anything by Andrew Bacevich. He was a professor of mine (Boston U) and he is a fucking genius.

 

7) At the end of the day, you're not just there to learn. You're there to experience college. Meet new people, don't just treat it like a job. I'm not sure if CSCC has student groups like 4-yr colleges do, but get involved if you can. Take in as much of the experience as possible.

 

2 thoughts as well: You will get a great education anywhere you go as long as you're committed to it. So find somewhere you want to be and go there. If you really want to be in San Diego, don't just go to OSU and look for a job out in CA. Go to fucking SDSU or something. And lastly, "The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently." - Nietzsche. You'll learn more from people whose opinions you dislike than the opposite, so seek those types of environments.

 

Very good advice here. Especially the office hours. Professors love it when a student takes interest in the course and asks questions in person durning office hours. This added effort will get you letters of recommendation, references, and likely help finding a job with the right connections. If you are between grades, this will bump you up to the higher grade every time.

 

Enjoy college. It was the best four years of my life. I worked incredibly hard, partied just as hard, and made the most of it. Showing up to class and paying attention is paramount in order to be successful in college

 

Good luck

[Scotty2Hotty]

I am finally putting my GI Bill to work, I am out of the military and have a solid job that gives me more than enough time for studies. I have decided to attend Columbus State to get my feet wet. I will be starting Summer Semester and will be scheduled 12 credit hours in the evening. I took my Placement test today and have to take a developmental math, but tested well in English and tested out of any reading courses. I will not be acquiring any debt and will only have to pay a couple hundred out of my pocket each year.

 

What advice does CR have?

 

Post 9/11 GI Bill if you apply.

[n2omike]

My brother did what you are doing. He got out of the Marines and moved in with me to go to college at Marshall University when I lived in Huntington, WV.

 

He did NOT have the maturity to go to college right after high school. He would have flunked out for sure if he went at age 18. But spending 6 years in the Marine Corps taught him a lot of structure and responsibility. I thought him moving in with me would be a disaster, but his quarters were clean and he made a 3.0+ GPA right off the bat! He fit in and made friends just fine. For him, it was definitely an ADVANTAGE starting later, as he was a bit more mature and able to handle the responsibilities. Too many kids start college, and focus on the distractions... while trying to do classes in their 'spare time'. LOL He learned to take care of business first.... and then go out to play. Too many college students get that backwards. LOL

 

Good Luck!

[RedRocket1647545505]

Don't procrastinate.

[jeffro]

I go to cstate and i can confirm for those telling you not to go there. Most of the courses are a joke, the instructors are adjuncts and have little teaching experience, and your degree from that school will be worthless. The instructors don't care, especially in the engineering department if you actually do what you're supposed to do or not. Show up and look like you have a pulse and youll get straight A's.

[mrs.cos]

Talk to an academic advisor.

[Jackson1647545504]

1) Get your degree, don't delay, crush the game

 

2) Don't go into debt

 

3) Don't get tilted at the behavior of others and let it affect you or them

 

- Dated a girl at 27 (using GI) who did this and struggled/frustrated with classmates

 

4) Develop a secondary skill which relates to your future career

 

- Computers == side programming job

- Marketing/sales == network functions

- etc...

[pontiacfreak142]

I go to cstate and i can confirm for those telling you not to go there. Most of the courses are a joke, the instructors are adjuncts and have little teaching experience, and your degree from that school will be worthless. The instructors don't care, especially in the engineering department if you actually do what you're supposed to do or not. Show up and look like you have a pulse and youll get straight A's.

 

As much as i hate to say it, i have to agree. Although not all of my teachers were bad. Loved my english and social studies teachers, they were awesome.

 

But my advice is, stick with it and dont give up. It gets stressful, but just keep in mind whats at the end of that tunnel and push through.