First, is this you?
I am going to guess that you have a full- or part-time job, a family. You decided to enroll in college to earn the degree you have wanted to earn or gain the piece of paper that you have discovered you need if you want to advance your career.
You are very concerned about becoming a student again and whether you can balance your responsibilities and add school to your plate.
Maybe you have enrolled already and now are wondering “What have I done?”
If you have probably been out of school for several years, you might find that your “school skills” to be rusty, at best. You either have enrolled in school and discovered you need help with time management, reading, and writing. If you are hesitating to enroll in school because you do not have those skills, don’t.
Most students do not have good study skills when they enroll for the first time. Study skills can be learned. This is best learned “on the job”. You are not sure when you will find the time or the motivation to study, even though you want your degree. Most adults find their skills are “rusty” and are not sure they can compete in an academic environment. You also have family responsibilities and do not know how you can juggle all that is on your plate.
I am here to tell you that you can! Not only can you manage to pass your college courses, but you can also actually do better in the long run than students who enrolled in college after they graduated from high school.
Older Students do have academic skills.
You understand the concept of a deadline and “doing what the boss wants”. Working adults have also realized that people, that is, your “supervisors” in some sense of the word, are going to ask you, indeed, many will TELL you to do some tasks in specific ways. Young adults just starting their working careers, tend to argue and debate those instructions. Older adults do not waste time and energy debating those issues; they simply do the tasks. That skill will help you in college.
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One difference between older students and younger ones
I once heard about a conversation between two college instructors. One of the instructors taught students directly out of high school. The other instructor taught students who were older. The two instructors realized a major difference between the two groups was that the younger students could learn the theory of a topic, but their lack of living experience caused problems since the students could not think of examples of how the theory would work.
Older students, on the other hand, had plenty of examples. They had never learned the theories and principles behind those theories. Older students, I think, are not “behind” younger students. I think the two groups have different kinds of knowledge.
Purpose of this blog
One of my goals is to help you blend those two areas of knowledge. In this blog, I plan to discuss a variety of topics that students need to succeed in college. Some of the planned topics are time management, study skills, reading comprehension skills, writing, goal-setting, and test-taking skills.
I am open to questions and discussing topics that interest you. I also intend to discuss topics to keep you upbeat and motivated to continue your academic goals. A person can have all the skills in the world, but if he or she is not motivated to use those skills, the skills are essentially useless, right?
Other posts that you might find helpful:
How can I add an hour to my day?
Tips to improve your study skills.
Tips on studying with children.
Learning about the study cycle.
I am not your tutor. You are excited to start this journey and I will try to help you along the way. If you are debating this, let me provide a quote to get you thinking:
You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.
Rabindranath Tagore
Let’s set sail!
If you found this helpful, please share it with someone you think would also find it useful. I would appreciate it. Your friend might appreciate it too.
Have you ever lost points on an assignment because you forgot to do something? My assignment checklist can help you remember the details. Check it out! It is FREE!!!!
If you have any questions or comments, please leave me a note.
Valerie
updated 9 July 2022