40 and a first time college student

[tonilea]

I am planning to go to college as a full time student in the fall. Anyone BTDT? Have any good websites that have scholarship and grant information? I have an appointment Monday with a counselor.

My major will be K-4 Education.

Thanks!

 

[dakcp2001]

Hi there! I recently went back to school in my thirties, and it was a great decision! The first few days are overwhelming but you will LOVE it! It is such a different experience as an adult to actually be interested in school and the topics theya re teaching! Check with your financial aid office for scholarships, and I know some people have had success with fastweb.com, but they send a TON of email. You can unsubscribe, I did. lol. But they send a ton of scholarship info to you. What state are you in? There are a lot of scholarships avail to union members, spouses/children of union members, Daughters of the American Revolution, Elks clubs, all kinds of social clubs and service clubs offer them. It takes a bit of research, but it is totally worth it to get it paid for.

You are going to love it! Enjoy!

 

[Cindy B]

Its never too late. I went back to school at 33 and DH went back at about 43/44. DH just got his associates this past year while I graduated in 2008.

Don't worry about age-- in this day and age there will be others your age. In every class I went to there were always older people. I can think of only one class where I felt old-- and considering I went to community college and then the university one class isn't that bad!

I was an elementary education major myself-- be prepared for lots of projects, computer work and in some cases field visits to a school to observe teachers and teaching styles. Please though check to see if teaching is a marketable skill in your area or if your area is flooded with education graduates and not enough jobs. Sad to say, I am not teaching and am working in a government position because of the lack of teaching jobs.

Things to ask the counselor:

Is there field placements needed for this major?

How many Praxis exams will I need to take? (praxis is the teaching credential test -- sort of like teaching boards-- a passing praxis scores enables the person to apply for a teaching license.

Will additional certifications be needed for graduation: CPR, substitute teaching credential, etc?

How will my prequisties (sp?) transfer to my teaching major courses?

Can I transfer any/all former college credit to this program?

 

[tonilea]

Thanks for the encouragement! I have been "thinking" about going to college for a while and have decided it is time to quit thinking and start doing!

I currently work in the public school system as a substitute teacher and I do see new teachers being added yearly. I also feel like I have a good "in", if you will. But, I will ask the counselor about it.