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Frequently Asked Questions: General Adult Student

We get a lot of inquiries at Adult Student.com! Many deal with similar topics, so we've decided to post some of our most commonly asked questions. Use our form to submit your question.

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I am 46 and wanting to get the education and/or training to start a career in the Game and Fish Department in my state. Any general suggestions are appreciated as I have no college to speak of. Thank you for any info. -- Tommy B.

Since you know your goal, you will want to work backwards from it (see our article on Developing Goals for more info). Contact the human resources department at the Game and Fish Department (or whatever company you may be interested in) and ask them for recommendations on training. They may have a school that they get a lot of their employees from, or may have certain courses they prefer their new recruits to have taken. Once you find a suitable school, you can work with your campus advisor to develop a course plan that will both fulfill the requirements for the degree or certificate you are pursuing as well as those of your future employer.

Look into having your work experience up to this point count toward college credit. There are several programs that allow this. They vary from school to school, but at almost every college, there is a process for either challenging specific courses or receiving general credit for life experience. You'll still need to pay for the credits, but think of the time saved and books and materials not purchased. We have more information about exchanging life experience for college credit in Chapter Three of our book, The Adult Student's Guide to Survival & Success, 6th Edition.

For a good overview, Buck County Community College in Pennsylvania has a nice page with Prior Learning Assessment information and links.

Beware that sometimes, it doesn't "pay" to challenge courses. This is especially true in technical fields. There may be subjects taught in lower-level courses on your campus that are specific and prerequisite to subsequent course work. Meaning that you should talk with your eventual advisor about any specific areas of knowledge you will need to make sure you know.

Am i the only forty-something surrounded by teenagers? Didn't i just leave them at home! my problem is being recognized by staff as an adult. they assume i'm twenty something. sounds nice in real life but in college it is exhausting. im not part of the college because i live off campus. i am not part of the nontrad community because i dont have any children or a husband with me. if not the college then the nontrad. but if not the nontrad....what? thats me. -- Anonymous

You are not alone! Maybe some of the 'teenagers' are actually a little older than you think. These days, nearly 40% of college students today are over the age of 25. Campuses vary. Some may be full of younger traditional students, some may have a higher proportion of older students.

Express your concerns to your instructors. Break their assumptions by introducing yourself to them. Also, find some group to join (or create your own -- The Adult Student's Guide to Survival & Success, 6th Edition is filled with ideas for creating your own support group). You need to do something to feel more connected to the campus. Your experience is what you make of it. Explore the options on your campus. Ask in the counseling office or peer support center.

In addition, many younger students enjoy having older friends. You may need to approach them one-on-one, as yes, they can tend to be overly energetic in a group!

FAQs compiled by
Kristin Pintarich
Editor-in-Chief, Practical Psychology Press, Inc.