If you are an adult that is considering going back to college after a long period away, you might worry about returning to high school. You might feel that a lot of time has passed between learning calculus and now or that you might not have enough time for it. Here are some tips for adult learners in order to make the process as smooth as possible.

1. Find Colleges That Have Strong Support for Adult Learners

Some colleges are great for adult learners who have to balance a job, kids, and many other responsibilities on top of trying to earn their degrees. Other schools put more effort into wooing younger, traditional students. In order to find a school that is going to work for you, you are going to need to find a college that has a decent infrastructure for adult learners. This means a strong commuter community, day care classes if you are forced to take a day class, a wide variety of night classes that will allow you to complete your degree, a wide variety of online classes that allow you to take the tests and do the assignments whenever you can, and a set of guidance counselors specifically reserved for adult learners. Make sure that you do the research to find colleges that have these support systems in place. One buzzword that might help you find colleges that are supportive of adult learners is "nontraditional students." Look for this phrase when perusing college sites.

2. Take Some Free, Open Online Courses to Get Back in Learning Shape

You wouldn't try to run a marathon without training first. Why should education be any different? Take a few short open online courses that are related to skills that you are going to need for your classes, even if it is just brushing up on MLA style formatting or some other smaller topic. This will help get you back into the swing of things before you commit the money and the time to a degree and will leave you feeling more confident. 

3. Talk to the Professor

Finally, talk to the professor on a regular basis, even if it is just through email. Don't allow any question that you might have about the course material to go unanswered. This will allow you to build a rapport with the professor, go more in depth on the subject that he or she is teaching, and give you a little bit of wiggle room should your child get sick and you have to miss class. If the professor knows that you're trying, he or she will be more likely to be understanding if an emergency should arise.

For more information, talk to a company like NKU PACE. 

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