It is natural to be nervous about returning to school after not being a student for many years but you may surprise yourself. According to Suzanne Lucier, Director of Admissions at Alamance Community College in Graham, North Carolina, older students usually excel in academics. They study harder, actually read all of the material assigned, and prepare for classroom discussions ahead of time. They can’t help but succeed and you can too! In many instances, as a returning student, you have life skills that can easily be transferred to the classroom to help ease the way. You understand that you must put forth the effort to make good grades. A mother accustomed to organizing play dates, balancing the checkbook, or planning fun vacations, can use the same planning and organization skills to organize homework assignments, schedule study sessions with classmates and research and write a great paper.
Time management is one of the biggest challenges you will face. Life is always a balancing act and adding school just adds more balls in the air for you to juggle. It is a good idea to think about how you will make it work for you ahead of time. Do you plan to attend school full time or take some classes on the side? Will you be able to adjust your work schedule or get outside help with some of your home responsibilities? Attending school full time and putting in the study time necessary will require at least as much time as a full time job.
It is generally advisable to spend two hours of study time outside of the classroom for every hour spent in class, according to Lucier, who teaches a study skills class for new students. In the beginning, you may need to invest even more time, until you adjust to the routine. Some colleges offer a freshman success class. These classes usually cover study skills, research techniques and time management tips. Study skills can be learned and it is beneficial to investigate all avenues of help open to you as you return to school.
Effective note taking also plays a large part in a student’s success. The modified outline system is a method recommended by the Division of Student Affairs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. This system allows the student to jot down the most important points during a lecture, leaving a wide left margin on the page. The margin is then used to fill in ideas and questions while completing the review and study process. It is also recommended that students review their notes for a few minutes each day so that the material will be more easily remembered when studying for the test.
If you haven’t spent much time reading and writing in recent years, you may need some brush up work with the fundamentals. One process to examine is the way you should read a textbook in order to learn the material. Francis P. Robinson developed a helpful reading system called SQ3R. The acronym means Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review. This method advocates that you survey the chapter first by looking at the headings, the summary and the chapter questions. Next, you should create your own questions about the material based on the information listed in the headings. Having the questions in mind as you read requires you to think more deeply about what you are reading as you go through the material. After reading the chapter, try to answer the questions you designed. The last step requires you to again question yourself about the information gained. This method will help you to begin to understand and retain the material.
Writing papers is another area that many students feel incompetent to handle because they don’t understand writing is a skill that can be learned just like any other. Joel Saltzman, author of If You Can Talk, You Can Write, encourages writers to take the plunge and put on paper whatever they are thinking. This will provide a large rough draft to work with in writing your final paper. Cure your perfectionism by recognizing that the first draft is just the beginning. Use as many drafts as necessary to say exactly what you need to say. The standard outline generally recommended for research papers consists of an introduction, several paragraphs for the body of the paper, and then a conclusion to wrap up the ideas presented. Examine what study patterns work best for you. Younger students in college for the first time often wait until the last minute and have a heavy cram session, but you should plan ahead. Several short study sessions over time is a better strategy. Reviewing your notes each day after class helps reinforce the material learned, reducing the study time required before a test.
If it seems that your memory no longer works as well as it once did, be assured that it is still possible to retain information. It may take a bit more time for you, but the brain can be be prodded to work again. Acronyms can be useful when trying to remember a list of facts. Creating a word or phrase that contains the first letter of each item is an easy way to remember a list. Creating study groups can be helpful for older students unsure of themselves as well as young students. Students teaching students can be reaffirming for both groups. If you are able to share some knowledge and help another student understand a concept they are struggling with, it can be a boost to your confidence as well as helping to reinforce the material for you.
There are many test-taking tips available but in the end, it all comes down to how well you have prepared. Everything from class attendance, note taking, completing homework assignments and reading the textbook all combine to determine how well you will perform on a test. Some other helpful strategies include arriving for the test on time, reading the directions carefully, reviewing the test before you begin so you can budget your time wisely and using all of the time available to review your answers. You should always answer all of the questions and not change an answer unless you are positive it should be changed. Usually your first instinct is right. Anxiety can be a concern for anyone taking a test but the longer you’ve been away from the classroom, the more anxious you are likely to feel. Practice some relaxation techniques that you find helpful but remember that some anxiety can actually enhance your performance.
As you begin earning some good grades, your confidence with soar. Success will breed continued success for you. You took the leap into an uncertain future and you worked hard for it – maybe harder than you ever have before and you have the good grades to prove it. Be proud of your new accomplishments because you are making the grade.
Elizabeth Solazzo is employed in the student financial aid office at a community college where she spends her days working with many adult students helping them find aid for their college education. Read about her own journey in returning to school.
