Going to college, a little late.

fancyfrisking

I'm currently in the military, I'll be 27 when my contract ends. I fully intend on going to college, looking at Chemistry and Biochemistry. I'm worried though, I doubt I have the natural intellect to succeed and it's unlikely that I'll retain anything from highschoool by the time I step foot in a classroom again. Should science only be pursued by the gifted? Any advice for someone who plans on going back to school?

Sterica

I went back to school last year and, well how about that, I was 27.

I got straight As both semesters. You'll be fine, just ease into it. For most people, education is about working at it, not just waltzing into a class and acing exams effortlessly.

If you ever feel overwhelmed of concerned, your professors are always there to assist you. They're an excellent resource that doesn't cease to exist after your class lets out.

Also: TALK TO YOUR COUNSELOR. They know the score, and you can make a plan in regards to your future. You don't have to just do science. Dip your toes into everything and see what piques your interest. Having passion behind your education will make things much easier.

TychoCelchuuu

You don't need "natural intellect" to succeed in college. You just need to work hard. Even people who go directly to college out of high school have already forgotten everything from high school, if they even learned anything in the first place. Science should be pursued by whoever wants to pursue it. The best advice I can give you is to go to class, take notes, study hard, and do the homework. If you're in the military and you have a desire to study science then you probably already have 10 times the self-discipline and self-determination it takes to succeed.

Agahnim

You can do it.

RT800

Ha. I just went back at 28.

Worst part so far is feelin' old in the midst of so many 18-21 year-olds.

I was worried 'cause I'd quit 5 years earlier in the middle of everything.

That means goin' back after 5 years of not thinkin' about this shit, I'm havin' to enroll in the middle of stuff like Calculus 2 and intermediate Latin without remembering anything about the basics.

I'm so screwed.

You'll probly be fine though if you put in the work. They don't expect you to know anything at the onset.

DevoutlyApathetic

The work is the thing. That you made an overt choice to be there rather than following the path of least resistance is going to be huge. Going back as an adult my attitude put me ahead of most of my classmates.

WildEEP

I first went to college at 26. Lived on campus in the student dorm rooms even.
Dont sweat the academics, the 100 level stuff is basically HS recap.
It'll get harder, so dont get complacent.

The math will bite you in the ass.

Thats about it.

MichaelLC

WildEEP wrote: »

The math will bite you in the ass.

Yeah, you'll be fine if you're doing well in service a lot of that applies to college - planning, organization, teamwork. HS is pretty useless, and not a good indicator of anything.

Having said all that, BioChem is pretty hard from what I understand. A lot of maths, a lot of theoretical sciences. Great field and interesting stuff, but it's definitely one of the more challenging tracks.

Thundyrkatz

You may actually be at an advantage. As you get older, your ability to sit still and focus improves. Success is more about effort put in, then natural ability. So, do all the work, read the chapters, attend class, talk to the professor if you have questions. Avail yourself of study groups or tutors if you need them. You will probably do better then you think.

The only down side you may face is that at this point in your life, you may have to work to support yourself as well. (The majority of 18-21yr olds still get to live at home at this point) This can eat into your study time. But again, its all about time management.

lordrel

I went back for my bachelors in my late twenties and was 35 when I finished my masters. It's never too late. I found I was much more focused and organized the second (and third) time around, and found it almost easy. The maturing that comes with age can really help your study and retention ability.

mts

yea i always loved the older undergrads when i was teaching. they actually really want to be there and do the work and don't feel so entitled. plus being older gives you a different perspective on things and will help out

Lilnoobs

I find my "non-traditional" students (students who come back to college later in life) to be ideal students. They can offer, like yourself, world views beyond just the classroom and usually have a strong work ethic because they are back to get something they want, rather than just floating from high school to college because it's the thing to do.

Yes, you can do it. You may need to refresh yourself on core concepts, but the University should have a tutoring center that can help with that in addition to the Professors. Many of the "non-traditional" students I've encountered have similar fears as yourself, but I'm here to tell you they succeed all the same. You can do it and you should.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

two or three weeks in a 100/200 level college course should disabuse you of the notion that success there has much to do with 'natural intellect.' If it helps your confidence at all, just remember that 90% of the 18-20 year olds in the room think you're automatically smarter than them just because you've spent the last four years doing something other than sitting in a high school classroom.

like other people said the math will suck, especially if you don't have a solid background in secondary-level algebra and geometry. You might have to take that stuff again if you've forgotten all your high school math (probably.) But colleges have lots of resources to catch you up on that stuff and get you through higher math classes, if you're willing to take advantage of them

wonderpug

fancyfrisking, investigate the "Prior Learning Assessment" options at the colleges you're investigating. You can get college credit for your past decade of life experiences post-high school, and you're sure to have a great deal of applicable experience from being in the military.

Different colleges handle it different ways, but typically you will need to build a portfolio of documentation proving that your life experiences taught you the same materials that XYZ college course would teach. It's a lot of work--don't think of it as easy free credits--but it has a ton of benefits:

• You get a jump start on your degree, potentially getting an entire year's worth of credits accomplished in just one semester.
• You will get a greater sense of validation that everything you've been doing for the last 10 years is really worth something. You haven't just been watching I Love Lucy reruns all day every day, you've been learning applicable real skills
• You'll save money! (It likely will still have a hefty cost, but it should still be far cheaper than attending classes for the same number of credits.)
• You will see that you aren't alone in what you're doing! Everyone else in your Prior Learning Assessment class will have their own version of a story like yours. You'll see people younger, older, and much older, and you'll see that going to school at a non-traditional age is a completely fine thing to do.

Jimmy King

I'm 32 and in college. You'll be alright.

As far as keeping up/remembering, the best tip I can give you is to take the remedial math classes that your school hopefully offers. Being in the sciences, it'll be important. I took classes which covered high school algebra, trig, and pre-calc. The first two classes which covered algebra were pass fail, the trig/pre-calc I get an actual grade for but still wasn't actually part of my degree program. They were all worthwhile for remembering how to do math, though. In my trig/pre-calc class and my current calc 1, you could really tell which students hadn't done math in years or had only taken their high school math classes vs those who took the college algebra 1/2 classes to review. Those of us who took the remedial math classes are all consistently more confident in class, get higher grades, and don't have to spend nearly as long taking tests (which with many teachers means you get to leave much earlier on test day).

Madpoet

I went back at 30. Nobody really batted an eye at me being older. I even got a spot on the rugby team for a bit.
What struck me the most was how easy any class outside my major was. I had a geology class that curved the grades such that the lowest was a C, the highest was an A+. Another based the grade 100% on a weekly 10 question, open book quiz. In general, you'll probably wonder why they're wasting your time with anything presented in a (non-STEM) 100 level class. The reason is a large segment of high school kids are REALLY REALLY DUMB.

Esh

I went back at 32 and didn't have a problem at all. I am VERY young looking for my age (35 now) so that helped, but even when other students found out how old I was they didn't care one bit. I hadn't even cracked a textbook in 15 years and I'm usually on President's List, have a 3.8 GPA, and am a member of several honor societies at school.

So, basically, don't worry about it. You're in a better position then the 18-20 year olds because of your experience in the real world.

Lawndart

I'm currently a year away from finishing my undergrad degree, and I re-started college at the age of 39. If I can do it, you totally can.

If you're able to focus, meet deadlines, and other things I'd hope being in the military involves already, you should be okay.

You will need to brush up on your math skills, but hopefully your school has some form of math lab or math tutoring program geared towards such things.

Talk to an advisor in the Chemistry/Biology department about what level of math you'll need for the entry-level courses in your major. You may have to spend some time taking low-level math classes to get you back up to speed, but since you'll almost certainly have other non-STEM courses to take outside of your major, you can take those at the same time and then work on your major.

ceres

I graduated in May (31 years old) with a degree in cell and molecular biology. My intellect is not particularly impressive, nor were those of many of my classmates. It's all what you learn.

I have tons of trouble with math, so I went back and retook both algebra/trig and precalc before the required calculus course for my major. I'm glad I did; I never would have passed it otherwise.

Usagi

As other have said: don't worry about the age thing! That and the military experience will definitely help you with the discipline for studying.

That said, you don't say how long until your contract ends, but if you have a few months go check with MWR and Fleet & Family and ask them both about community college classes you can take on your own time and also about tutoring--those should help you both get back into the spirit of being a student and give you an opportunity to brush up on your math skills.

Jebus314

Just wanted to reiterate the hard work >> natural abilities sentiment. I went straight into college from high school. I am generally really good at math. There was also a guy in my department (chemical engineering) that was 30ish and not so great at math. On one of the early math classes (infinite series) I hardly showed up, never studied, and of course the other guy did the opposite. I got a D and he got a B+. Turns out you can't awesome your way through some classes. When I retook it and payed attention I got an A, but it just goes to show that the most important part is putting in the work. Not how good you think you are before you take the class.

That being said I very highly recommend re-examining your chosen major AFTER you have taken some of the intro level classes. You never know what you will be good at or what you will like. If you find that it's much harder for you to understand the topics, or that it's not as interesting as you thought, it's best to switch early.

Carpy

As someone who has recently gotten out of the military and gone back to school the biggest thing you can do to prepare yourself is use all of that sweet, sweet TA money you have access to. Go to the education office and get yourself set up with math and English classes. I didn't do this and ended up burning a year getting my math skills up to a decent level.

Since TA only allows you one or two classes per semester it works nicely to firm up those foundational classes.

Klein

Working on my Biochemistry major here. I will say that some classes are going to be tough, especially Organic Chemistry and the upper level Chemistry and Biology classes.

Be prepared to study every day in these classes. Not the night before, not the week before, you have to work every day. It isn't impossible but you need to put in the work.

I manage to do well in my classes, but they take up pretty much all of my free time.

Klein

Working on my Biochemistry major here. I will say that some classes are going to be tough, especially Organic Chemistry and the upper level Chemistry and Biology classes.

Be prepared to study every day in these classes. Not the night before, not the week before, you have to work every day. It isn't impossible but you need to put in the work.

I manage to do well in my classes, but they take up pretty much all of my free time.

Calculus II was probably the hardest class I have taken, but Organic Chemistry had taken up more time than any other class.

schuss

To echo the others, it's definitely more about work ethic. I probably have more potential mentally than one of my friends, but he has the work ethic of a demon, which puts him waaaayyyy ahead of me.

Mad Jazz

You'll be in a great spot because you're (probably) more developed emotionally and you know how to focus much more than kids fresh out of high school do. You'll be fine if you put in the work.

I'll just throw in a warning to not get your heart set on a particular major. I'm not saying there's anything you couldn't handle, but you might start down the chem path, for example, because it seems interesting and then hit a class that changes things for you. When I started undergrad, I was pretty interested in majoring in chem, since I really enjoyed it in high school. Turns out chemistry past high school isn't the same at all, and I immediately swore that off after I took organic. I somehow ended up as a psych major with a minor in religious studies because that's what I enjoyed studying.

fancyfrisking

Thanks for the advice/encouragement guys.
I'm getting pretty excited about my future now.

fancyfrisking

Mad Jazz wrote: »

somehow ended up as a psych major with a minor in religious studies because that's what I enjoyed studying.

How was psychology? It was another consideration of mine.