Tips for Returning to Learning

The skills you need for returning to learning are the skills you have already developed as an adult juggling multiple responsibilities: managing time, setting priorities, asking questions, and knowing yourself. These are the skills that make learners successful. Add motivation and desire to these skills, and the formula for success is complete. Here are some helpful things to think about:

1. Most adults feel apprehensive about returning to the classroom, but you don't need to be.
Individuals who have been out of the classroom for a while are often concerned about how they will perform academically. The truth is, most adults do very well (just as well as they did when they were in school before, if not better) and enjoy it.

Teachers like having adult students in their classes because they bring real world experiences, are able to connect ideas to other concepts, contribute interesting insights to the exchange of ideas, and ask questions that stimulate discussions.

2. Think about why you are returning to learning.
Do you want to further your career or change careers? Or do you just want to try something new for personal enrichment? Thinking through why you are going back to school will help you determine which program is right for you. You may find reasons you never anticipated.

3. You have transferable skills.
If you are considering a degree, remember that it will provide you with both content information (e.g., a language, the facts of history, essentials of good nutrition) and skills (e.g., analytical skills, problem solving skills, critical thinking skills) and that these skills are transferable to many jobs and fields.

4. Test the waters.
Take a few classes to test the waters. Most people are pleasantly surprised at how well they do, how successfully school can be incorporated into their lives, how much they enjoy it, and how much it enriches their lives.

5. Make your well being a priority.
Don't compromise on the things that keep you going physically and emotionally. Make sure you build them into your schedule.

6. Discuss your plans with your significant others.
How might others in your life react to your decision to return to school? Talk to your friends and family about your goal, how they can support you, their feelings about the change.