I'm a Returning Student: What Do I Need to Know? Three Important Tips

It's been a few years and finally you are ready to begin (or complete) that degree program. Whether its finishing an undergraduate degree or retraining for a new career, returning to school as an adult is difficult. Regardless of your particular reasons and aspirations for getting your degree at this point, it is very natural to feel nervous. You're going to have to do things you haven't done in a very long time, including write papers, complete mathematics problems, and engage in classroom discussions (either in class or online), among other things.

Speaking of engaging, you will have to engage with other students in an intensive way, and while a very few people really don't care what others think of them, most of us want to get along, fit in, and it is natural to worry about whether or not we will be able to do so. You'll need to learn to balance your job, class schedule and your family time on a new set of deadlines. For most of us, deadlines come in the form of “type this letter and send it back to me in two hours,” not “research and write about a topic in nursing and hand it in two weeks from now.” Finally, it can be hard to learn to focus one's mind in the very particular way that study and writing require when it has been used for other tasks for so long. It's like learning to use muscles that haven't gotten a workout in a few years; it just takes some time.

So, the first thing you need to know, if you are a returning student, is that it is natural to feel anxiety, for these reasons as well as others. The second thing you need to know is that all of these things can, and will, be worked out. It's like starting a new job; there is a learning curve, a lot of things to get used to, but within a relatively short period of time, everything is second nature.

The third important thing to know is that there is help! Colleges and universities offer so many different services to returning students, from Writing Labs to social occasions. Professors are almost always willing to spend extra time helping returning students adjust (or re-adjust) to the world of school. And most traditional-age students really appreciate the presence of older students in their classes. Beyond the school setting, there are lots of internet-based sources of help from tutoring services to academic research and writing companies. Whenever you need help, of whatever kind, the important thing is to reach out and get it. Make your return to school a success.