College is one of the most amazing experiences some of us miss due to obligations beyond the academic arena. Making a choice to go back to college is often put up against the responsibilities of everyday. It is hard to weigh your degree against the new clothing your children need, or house and car payments.
We tell ourselves that we can’t squeeze time in for school or that it is something we can’t achieve because of financial limitations. Today’s college opportunities don’t have to feel limited. There is flexibility in cost and in time obligations. We’ll talk about some of these below.
Time Flexibility
*Online Classes* Weekend and Evening Courses
Time seems to move faster and faster as every year passes. It seems like high school was days instead of years ago. Since we initially considered college or attended college, a lot has changed. Besides night courses and weekend classes, many places of higher learning have integrated online courses into the program.
Those who need to have a face to face teacher can take advantage of the traditional classroom setting with a flexible schedule. Most colleges allow for students to take a class or two during the evening or on the weekend while other students might be gone. The later hours and weekend schedule gives the adult learner time to focus on the teacher and the academics.
Online flexibility allows you room to fit your classes into your day and your schedule instead of fitting your schedule around the college. This flexible college schedule is empowering students by permitting them to operate at their pace.
An online course is designed to educate a student through forums or video. The class participation is a conversation among the students assigned to the class and their teacher in a virtual room. All homework assignments allow for you to complete them at your pace, before the deadline. Typically deadlines are understood at the start of the class, which eliminates surprises that seem to come up in other forms of learning.
Fiscal Flexibility
While colleges offer financial aid for returning students, there are alternative payment options and alternatives to standard tuition arrangements. Let’s briefly discuss this.
*FAFSA *Targeted Financial Aid Programs *Credit for life experience *Loans
There is the standard federal financial aid. Accessing the federal aid begins with the FAFSA everyone is accustomed to filling out. This form becomes your way into a plethora of programs that are intended specifically for adults returning to school. These options can include programs for single parents, working adults, and grandparents.
Often, life experience can apply to different classes for credit, which, in a traditional college setting, gives you fewer credits to pay for. These methods often cover the cost of school to the point where no loan is needed.
When a loan is required, exploring these prior options first will minimize the amount of such an arrangement.
*Tuition-Free Schools *Digital Text Books
Another option for returning to college at a lower cost is to find a tuition-free school. These valuable resources are designed for college students who work for their degree on a tight budget. Instead of paying per tuition hour, a student pays per test or final exam. The cost can be anywhere from 50 dollars to 150 dollars, depending on the school and exam.
While there are only a few of these schools available, they do operate in a manner to allow their students to complete their programs at their pace. Most of these schools also keep the cost of books to a minimum by using digital textbooks instead of print. The cost savings is incredible. Most physical textbooks start in the hundreds of dollars, while digital textbooks can start well under 50 dollars.
As you can see, the two most fleeting items in our arsenal, time and money, are no longer obstacles to getting an education. Opportunities are available for students of all levels, ages, and experience to obtain the degree they’ve been seeking.
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