Seven Exciting Reasons Why I Will Be an Adult Student

When I attend college this fall to pursue my bachelor’s, I’ll be a senior citizen on campus at the ripe old age of 26.

(I’m joking, if you couldn’t tell. I feel like a small child at 26. But standard freshmen will hear me say “I’m 26” and think I’m some magical adult with her life figured out. It’s amusing to me.)

But you heard it right! I’m going back to college to be an adult student. And I am so fucking excited.

I do have some college under my belt from after high school, but it’s not much. And it’s not doing a lot in terms of finishing my bachelor’s, so I’ll be more or less starting from scratch. I will have MAYBE a semester taken off with transfer credits (trust me, though, I know that semester is invaluable.)

As much as it’s a little intimidating to think I’ll be graduating when I’m 30, I’m truly excited. Everything about this new path excites me. The positive connotation for me this round of school is so much stronger than the first. It’s all desire, not societal and familial obligation.

I dropped out of college in the fall of 2018, from Ohio State University. The reasons behind that decision could probably be a novel in a separate post. But my decision to be an adult student this fall has nothing to do with regretting dropping out. I don’t regret dropping out at all! AND I am insanely excited to get back into it.

Going to school as an adult student is a massive decision. One that is, I think, a lot harder to make than when you’re a high school senior. There’s so much more to consider, so much more at stake, and a lot more thought put into it. I wanted to share my thoughts on this decision so if anyone out there is on the fence, maybe this can help you! 

I don’t believe that every single person needs to go back to college. It’s not everyone’s path. But sometimes it can be hard to tell if it is or isn’t, and having someone else talk about it can be helpful. That’s my goal! To share my experience and thoughts leading up to this decision and hopefully have it help you with yours.

I’ve broken this down into two parts: why I am going back to college at all and why I’m going back now. 

I truly don’t want to hold you up any further, so please! Dive in.

Why I’m Going Back At All:

The World Moves with Degrees

Look, there’s no denying it anymore: the world is moving on with bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and if you don’t have one, it’s most likely leaving you behind.

I’m not saying it’s impossible to move forward without a degree. I’ve LIVED the moving-forward-without-a-degree life. I know plenty of people who have moved forward without a degree. But it’s hard. And it’s a long journey that can probably be simplified if you have a degree.

Sometimes I like to believe that I could be garage-successful like Steve Jobs, but the logical part of my brain understands that the chances of that are slim to none. And it’s a risk to my own success to believe in a tiny chance. (Sierra from just five years ago would be quaking in her little boots reading that.)

Just check out this article. It says people working with a bachelor’s degree in their pocket earn, on average, 80% more salary than someone with just a high school diploma. That’s a big deal.

I’m not at all trying to say that a) money is everything or b) only careers built out of a college degree are valuable. Neither of those are true. But unfortunately for me, I have no interest in the fields you can get into right out of high school (trades, as an example) and I do enjoy having some extra cash on the side, as much as I know it isn’t everything. What can I say, I’ve lived poor long enough. I don’t have any desire to keep up with that trend.

I know, I KNOW a degree isn’t everything. But I also am aware that if I want to apply for a job I have interest in (god, there’s so many. But let’s say, intelligence analyst, for example) my exact same resume without a degree is going to look worse sitting next to someone WITH a degree. It’s just the truth.

I’m in my mid-twenties now and I’ve come to appreciate harsh truths more. Not because I love hearing them, but because they’re born out of history and experiences repeating themselves across the board. This is one truth I’ve had slapped in my face numerous times, so it’s about time I look it in the eye.

I Love to Learn

And there are so many ways to learn! YouTube videos, classes on LinkedIn Learning or Udemy or Skillshare, mentoring with your managers, parents or friends, simply asking questions as you move through your daily life.

But man, I gotta say, I miss learning in the classroom. I’ve always loved the feeling of sitting down with your notebook in front of a giant chalkboard, ready to process everything the professor says into notes you’ll understand later. It’s a unique sort of challenge and maybe I’m just weird (HA, maybe???), but I love it.

I am an endlessly curious person, and sometimes out in the real world that gets frowned upon (don’t ask me why, though.) Being in a classroom with people who are getting paid lots of money for you to ask questions is like the promised land for me.

I can’t wait to soak up everything I can, ask as many questions I can think of, go to office hours and ask more questions, connect with professors who can point me to resources to learn even MORE things….god, the prospect of it all literally makes me want to jump six months into the future and just experience it right now.

Getting back into college with a renewed passion will also, I think, help me understand HOW I learn better so I can apply those skills to the future after graduation. Maybe there are classes I’ll want to take online, but I find there’s certain styles of teaching I can process better. Maybe there’s specific methods for taking notes that work better for my brain. There’s probably time management skills I’ll learn (or re-learn.)

I am just so excited about all the things I will learn and the chance to figure out HOW to learn again. There’s no better place for me to get thrown into the deep end for those things than a college classroom.

Networking

This might be what I’m most looking forward to, especially when I compare it to my first round in college.

I’m not going to say by any stretch of the imagination that I am an extrovert or good at socializing. I am awkward as hell. But I do know that with 5+ years of “real world experience” under my belt, I can navigate networking significantly better than I could when I was nineteen.

I don’t really have a goal in mind of making connections with professors and classmates to see what they can do for me. I just know that talking with people and asking for help, those around you are actually pretty willing to be your guide or at least give you some pointers. 

Who knows what could come of people I meet: maybe there’s a career field I had never even heard of before I started talking with a certain professor. Perhaps there’s an internship opportunity that isn’t posted anywhere but my TA knows about it. Or there’s a volunteer event that matches perfectly with this specific interest I have.

I mean, those are just a few examples! And with the skills I have now to communicate with others (not to mention that I have always been one to befriend my professors sooner than my classmates) those opportunities will blow up compared to my first time in college.

I truly can’t wait to see what being an adult student is going to do for me in that aspect. It’s not the fault of teenagers for not knowing how to take advantage of those opportunities - they don’t have the skillset, yet. They’ve barely stepped foot out of their homes, let alone into enough situations that build your backbone to take a chance on any and all opportunities in front of them.

When you’re an adult student, you can navigate them significantly better. And that navigation will only present positives for the future.

Why I’m Going to College Now:

My Interests Need a Push to Develop

I admit that my fields of interest lay heavily in the ~ liberal arts ~ area of the world, and that gets a lot of….commentary, we could say. But if there’s any place where an interest in liberal arts can get pushed into a specific career path, it’s college.

Having a strong list of soft skills only gets you so far when you present a resume full of them. That’s what most of my resume is. I mean, I can type like a motherfucker and I know how to work Microsoft Excel but those are pretty standard skills for any job at this point. Soft skills hold a lot less weight when you don’t have other stronger skills to fill in gaps, or references from professors, and connections to put you up on a higher pedestal.

I’m truly excited to see what college can offer me in terms of development within my liberal arts interests. I know it’s not all going to be soft and bubbly - I’m going to have to take math classes (statistics, BARF), I’m going to be giving presentations, writing research papers, probably a whole heap of other things I can’t think of. And those will continue to translate into harder skills that mean more on a resume, and to anyone looking to hire someone fresh out of her undergrad.

I Have Zero Dependents

I mean, I have my cat. And she is needy, yes, but not quite as needy as human children.

I live alone. There’s no one relying on me to bring home a paycheck besides me. I can make these huge financial decisions and time dedications without a ton of repercussions for those around me. Will it be tougher to find time to hang out with my boyfriend and friends? Sure. But is that the same thing as thinking, “Will taking on student loans be the difference between food for my kids and their empty stomachs?” Absolutely not.

Truthfully, I don’t plan on ever having kids, but even if I did, I don’t have them now. There is no better time for me to pursue this massive life change than right now.

If I fuck something up, there isn’t anyone else that’s getting buried in a hole besides myself. There’s freedom in that. And I feel like it’s my responsibility to take advantage of that.

On top of the fact that honestly, I’m not sure I’d ever have the willpower to go back to school if I did have people relying on me. I know other people do it every single day, and they’re doing a great job of it. I applaud them. They should wear capes. 

I am not one of those people.

And I’ve learned to be okay with that. I cry when I get tired like a small child and it’s okay! I don’t have other tiny humans that are like “why are you crying, it’s my turn to cry!” I don’t have the strength to suck those tears back in for them. I am not made to be a parent, lol.

But even if I didn’t have kids, it’s important to note that I’m not living with my boyfriend. There aren’t any sick grandparents I’m taking care of by myself. The time is ripe, now, for me to at least dip my toes in the water and get used to being in college again before something like that may arise.

I Have Paid Off Debt

Allow me to clarify: I have not paid off ALL my debt. But let me tell you, the heaviest chunks of it are gone!

This is a very long story I could put into a whole other blog post. But when I dropped out of OSU, I ended up with about $10k in debt I owed directly to them, outside of student loans. I had to start paying that off immediately after I dropped out, and it was one of the most invasive emotional battles I’ve had to fight. 

I couldn’t go back to school until I paid it off, because they put a hold on my transcripts. I couldn’t think about the 11th of each month without panic in my chest. I had so many phone calls, crying to someone that didn’t care about me trying to negotiate my payments. I felt followed and haunted by my choices at OSU and their actions as a public university. It was worse than my student loans have ever felt.

It took me exactly four and a half years, but I paid off that $10k. When I made that final payment last March, I felt like I could have fallen out of my chair. The RELIEF was immediate and immense. I went out and bought champagne and candy, and made my friends celebrate with me even though half of them didn’t know what we were celebrating.

On the 11th of April 2023, I called OSU before I went to work and I said, “Just to be sure, you did get my payment last month, correct? I don’t owe you anything else?” And she said, “No, you are good.”

Sweetest words I’ve ever heard.

I can look at the 11th now and see a normal, regular day. 

I don’t receive calls from OSU at exactly 8am on a Monday to let me know that I missed my payment by probably three minutes, threatening to send my debt to state collections.

When I requested those transcripts be sent to the college I’ll be going to this fall, man did that feel like the best middle finger to a school I feel traumatized by. Never again will I have to speak to them, and now because of my experience, never again will I experience that hardship or let someone I love experience it.

My Support System is Completely Different

I was alone the first time I went to college.

Not literally, I guess, but emotionally. I was in an extremely unhealthy relationship, far away from my entire family, surrounded by friendships that, yes, were important to me, but still felt surface level. If I had a crisis, I’m not sure who I would have turned to.

Though I could not have identified it at the time, I believe it’s one of the big reasons I dropped out. I felt so isolated in the feelings I was dealing with and had no one to turn to that could help me sort through them. 

I can’t say that I magically reversed that once I dropped out. It took me more than four years before I really felt like I made progress in building a support system that was solid. I’ve always been a fairly lonely person, and learning how to unravel that and the reasons behind it in your mid-twenties is a terrific, albeit sometimes frightening experience.

But now I have friendships that make me feel truly supported and if shit goes down, I have people I can trust. I hang out with my friends on a semi-regular basis (adulting, you know how it be) and it’s simply fun, not a requirement. 

I have a relationship that means more to me than romance ever has before, and it’s just….ugh, it’s delightful. I don’t think I can talk about that because I will make this entire blog post and dedication to him and even though he would LOVE that, it’s not the point currently.

The point is that I have people I could trust to help me with the entire process of even getting mentally prepared to go back to school, and they were there for me through the application process and I know they’re going to be there for me once I start back my first semester.

College is a massive undertaking, and even though you’re taking those classes by yourself, I don’t believe it’s something you should, or even can, tackle all on your own. Knowing you have people on your side who are ready to be there for you because they genuinely care makes all the difference in the world.

Are You an Adult Student?

All in all, I simply can’t wait to get back into the classroom. I’ve been telling everyone that will listen how badly I want the next six months to go (but also not, because I enjoy living my life) so I can get started.

Being able to go back to school makes me feel alive in ways I haven’t experienced in a very long time. It’s going to be amazing, and I can’t wait to share all about it as I go.

What are your thoughts? Are you thinking about going back to college? Please share with me in the comments - I would love to hear from you!