Picking the Right Program
What features should you look for in a program? Should you confine yourself to an adult-oriented program, or should you opt for more traditional study? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both? While an adult-oriented program might be oriented toward your needs (or your needs as the college administration sees them), traditional programs have their strengths as well. Before choosing a program, you need to be aware of what it can and cannot offer, and make certain that its strengths mesh with your needs as a student.
What sort of program and major are you looking for? Many adult student programs are very narrowly focused on what they offer. Since most adult programs have limited resources, they tend to specialize in a few areas for which there is a lot of demand. This may mean a lot of business courses and not much else, or it may mean that only two or three majors are available in a certain major. That’s fine if the program meets your needs- if you’re looking for a lot of business courses, or the major you want is one of the school’s specialty areas. Its not so good if you haven’t yet decided what you’re looking for, or if the courses program can and can’t offer you before you make a commitment. Traditional program, by contrast, tend to offer more choices, but in a less focused way. There will be a broader range of course offerings and majors available, but those courses will be at less convenient times and not structured to adult students. While some evening or weekend courses may be offered, you will not be able to complete a degree without taking daytime classes as well. The majority of your classmates will be in their late teens or early twenties with a limited base of knowledge and life experience; some of them will have only the foggiest notion of why they are in college. As a result, classes will tend to be less focused, and will spend more time on material that you already know. Student services in a traditional program will be geared toward the needs and concerns of eighteen to twenty-two-year-olds, and may not be helpful or available at convenient times.
What times and days are classes scheduled?
Most adult programs offer classes on evenings and weekends. Some meet as seldom as every other weekend. It is important to look over a year’s course schedule before you commit to a program. Don’t assume that class times will be convenient until you have actually looked at how classes are scheduled. You don’t want to take the first half of a required two-semester course and then discover that the second half is only offered when you have to work late. With adult course only meting once a week, you can’t afford to miss even one class session, unless it’s an emergency. Traditional Programs tend to offer more flexibility in terms of class schedule (although you don’t want to take this for granted). It may or may not be a big deal if you miss a class or two. On the other hand, the classes are likely to be held at less convenient times, meet much more frequently, and the instructors may be less flexible in their ability to work with your schedule.
How wide a selection of classes is available? Will you be able to get the classes you need for your major?
Just because a major is offered in theory doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to get all of the classes you need to finish your degree in a reasonable time period. Most adult degree programs only a very limited number of courses, and they will focus on the courses required by the most popular majors, with a couple of other courses thrown in as electives. Courses offered may also be chosen based on the courses employers are most likely to reimburse students for. In other words, you don’t want to be one of the three communications majors in a program with fifty-seven business majors, regardless of whether the communication major is theoretically available or not. Make sure you know what courses are required for your major, how often those courses are offered (and if they are at convenient times), and how many other students there are in your prospective major.
How helpful and available are the school administrators?
This will vary dramatically from program to program, and will depend of the commitment of the school, the structure of the program, and the personalities of its administrators. Many adult programs have only one or two full time administrators. This can be helpful at times, since it means that you will be dealing with the same person consistently, won’t be given different answers to the same question day to day, and will know who to go to for help in clearing up problems. On the other hand it means programs feel dramatically understaffed, aren’t always able to respond quickly to problems, and will not always have someone available to answer question at a convenient time. There is likely to be a staffer around at night or on weekends when you have classes, so you probably won’t have to make a special trip to handle routine paperwork problems. On the other hand, if you don’t get along with a program administrator, you’re pretty much stuck; you can’t go to another counselor and avoid the problem person. You also will want to find out if the program administrators will work with you through the entire admission and financial aid process, or if your file will be handled by the college’s regular admissions, financial aid, and bursar’s offices. If so, be certain to find out if those offices have late hours, and if they’re comfortable working with nontraditional students. If you enroll in a traditional program, you will want to locate administrators who are used to working with nontraditional students, and who are familiar with adult-student programs. Offices generally will not be open late on a regular basis (often just one night per week, if that), and while there will be more administrators, they may be less readily available to help adult students – who are traditionally self-sufficient and require little hand-holding – because they will be busy trying to rescue forlorn eighteen-year-olds and fend off their disgruntled parents.
Is there financial aid available? Will the financial aid office help you get you’re employer to pay for classes?
There is a surprising amount of financial aid available for adult and part-time students. Actually, it’s not so much that there’s a lot available, as that these programs are underpubliczed, and so there are often few applicants for the money. Administrators in an adult degree program will most likely not be financial aid professionals. It’s best to check in the with the school’s financial aid office, to make certain all of your applications are correct and to find out if there are any other benefits you might be eligible for. Look carefully at any aid package you are offered – many of them are weighted heavy toward loans, and you may not want to take out thousands of dollars in new loans. Adult programs typically have a number of ways to make payment easier, and are more often flexible in this regard than traditional college programs. Many will allow you to split the tuition into several payments spread over the course of the semester. If your employer picks up part of the cost, you may be able to defer part of the payment until the end of the semester (generally, employers don’t pay until they see how you’ve done in the course). Adult program administrators will almost always be able to help you if you want to try to get your employer to help pay for classes.
How is the faculty made up? Will you be able to get the quality of instruction, and the amount of attention that you need?
Adult program members may be members of the college'’ regular faculty who have been persuaded to teach at night or on weekends; part-time faculty drawn from a pool of underemployed college instructors with-out full-time positions; or local business or community experts recruited by the program because of their expertise or their availability. Most of these faculty members will be used to teaching adult students and will structure their courses toward adult learners. However, faculty members used to teaching eighteen-year-olds may have a difficult time adjusting to adult learning styles, and may be unpleasant to work with. You will want to find out who teaches the courses you know you’ll be taking. Does the adult program use the same instructors regularly, or are they always changing instructors and adding new teachers at the last moment? Are the instructors helpful and easy to work with? Are they comfortable with adult students? Do not trust the program administrator’s answer to these questions; they will feel obligated to stick up for the program faculty. Talk to students who have been in the program for two or three semesters. You should also ask those students if there are professors whose courses are particularly worth taking, or who ought to be avoided at all costs.
How much credit for life experience and prior education will you be able to get?
Talk with some of the students who are already in the program, and if possible, some of the other prospective students. Are these people you want to spend a lot of time with over the next several years? Is it a diverse group that will bring different viewpoints and experiences into the classroom? In a strong program, you will learn as much from your fellow students as from your professors. The other students will be your support network as well.
