Going back to school at 29

July 21, 2009 11:05 AM

Teach me how to study, please? I am 29 and going back to school to complete my BA. I haven't been to school in around 4 years. I don't think I have ever studied for anything.

I started college straight out of high school back in 1998! Goddamn it. Ok. So it has been bothering me for a while that I never finished and I finally got my shit together in line with all of the deadlines and am registered for 2 courses in the fall. Going over my school history made me realize that I am generally lacking in the motivation area and have never really studied or prepared for a course or exam or paper. I passed a bunch if I liked them, failed if I didn't like them.

I do want to get a higher level degree and move away from these administrative jobs which is a special kind of hell for me. How do I get there. I am a complete failure in the science and math areas. I tend to do better in the reading/writing specific classes but when it comes to writing papers and studying for exams I get stuck. Procrastination is a major problem as well. I'm in a loser/slacker zone.

How do you get motivated, stay motivated, and study. Especially when you are 29 and this is all new for you??

posted by mokeydraws to education (22 comments total)

When I went back to school in my late twenties for my second undergrad degree, I rarely took notes during class. Here's what I did:

Read ahead in the textbook and take note of the key concepts. Highlight them in the text, and then write them out in your notebook (the key here is to be brief).

Use these notes when you attend lectures. You'll already be familiar with the concept, so you can just listen to the lecture and get more out of it. From time to time you can augment your notes with new stuff in the lecture.

Motivation is tougher, but, goddamit, you're an adult here. Who the hell likes taking the car in for an oil change or doing taxes? You have to do it, so do it.

Motivation is part inner voice, part goal setting, part time management and planning, and 99% hard work. You need to set yourself up for success and then sit your ass down and *work*.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:11 AM on July 21

Two things: First, figure out how much you're paying per hour of lecture. When I was an undergrad it was $70 per hour that I figured. There's no way in hell I was going to miss an opportunity I paid $70 for. I showed up to every class.

Second, your school surely has workshops on various study skills. Go to them. Also, your school has a writing centre where you can take your work for critique. If they're good (i.e. staffed by professionals in teaching writing, not by upper-year undergrads; focused on overal quality whole paper and not just mechanics like punctuation) then go to them. THese are more opportunities that you are paying for.

Finally, some advice that is a more general form of the above: Take advantage of every opportunity presented to you. Take initiative to seek out or create those opportunities.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:13 AM on July 21

This site's well worth a browse. Not all of it will be relevant, but his general approach is compelling.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 11:15 AM on July 21 [1 favorite]

First, figure out how much you're paying per hour of lecture. When I was an undergrad it was $70 per hour that I figured. There's no way in hell I was going to miss an opportunity I paid $70 for. I showed up to every class.

This.

Also, do yourself a favor and do some research on the classes you'll be taking. Ratemyprofessors can actually be really useful when deciding between two classes.
posted by oinopaponton at 11:18 AM on July 21

Just an alternative approach to KokoRyu's proposal...when I went to school, I made it a point to go to every* class and take notes religiously. I found this helped me in two ways: (1) when I write something down, I remember it better, and (2) the lectures are where the professor communicates what he/she thinks is important. Then, I leaned less on the textbook when studying for a test or preparing for a paper - I relied primarily on my notes to guide me.

* The term "every" may be applied somewhat loosely here, but I rarely missed class
posted by brandman at 11:20 AM on July 21

Paying for grad school myself and realizing that I was purchasing a service helped me quit acting like homework assignments were a burden I was being given--I am PAYING to be tested! I'm going to get my money's worth!

The school you're planning to attend most likely has a support center for adult students (they might be called "professional" students) and a tutoring center. Don't be ashamed to go in there and ask for help--even people who finished college right after high school have a hard time with the kind of math and science classes you take as an undergrad.

Reading ahead is helpful, but just plain actually reading the assignments is critical. In undergrad (right out of high school) I could skim by without doing the assigned reading, but in grad school (five years after college) that is not an option. If I find this to be such a burden, why am I doing it? I'm choosing to be in school this time around, and when I look at it like that, it's really not as difficult to find the motivation.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 11:29 AM on July 21

The answer to this question depends partly on what kind of learner you are: auditory (listening), visual (seeing), or kinesthetic (touching/doing). Once you figure that out, you can develop strategies that play to your strengths.

For example, I am a kinesthetic and visual learner. This means that I need to be taking notes (kinesthetic) and real-world applications and I need handouts, diagrams, etc (visual). When I studied, I would often re-copy my notes before a test and use different colored pens and highlighters to have information visually stand out for me.

As far as study habits go, I found that succeeding in school was as easy (and hard) as always going to class and always scheduling time for review before tests. I was often amazed by how many people would skip class on a regular basis. Just being there and being present (mind and body) in a class is more than half the battle. One other thing, even though I'm a habitual procrastinator, I did not pull all-nighters studying or finishing up projects. You are much more likely to do better if you get some sleep before a big day (and if worse comes to worse, take the point hit and turn a paper in late rather than throw something bad together.)

Good luck and congratulations on going back!
posted by Kimberly at 11:30 AM on July 21

Motiviation, I can't tell you. But if it's hell, as you say, keep it in mind. By the same token, finding something you love doing when you're there should complement that.

As someone who teaches, I cannot tell you how big a difference reading material in advance will make. Reading what's assigned and/or trying some of the work you'll have to do BEFORE you come to a lecture doesn't simply improve the lecture, it changes it into a very different type of experience. Even at the college level, a lot of my students think of what 's happening as their showing up and being given information, as though they were showing up at an office to pick something up. It's a complete change for them if and when they realize that they need to read and work BEFORE a class so that it corrects their problems and enhances their strengths in the subject. If you show up cold, you'll leave with less and the text/homework will only be a reminder of things from the class. I think you'll also find yourself *enjoying* classes more that way, as well, which may help with the motivation.
posted by el_lupino at 11:38 AM on July 21

I've found that, aside from the mechanics of studying, what I had to contend with was the feelings I experienced while studying. I had to tolerate giving up more pleasurable ways of spending my time in order to sit with the feelings of not knowing, not understanding, wondering if I was capable of getting through the material, loneliness, etc. I mention this because it goes along with how you describe your problems. These feelings are part of the process and you need to learn to tolerate them because otherwise you will procrastinate and avoid. Some of this can be lessened by studying with others or by getting tutors but not all of it. You need to learn to be alone with yourself and your assignments and do the work even when you feel antsy or discouraged or angry or stupid or hopeless. And you need to do this over and over until your successes make you feel better about the process.

This is especially important if you grew up smarter than most people around you and learning was always easy for you and thus you never learned to endure working at it.
posted by Obscure Reference at 11:59 AM on July 21 [4 favorites]

Does your school have a returning students program? Many schools offer workshops, classes or one-on-one counseling specifically designed for returning students.
posted by amarynth at 12:09 PM on July 21

When I was in undergrad and had a paper to write, I shunned outlines. I didn't keep track of my sources or citations. I would just sit down at a computer and wait for inspiration to strike, no matter how long it took (and it always took a really long time, given that I was dicking around on the Internet while I "waited"). I was stupid.

I'm now in graduate school, and I could kick my own ass for having wasted so many nights and lost so much sleep on that crap. Here's how I write papers now.

Gather up all your sources, put them in a pile. Then open up a Word document and for each source, quickly, without stopping to think, briefly type out the the salient points or quotes that you're using from each one, followed by a mini-citation. Example:

Blah blah studies showed blah... ("Article name" and/or author last name)
- subpoint
- subpoint

Blah blah a group of researchers found blah... ("Article name" and/or author last name)
- subpoint
- subpoint

Once I'm finished with that, all I have to do is cut and paste my litle snippets into the order that I want them, flesh them out with complete and proper sentences and any additional thoughts or information I have, and voila. The paper damn near writes itself, the citations are already done, it's amazing.

I cannot emphasize enough how much time I save by doing this; the "outline" never takes me more than about 30 (or occasionally, for the really long ones, 45) minutes to pull together, but it saves me hours of fumbling through stacks of books and printouts trying to remember where the hell I initially read that particular anecdote that supports my thesis so well. And since my arguments are always neatly laid out on the page in front of me, I never have to stop typing because I'm at a loss for what to say next, or because I inadvertantly went off on some tangent and now can't figure out what I meant to say in the first place.

Good luck!
posted by anderjen at 12:10 PM on July 21 [10 favorites]

I am a complete failure in the science and math areas. I tend to do better in the reading/writing specific classes but when it comes to writing papers and studying for exams I get stuck. Procrastination is a major problem as well.

For math and science, go to office hours and get help from the professor or TAs. A lot those subjects are about learning about specific concepts and processes, and it really helps to be able to discuss what you understand and don't understand with a real person to help fill in the gaps. Also, do all of the homework, textbook practice problems, practice exams, etc. that you can get your hands on. That will help you solidify what you do know and point out what you haven't mastered yet.

For procrastination, I have the same problem, but it's never stopped me from performing well on things. One big key is being realistic about your estimates. When I was in college, I would wait until the last minute to do my programming assignments, but I knew enough about the assignments to know that "the last minute" could be a whole week before it was due. If you can't work without that "Oh no I need to work on this right now" feeling, then make sure you get that feeling when you still have enough time to actually do a good job on it.

And for actually working on stuff, one trick that I've found is a change of scenery. If you try to study or write a paper in the same room that you watch TV in, or even on the same laptop that you read MetaFilter on, you'll probably get distracted. That's why it can help to go to a library or a computer lab to work on those sorts of things even if you don't actually need to, because once you get there you don't have any other option but to study.
posted by burnmp3s at 12:12 PM on July 21

I never learned to study in my youth, but when I started college in my thirties, I rapidly figured out what worked for me.

preparing to study, to write papers
No matter how long I keep at it, I find this is the same every time: it seems flatly impossible to [write the damn paper/absorb the material for the exam], until I start. Once I start writing, it's fine. Don't wait until you're in the mood to study/write, don't expect your first draft to be genius, just start. It's amazing how the difficulty of the task dwindles in the face of action.

(And I say this as someone who absolutely loves writing research papers; I love the research period, I love the actual writing. Sitting around dreading the writing --- that part I hate.)

class prep
Since my professors prepare for class, so do I. I read the test at least once closely, taking notes. Ideally, I read it once, ruminate on it (and do outside reading if necessary), then revisit it to see what I missed. I like to take notes on post-its, so I can spot them easily in the text.

More than that, think critically about the text (whether that's a book, an article, a film, an object, whatever) you're studying. If you can find out something about the author(s), that may help you figure out their unstated biases. Now you're prepared to craft a few critical questions about the text.

Also think skeptically about your own understanding of the text. Is there a point the author makes that you don't really understand, even after reading it several times and teasing it apart? This is a good question for class.

(Crucial: don't over-do this. Remember that the class lectures are for the entire class, not for one student; a student who's struggling to get over a conceptual hurdle that the rest of the class clears easily should seek out the prof during office hours and ask advice. I'm not suggesting that you're that student, but there does always seem to be one in every class.)

motivation
As others have said, remembering that you're paying for this helps a lot. Whether you're paying out of pocket or not, there are certainly ways in which you are paying for this experience, if only that you're stepping away from whatever path you were on before.

Having said that, I do cut myself some slack to avoid burnout. I let myself step away from the books and the keyboard when I need to, and every semester I allow myself one --- and only one --- "snow day," a day when I'm allowed to skip class with no worrries or guilt.

I also remember that time away from the books and keyboard is not necessarily in-active time as a student; I get some of my best ideas while I'm washing dishes or cooking, when my brain is free to meander through the material without specific focus.
posted by Elsa at 12:14 PM on July 21 [1 favorite]

I second what Kimberly said about going to class. I went to college in my late twenties, a friend who was a lawyer told me that I should go to all of my classes and pay attention. I followed his recommendation.

The second bit of advice I'd like to offer you is to speak up if you don't understand what's going on. I was in a logic class and absolutely could not follow the professor's explanations, but nobody else seemed to be having any problems, i.e. they weren't asking questions. The third time the class met I started asking questions, making him re-explain things a different way. After class several students approached me and thanked me. More people started asking questions in subsequent classes.

Studying for exams requires you to be able to summarize what you've learned. Don't get behind in your readings and do your best to figure out what the main ideas are. In math and science it's even more critical that you not get behind because things build on each other in a much more dependent way than they do in the humanities. For instance, to put it really simply, if you can't add and subtract you'll have a hard time learning to multiply and divide; but if you don't totally get nineteenth century poets that won't keep you from getting 20th century novelists.
posted by mareli at 12:33 PM on July 21

Two pieces of advice:

One: Stop dwelling on what you CAN'T do (math, etc). Concentrate on what you CAN do to work around any deficits you perceive. I'm also terrible in math - particularly statistics, which which I need to comprehend to pass my comps. Instead of focusing on being terrible at it, I am thinking of community college courses or tutoring I can get. I always feel better when I dwell on solutions rather than on problems.

Second: Here's a tip from both the student and teacher perspective: when you participate in class and show genuine interest in the prof's efforts, you can garner respect and extra assistance from that prof. And profs talk to one another; they know who the earnest students are and may extend a helping hand when you need it.

As a student I make sure to ask questions, participate in class discussions, and to say a word or two to professors so that they remember me and think of me as a highly motivated student. I stay in contact with them over time, as appropriate for my area of study. This leads to goodwill down the road that has helped me in my studies. When I taught, I was happy to go the extra mile for students who showed interest and motivation, whether they performed well or poorly on exams. As long as I knew they were trying and they cared, I knew my time wasn't going to waste. So develop a good student/teacher relationship with your profs and show interest in class!
posted by Piscean at 12:36 PM on July 21

I am also 29, I also started an undergraduate program in 1998, I also took some time off (6.5 years.) I returned three semesters ago and had similar anxieties about poor study habits. I made it a point to be very proactive about doing projects early, which was something I had struggled earlier in my academic career. I always felt better about getting things done well before the due date than I felt about waiting and procrastinating and feeling rushed. I made sure to attend all my classes and sit in the front. Make a point of participating in class, it really helps with comprehension.

If you have any other questions, my email is in my profile.
posted by schyler523 at 12:38 PM on July 21

One: Stop dwelling on what you CAN'T do... Concentrate on what you CAN do

Super advice.
posted by KokuRyu at 12:51 PM on July 21

At one point I looked at how I figured out how to be a good student and summarized it into five pithy statements:

Go to class
Do the assignments
Know your prof
Know yourself
Know your institution

Go to class: you've been working right? Treat class like work. You do not skip, ever. If you're sick, get the notes, contact the prof, whatever.

Do the assignments: do as much of the reading as you can ahead of time. Lectures will be much easier to follow (whatever your note-taking strategy). Know the deadlines of hand-in assignments and never skip something that is an easy mark (handing in a thesis statement for 5 % or something like that)

Know your prof: check the syllabus in detail for comments about their approach to assignments, marking, teaching in general. Ask questions in class. Go to office hours. The better you and your profs know each other, the better they will be able to help you get the most out of class, and the better position you will be in when you are in serious need of help/consideration. An active student who shows an interest is going to get taken more seriously when they need an extension or when they have to miss a class for illness.

Know yourself: figure out what kind of learner you are. Be honest with yourself about why you are taking the class. Drop classes if that is in your best interest. Adjust your course load to your best interest.

Know your institution: Know institution-wide deadlines. Know what rights you have. Find out what resources are available to you (where are the libraries; who is your subject librarian; how do you get electronic resources off campus; what software deals does your school offer; what study skills training does the school offer; what scholarships for mature students are there; what counceling and health care services do they offer; explore the bureaucracy and make it work for you).


Of these, the first two are by far the most important, and the last three will help make your life a little easier.
posted by carmen at 12:57 PM on July 21

i'm back now getting my master's after 10 years, and it's been a pretty big adjustment. Obscure Reference has got it right: i had an easy time in undergrad, i could procrastinate and throw something together in one night and get by just fine. that doesn't fly anymore. i have spent the last five months learning to sit and read and tolerate myself until i was absolutely done with what i had to do. there's a free little book on self-discipline here that helped me a ton.

also since i loved school the first time around, i was a bit disappointed. some of it, probably, will make you nostalgic for administrative hell. sometimes the teacher is not a good teacher. sometimes the content is useless to you in the long run, and you'll know it. you know it because even if you still have no self-discipline :), you know more about how the world works and what you want from life.

so: you have to be very clear with yourself why you are doing this, even be specific with each class. what is the point of your effort? understanding the content thoroughly? a good grade for your transcript? good rapport with a teacher who might give you a recommendation? be practical, don't romanticize. if you discover you learn a thing better by skipping every other class and studying on your own, then do that. decide for yourself how to prioritize your energy.

and like peanut said, one of the best ways to get the most out of college time is to read the assignments, and ahead of time (i never once did this in undergrad; i do it now faithfully). it allows YOU to get a grip on the material in your own way, and then you can use class time as a review and to ask questions (which is what teachers intend).

it helps too to find study partners your own age, because you'll share a motivation with them that you can't with 20 yr olds.

good luck!
posted by hereticfig at 1:09 PM on July 21

Have a look at this site from the Open University. The OU mainly deals with people coming into higher education either after a hiatus, or never having studied at a high level before. There's advice on almost everything there.

I've taken courses with the OU and generally consider them a hundred kinds of awesome, and through those courses I've met loads of people in a similar situation to you. You can do this, have confidence in yourself.
posted by Coobeastie at 1:39 PM on July 21 [1 favorite]

For what it's worth, on my 3rd degree and having counseled students....

1) Take professors, not courses. Ask other students who the good ones are and (especially for math and science) take the classes with them. It makes a HUGE difference. I am neither a math person nor a morning person and a professor I loved got me through 8 a.m. calculus. It helps.

2) Do not neglect the other areas of your life. Exercise regularly. Eat healthy. Get plenty of sleep. Keep your apartment/room clean. This will help keep your mind on your studies and it really does make it easier to study. As one of my favorite professors said: real life comes first.

3) Please talk to your professors. And your librarians. Go to the library orientation. Go to office hours. There really is an extent to which you get out of it what you put into it. Also, as carmen said, you're in a better position if you ever need an extension or extra help.

4) As mentioned above, study partners help. As with exercise, knowing someone is depending on you to be there and be prepared matters.

5) Self-evaluate at the end of each semester what worked for you and what didn't...and don't be afraid to ask for help. Academic advisor and intro-level professors/TAs are often (but not always) particularly good at giving tips here.

6) What helped me, immensely, in a surprising number of subjects was both outlines and flashcards.

7) Also: treating school like a job. Having a clock-in/clock-out time helped me stay motivated because there was an end in sight. There will be times when you have to go over, but trying to stay within the same bounds so that you can also do other stuff makes the harder things easier.

Lastly: Free advice outside the scope of the question...take at least one class in a subject matter you're completely out of your depth in. It's ok to take it pass/fail. Challenging yourself will help improve the way you think and it's one of the points. Also: Always. *Always* be nice to department secretaries and everyone in student services.
posted by eleanna at 4:06 PM on July 21

Tangentially, I'd highly recommend looking into whether your school has a "resuming students association" or "non-traditional age student group" or something like that. Belonging to the resuming students lounge when I went back to school helped me keep my sanity.

It made such a difference to have other sane people to grumble with about the wet-behind-the-ears 18-year-olds in class we sometimes just wanted to smack with a textbook... dammit, some of us are paying for this out of our own pockets as well as working jobs and paying rent and dealing with kids and pets and would like to actually get on with the damn class discussion instead of rehashing whatever y'all watched on TV last night in the dorms we don't live in... *sigh*
posted by Lexica at 7:16 PM on July 22