It Is Never Too Late

Realizing Your Dream

Today, I am the proud mother of 4 wonderful children ages 21 years to 15 months old. I am also acollege student, just about ready to graduate with a degree in Paralegal Technology. There havebeen bumps in the road, but being able to see a better future ahead has kept me going. Everysuccess I earn as a student just increases my ambition to go further. Now I am thinking about LawSchool. Why not?

Advice on Going Back to School As An Adult

When you have been a mother for as long as I have, thinking about making a life change such asgoing back to college can be a scary thing. However, as a mom with daughters, I want my girls tosee that there are so many careers available to them. I want them to also have the confidence thatthey can succeed at whatever they put their minds to. I want to be the example of a woman they canbe proud of.

Take some simple steps to get back to school:

1. If you need help paying for school, take some time to apply for financial aid athttp://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ .

2. Apply to the colleges that interest you. Community Colleges are a good way to get started. Theyhave many certification and Associate Degree programs to choose from. They are cheaper to attendthan Universities and offer evening classes as well as online classes.

3. After you apply to the college of your choice,there are steps you will need to take tocomplete the application process. Communitycolleges often require potential students to takean entrance exam. This enables theadministration to see what prerequisite classesyou might need to take to catch you up to speedbefore jumping into the college level courses.The school's administration staff will let youknow what else is required to complete theapplication process, such as having transcriptsfrom previous schools sent.

4. After you have been accepted as a student, you should see an adviser to discuss the variousprograms you may be interested in. You should receive a list of classes for which you will need toregister in order to complete the program you have chosen.

5. You should be able to register for classes online. Check for distance learning (online) classes

while putting together your schedule, if that is what interests you.

6. Once you have registered for classes and,either you have paid for the classes or you have beenaccepted to receive financial aid, you are ready to start! Make sure to get the necessary books andsupplies required for each class.