Help and Hope for Adults Going Back to School This Fall

Are you going back to school this fall after a long stint in the "real world"?

If so, you might be feeling anxious about suddenly having to deal with professors, classmates, tests, assignments, textbooks, even finding a parking spot and learning your way around campus. You'll be in good company, at least. More than half of today's college students are non-traditional learners, not teenagers living in dorms while Mom and Dad pay the bills. These determined folks recognize the need for college degrees and up-to-the-minute skills in today's competitive job market, and juggle their roles as student with work, families, and other responsibilities.

If you're going to become one of them, relax. The first few days may be a bit scary and filled with revelations (yes, many professors still wear tweed jackets; yes, you'll probably sit in the same dreadful desks with rock hard seats and awkward attached writing tables). But after the first few weeks, the shock will wear off, and by spring semester, you'll almost be normal again. To help make the adjustment process a little faster and easier, here are some tips.

*Expect textbooks to be outrageously expensive. It's not unusual for one book to cost $100, and you may have to purchase several books for one class. Half.com sells a lot of used textbooks for less, so see if you can get your books there before trying the college bookstore. If you can't find any books you can afford, anywhere, as a last resort the college library might have the ones you need available for checkout.