Learning for a Lifetime

So, here I am writing my first blog post. It's a little intimidating because I've never blogged before. But there's a first time for everything and I'm excited about this new endeavor. Of course the challenge will be finding the time, between working and classes and family responsibilities.

It helps that I am surrounded by other adult college students, many of whom can relate to my balancing act, because they are also working full-time while taking part time classes. In fact, many of my classmates are only able to afford their adult college classes because at GSC taking just one class a term means that they are eligible to apply for financial aid. Another huge incentive is that the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition at GSC is only $15 per credit! Offering the lowest tuition of all four institutions in the University of New Hampshire System, GSC is a NH state college where my classmates and I can earn an affordable bachelor degree, associate degree or even teacher certification. 

I suppose I sound like I'm going for a hard-sell. But that's only because I have such a positive impression of Granite State College. One of the best aspects of my job at GSC is being a point-of-contact for prospective and new students because I want so much to help people see their potential become reality. If a student calls our Claremont NH College, needing to know how to post a comment to the discussion board in Blackboard for their online class, I can walk them through it over the phone, because I've been in their shoes.

When a potential student calls or walks into our center for the first time, they are often worried about how they'll handle taking adult college courses on top of their work and family responsibilities, and I can relate. But it really is doable! For me, taking online classes is one way I have been able to manage to keep all the balls in the air, so to speak. Sure, my first online class was a little scary in the beginning, but my classmates were incredibly helpful - explaining where to find resources and how to submit assignments. It was a great feeling to learn some new technology along with the actual course material. That's just one of the perks of taking online classes for college!

Because I really enjoy the occasional human interaction, I also take face-to-face evening college classes, as well as weekend intensive classes. I find that I can fit these into my hectic schedule quite nicely. Currently, I'm taking Managing Diversity as a weekend intensive, and The Emerging U.S. Health Care System online. It's a splendid combination of formats and learning!

Well, I better get back to the books, because I want to make sure I get my assignment in before the deadline tomorrow.