just a thought about being olderand returning to school

Hey sweetie. I'm 43 and have been back in school for almost 2 years. Let me give you some suggestions of things to try. YOu may have already done these, but we can try! 1. Have you applied for financial aid? What about scholarships? There are many out there that are specifically for mothers. Did you ask about work study? 2. Check to see if there is a textbook Brokers around your school. The textbooks there are SOOO much cheaper than the campus bookstore. You can also sell them back there, and will get far more than the bookstore on campus will give you! Check with other students that may have already had the class. You can also look at ebay, half.com and alibris.com If you know far enough ahead of time what books you'll need or you can wait for a day or two, these are wonderful outlets for books, and will often save you hundreds of dollars on books! 3. Look to see if your school has a Trio program/ Student Support Services. They will help with tutoring, computer labs (even allowing you to print for free) and often will have a loan system for calculators. You pay a small fee, borrow the calculator for the semester, and when you return it, you get most or all of your money back. 4. Ask about Career Pathways. This program is federally funded, and if you qualify for it, you can borrow textbooks! They often will have everything you need, especially the basics! They also will help with daycare expenses and gas; and in addition will often offer tutoring as well. 5. Does your athletic facility offer family activities? My school has a family swim time once a week, and will allow me to bring my children to play basketball. Often, they won't charge you for your children to get into sporting events if your school id covers the tickets for you...depending on how old the kids are. 6. Look for an Adult Student Advocacy Program on campus. They will match you up with a mentor...often in your field of study. This mentor can help you with classes, professors to avoid, and many other ins and outs of campus life. They can often save many, many headaches! I serve as a mentor this semester. My first semester on campus was miserable until I was matched up with Sarah. She too, was a wife and mother, trying to work and go to school and raise her family! Our ASAP group has a drop in lunch once a week where we get together, eat lunch and just talk. It helps you make friends, and often times just having someone to talk to helps tremendously! The probelm is not being able to afford to go to school, it's that most don't have a clue what is out there to help them. I learned so much of the hard way! If I can help someone else, it will all be worth it!

very expensive to go to schools. one must have lots of savings