Going Back to School at 30 | Prospective Students (2024)

Life doesn’t have a rewind button — you typically have to seize an opportunity when it presents itself to avoid missing out. But college is one of the rare exceptions. There’s really no such thing as missing your chance when it comes to pursuing a degree.

In fact, adult students are more common than you might think. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) indicates that the 2.7 million learners who are age 30 and above account for more than 16 percent of all undergraduate and graduate students. Clearly, going back to school at 30 or older is possible.

Because statistics can only tell you so much, you’re probably eager to hear some real stories of achievement. You’ve come to the right place. Below, you’ll be introduced to three Bellevue University graduates who succeeded in obtaining a degree after reaching the three-decade mark.

Some students view obtaining an associate degree as the final goal, but others think of it as a stepping-stone. The latter scenario is certainly true for Cavoni Johnson, an early childhood specialist at Child Saving Institute and Bellevue University Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science graduate. Thanks to the University’s articulation agreement with her community college, she was able to seamlessly continue her undergraduate studies and graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

“I transferred over all my associate degree credits to Bellevue University,” she reflects, adding that she was able to join an accelerated program to finish her degree quickly.

It was no small feat, but Johnson had plenty of support from loved ones. Some of her youngest family members have proven to be especially motivating. As the first in her family to receive her bachelor’s degree — not to mention her eventual Master of Science in Child, Youth, and Family Studies — Johnson knows that she’s setting an example in a big way for her family.

“I want my family to see if I can do it, they can do it as well,” she says.

Johnson’s can-do attitude has persisted as she’s continued into graduate school. Like many other adult learners, she’s learned how to balance work and school.

“I work 40 hours a week at Child Saving Institute, and then I’m off on the weekends,” she explains. “So I can do my homework on Saturday and Sunday.”

For Johnson, the hard work is unquestionably worth it. “I believe that my graduate program will open many doors,” she says. “I have two years of experience working with children and families, so that will help me to either become a teacher or a human services counselor working with children, youth, and families.”

Have you ever considered that having children in your life can actually be an advantage for adult students? Just ask Melena Russell, a parent and Bellevue University Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate who now works as an undergraduate academic advisor for the school. Russell’s daughter was quick to recognize the importance of persevering through college.

“I did feel like we almost signed up for school together because she was my accountability partner,” Russell says. And she thinks other parents can expect the same type of support. “You will be surprised at how much of a cheerleader your child is,” she adds.

Because Russell was juggling school, parenting, and a job all at once, she knew she had to be thoughtful about choosing a program that would meet her needs. Deciding to pursue an MBA made sense given her desire to advance her career. It also didn’t take long to realize that attending online asynchronous classes would be crucial, and she was pleasantly surprised at how much she enjoyed the virtual format.

“Once I engaged in the online setting, I realized that the online setup for the MBA was perfect,” Russell says. “I still received everything that I needed — there were the same types of resources available.”

Having access to student support services can be incredibly helpful too, particularly for adult learners who might need to adjust back to being a student. Russell found she needed to fill in a few gaps as she progressed in her MBA program, so she sought some academic assistance. It turned out to be one of the best decisions she made.

“There was one tutor in particular who was just so uplifting, and she had just great spirits,” Russell recalls. “And when I think of Bellevue University, I think of the different resources, such as that tutor or some of the instructors that I would meet face-to-face with, so that I could be successful within the course.”

Students aren’t always quick to research how material is taught before choosing a school. This ended up being a pain point for Tyler McCabe, a network engineer at Nebraska Furniture Mart and Bellevue University graduate. At the first few colleges he attended, the coursework just didn’t feel relevant to his intended career in IT. McCabe finally found the career-focused education he was seeking at Bellevue University, particularly in one course where his instructor incorporated real issues from the workplace.

“He’d ask us questions,” McCabe says. “How would we fix it? Where would we look to find that problem? And then we’d discuss it. These were real problems. This was real learning.” What McCabe learned in the classroom was immediately applicable to his career, which helped him obtain a job before graduating.

As for what led to his success, McCabe credits the flexible programs, insightful instructors, and other helpful staff. In fact, some of the very first people he spoke to at Bellevue University helped him lay the groundwork for a successful path to graduation. It all started with an impromptu phone call to the dean of the College of Science and Technology, who later directed him to some enrollment team members.

“The biggest resource for me was speaking with the dean and getting in with those enrollment counselors and academic counselors to really lay out a path and a track,” McCabe says. “I had an idea in my mind of what I wanted to do, and they took that idea and really laid it out into a plan.”

McCabe obviously took a bit of time to figure out which path was right for him. Does that mean he was the lone adult in his class? Hardly. In fact, he says his classes were full of students from all different backgrounds.

“I had a lot of fresh-out-of-high-school kids in my classes, and you kind of build a camaraderie with that,” McCabe says. “I had some older working adults as well in my classes. It’s definitely a melting pot of different backgrounds, different situations, different spots in life.”

Today’s college classes are a lot more varied than they once were. It’s not unusual for a course to include learners of all ages and backgrounds, meaning going back to school at 30 or older is completely feasible. Also consider that some adults find they’re better, more dedicated students once they’ve had the time to mature and solidify their career goals.

If you’re feeling inspired to restart your own education journey, you might want to begin thinking about the type of program that will best accommodate your busy life. For many adults, that means online courses are essential. To learn more about how you can find a flexible program that meets your needs, take a look at “How to find the best online colleges for working adults.”

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