I finally enrolled. Terrified now!

[lillingworth]

I finally did it. I enrolled in TESU. I've been here for years. This board helped me finish my AA. After that, I planned to go further and just... never did. I started trying again in 2017 alongside my boyfriend (now hubby) but I just let everything fall to the wayside. I didn't really make enough money to afford any classes, I didn't understand what I needed outside of the basic free ones that were available. I didn't even understand "core" or "AOS" or other jargon thrown around. (Okay, sometimes that's still a little fuzzy but I think I've got it now lol.)

Everything just seemed unfamiliar, vague, constantly changing and too hard to deal with when life stuff was happening. Of course, that was just me not being ready to fully absorb all the information. I mean, yea, some things are still confusing. Some things change from month to month, (SDC/TESU, anyone?) but I finally feel ready to do it. 

OMG, I AM SO SCARED. 

I've been out of school for so, so long. I don't remember how to write papers. I don't remember most of my math classes. I haven't taken a math or English class in nearly a decade. I don't have much time. What if I spend money and then fail? What if I take a TESU course and totally bomb? I have my hopes up for UNBC for grad school. What if I can't raise my GPA? This is the scariest thing I've ever done, and I've done some crazy s*** in my life. 

Now I'm trying to get as many degrees/certs as possible because I'll be dealing with a points-based immigration system and degrees and certs add points. This is very much a "Go big or go home" kind of move. 

Sorry this post is long-winded, but I just wanted to throw it out there for other people that are feeling a bit overwhelmed by the process of going back. This is a reminder to myself of why I'm doing this and how far I've come. I hope some day this year I'll be able to post that I've just finished my last class. 

For those of you that have decided to go back a bit later in life, what was your reasoning? Any tips on not messing up?

Thank you for reading my ramblings. Thank you to all of you who help us through this journey.

[PrettyFlyforaChiGuy]

Hey, congratulations on this big step. You mentioned points-based immigration; where are you hoping to emigrate to? I see you're in Asia now too!

[anewmanx]

Aleks is $20 a month and perfect for brushing up on math.

The Elements of Style and Quality Research Papers are two great books you can grab an older edition of for a few bucks on abebooks and are quick reads.

Once you finish your BA Walden has some self paced programs where you could in theory knock out an entire masters for only 1-2 semesters of paying. Similar in format to wgu

[lillingworth]

Hey, congratulations on this big step. You mentioned points-based immigration; where are you hoping to emigrate to? I see you're in Asia now too!

We were gonna go back to the states but hubby is not American and not white so we've decided to go a different direction for now. We're planning on going to Canada later this year or beginning of 2021. Hubby is a native english speaker with a Japanese passport so he can actually work in Canada for a full year without issue since he's under 30. I'll need to be able to get a visa, so I'm hoping for the Express Entry program after studying for a year there. I'm over 30 so that knocks some points off. Having extra degrees or certificates helps build points back up. I've checked out NAFTA jobs (I'm American) but it doesn't look like I really qualify for much. 

So yea, the great white north! I've been in Japan for 6 years. I'm so, so ready to live in something bigger than a shoebox haha.

---

Aleks is $20 a month and perfect for brushing up on math.

The Elements of Style and Quality Research Papers are two great books you can grab an older edition of for a few bucks on abebooks and are quick reads.

Once you finish your BA Walden has some self paced programs where you could in theory knock out an entire masters for only 1-2 semesters of paying. Similar in format to wgu

Thanks! I'm gonna go through sophia's free algebra course and then jump into SDC. I'm not sure abebooks will ship all the way to Japan but will check it out or try to find a digital copy. 

I'm pretty set on UNBC since a student visa is my way into CA. I would have loved to try out WGU but they seem to only want US residents. I'm a citizen but not a resident so I can't apply there. If hubby gets a work visa for CA and I won't have to use school as a way in, I will absolutely check out Walden!

[anewmanx]

Hey, congratulations on this big step. You mentioned points-based immigration; where are you hoping to emigrate to? I see you're in Asia now too!

We were gonna go back to the states but hubby is not American and not white so we've decided to go a different direction for now. We're planning on going to Canada later this year or beginning of 2021. Hubby is a native english speaker with a Japanese passport so he can actually work in Canada for a full year without issue since he's under 30. I'll need to be able to get a visa, so I'm hoping for the Express Entry program after studying for a year there. I'm over 30 so that knocks some points off. Having extra degrees or certificates helps build points back up. I've checked out NAFTA jobs (I'm American) but it doesn't look like I really qualify for much. 

So yea, the great white north! I've been in Japan for 6 years. I'm so, so ready to live in something bigger than a shoebox haha.

---

Aleks is $20 a month and perfect for brushing up on math.

The Elements of Style and Quality Research Papers are two great books you can grab an older edition of for a few bucks on abebooks and are quick reads.

Once you finish your BA Walden has some self paced programs where you could in theory knock out an entire masters for only 1-2 semesters of paying. Similar in format to wgu

Thanks! I'm gonna go through sophia's free algebra course and then jump into SDC. I'm not sure abebooks will ship all the way to Japan but will check it out or try to find a digital copy. 

I'm pretty set on UNBC since a student visa is my way into CA. I would have loved to try out WGU but they seem to only want US residents. I'm a citizen but not a resident so I can't apply there. If hubby gets a work visa for CA and I won't have to use school as a way in, I will absolutely check out Walden!

Those two books can be had cheap in kindle edition. You’re gonna do fine.

[bjcheung77]

Hey, just noticed this thread... I replied back to the email you sent me earlier with a couple of Study.com suggestions and got my cousin to send you a referral. Anyways, this is in addition to the email I sent. Please review that as the #1 step...

2) Because of your current financial situation (i'm in the Pacific North West) - Skip UNBC unless it has a program that is not offered anywhere else for cheap. Think of that later down the road, don't worry about it for now. When you're done with the BALS, you can decide on the graduate program and school of your choice. I suggest all the regionally accredited offerings that do not require application fees and also cheap/easy/fast.

3) WGU actually is for Citizens and Permanent Residents of the US, you don't need to physically be in the US to complete a degree from them, for the cost/ease/speed to finish, they are the number 1 choice for Business, IT, Nursing or Teaching. If you're not into them, then other Competency Based degree providers should be your a good choice as these programs are non-competitive for entry, such as Brandman's MSOL or Walden's Tempo offerings, etc.

4) Immigration through Studying as an international student is expensive, I think it maybe for affordable for you to stay in the US, get your hubby to find a job in the US and move up to the Pacific Northwest or another cheaper state and see if you like it here. The only 3 places I would reside in and love is the Seattle, San Fran and Honolulu "suburban" areas, all the places I've been to are great but these are the top 3 for my preferences.

[lillingworth]

Hey, just noticed this thread... I replied back to the email you sent me earlier with a couple of Study.com suggestions and got my cousin to send you a referral.  Anyways, this is in addition to the email I sent.  Please review that as the #1 step...

2) Because of your current financial situation (i'm in the Pacific North West) - Skip UNBC unless it has a program that is not offered anywhere else for cheap.  Think of that later down the road, don't worry about it for now.  When you're done with the BALS, you can decide on the graduate program and school of your choice.  I suggest all the regionally accredited offerings that do not require application fees and also cheap/easy/fast.

3) WGU actually is for Citizens and Permanent Residents of the US, you don't need to physically be in the US to complete a degree from them, for the cost/ease/speed to finish, they are the number 1 choice for Business, IT, Nursing or Teaching.   If you're not into them, then other Competency Based degree providers should be your a good choice as these programs are non-competitive for entry, such as Brandman's MSOL or Walden's Tempo offerings, etc.

4) Immigration through Studying as an international student is expensive, I think it maybe for affordable for you to stay in the US, get your hubby to find a job in the US and move up to the Pacific Northwest or another cheaper state and see if you like it here.  The only 3 places I would reside in and love is the Seattle, San Fran and Honolulu "suburban" areas, all the places I've been to are great but these are the top 3 for my preferences.

Thanks! From what I can tell, UNBC is only about $1700-2300 (1200USD~)per term for international students so that's not the worst but not the best either. I'd only have to do two terms to boost my score for PR. Unfortunately, immigration back to the US takes 2+ years right now so that's not the best option. There was a way to go a little faster but that option it no longer viable for us. It sucks because I had a great job waiting for me in Portland earlier this year. 

As for other places to finish a degree, I actually think there are some better choices than TESU, but I need to spend $2500-3000 to unlock my transcript from MSU. I can't send any transcripts from them anywhere until I pay that fee (loans). TESU already had my old transcript from 2017 so I didn't have to resend it. 

It's a mess and no matter what I do, I'm definitely going to have to use my credit card or take out loans to finish. But, I'm aging out of English teaching and it's time to move on. 

Thank you so much for the email! I'll double down and get those last few classes knocked out so I can take my time on the Capstone. 

I'm also considering taking some lower level courses, maybe American Gov, at TESU to boost my GPA just a little bit. I'm sitting around a 2.6 or 2.7 and would like to hit 3.0 if possible.

Can I work it so that doing a cert actually finishes up most of the BALS? Or does that work better for the BSBA?

[ss20ts]

Congratulations! Please relax. You CAN do this!!!! You've already earned an associates degree so you can totally do the work. You've got this! Good luck!

[rachel83az]

3) WGU actually is for Citizens and Permanent Residents of the US, you don't need to physically be in the US to complete a degree from them, for the cost/ease/speed to finish, they are the number 1 choice for Business, IT, Nursing or Teaching.  

Wait, what? Everything I've seen says it's for US residents OR military members overseas. Not for random US citizens who happen to live abroad. I would've been tempted to choose WGU over TESU otherwise.

[ss20ts]

Congratulations! You've got this. If this lady can do this, you can too! Ms. Jules is very inspiring.

https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/05/18/loo...JHYpGmTsiQ

To get your feet wet, have you considered taking a class right now? Sophia.org is free right now. Taking a free class or two (all of their courses are free through July) may help you get back in the student mindset. Free credits don't hurt either.