Revising in Stages

Hiding among the stacks at the library

Now back to my memoir about going to college as a mother of five.  I find that if I try to fix all the suggestions that my critique readers make about my writing, I just sit there and stare at my work.  Oh sometimes, I’ll get up to file a nail or put on the kettle for a fresh pot of tea.  Then I’ll notice that the stove is dirty.  Those five children sometimes bring hungry friends over.  I’ll see another finger nail that needs grooming; I’ve got to choose a loose tea for the pot, choose a teacup…

You get the idea.  Does this ever happen to you when you’re revising?

 So I’ve come to the conclusion that the best thing for me to do when revising, or even writing a new short story, is to hide in the local library for as long as possible—or until I’m found out by my children or husband as they call my cell phone relentlessly. 

Okay, so that keeps me sitting at my laptop, staring at the words.  Now to move forward.

I’ve found it easier to revise in stages.  I tend to work on the simpler fixes first.  You know; further explanations, clarifications, and, in my memoir especially, deeper thoughts.  It gets me into the story of the memoir and crawling ever so slightly forward.

I’m talking about the critique suggestions that I agree with or those that make sense for the writing or story at hand, the themes that I’m trying to connect in the writing.  Like I said in my previous post Writing is not a Cookie-Cutter Science, you only want to address the suggestions that matter to your voice, your writing.

I’m the type of writer who saves the different versions of my chapters or stories.  I’m working on my FIRST revision of the memoir with the simpler fixes.  I tell myself that in the next revision, I’ll work on the complications of time frame in a particular chapter, to re-evaluate chronological order in Chapter 9, for example.  Then in another revision, possibly divide a few longer chapters into shorter, tightly-woven chapters. 

Revising in stages can help a writer move forward on a longer project.  Saving the various revisions can help a writer move back to a prior version of the writing if she decides that the story can no longer move forward without a deleted section or details.  How about you?  Do you keep various versions of your writing when working on a project?  Please offer any suggestions you might have.  Thanks!

How to Succeed in College While Raising a Family

Studying with fellow classmates
increases understanding.

That’s the catch, isn’t it?  Attending college while your children are growing up.  College study, and all it entails, is not easy—even without children.  But once you add family obligations into the mix, it can become downright difficult.  The answer?  Discover methods to study on the go, include the children into class projects when you can, and use your resources on campus.

Course work requires time.  Try toting books to work to read assignments at lunch or to the children’s games to read sections between active play.  Tape study notes and listen to them while performing household chores or watching soccer matches and swim meets.  Use earphones whenever you leave the house.  

Some college students and mothers get up an hour earlier to work on projects or clock out at work and remain there to do class work in an empty conference room or office away from the distractions of home.  And sometimes, you simply need to accomplish class work on the weekends.  

  

Understanding course material is crucial.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions during class or afterwards.  I, for one, peppered my professors with questions to obtain a better understanding of the material.  Networking with fellow classmates can aid in understanding too.  Form study groups; get together when you can to work on projects together. 

Most colleges offer free tutors for numerous courses.  Check the hours for the Tutoring Center on campus.  Many universities have writing centers where students can obtain critiques of their academic papers. 

Starting college or completing a degree for a non-traditional student, usually a student over 30, is a challenge.  But it can be accomplished.  This, ladies and gentlemen, is what my memoir is about.         

Go Ahead and Apply to College

Begin your college journey today!

Hopefully you’ve found some money to help pay for college tuition. 

While I understand that some scholarships and/or grants may require you to apply to a college first, now is the time to seek out a particular college and apply.  Most colleges have websites with a link from their homepage to an application form.  Please note that some colleges have application fees that need to be submitted before your application will be considered for acceptance.  

 

Community colleges, or junior colleges as they are sometimes called, allow potential students to attend 3 or 4 non-pre-requisite courses [about 12 credits] before needing to take the free Placement Test.  A non-pre-requisite course is like Art Appreciation or Psychology.  It’s a course that requires no math or science.

Without S.A.T. scores [Scholastic Assessment Tests], the Placement Test is necessary to be sure potential students have the background knowledge to handle college level courses.  This test is made up of three parts:  reading/comprehension, writing, and math.  The Placement Test is free—the first time you take it.  However, you may take it a second time, or a third, but there is a fee each time.  This is a pass/fail test.  You only take it again if you feel you can do better and pass a particular section.  Basic skills courses are offered at all colleges to assist potential students in achieving college level math and writing.  Yes, you need to pay for these basic skills courses, too.  You may transfer in to college with prior course credit in math or science courses from another college and not need to take the Placement Test. 

 

Once you are admitted to a college, or even before, you should consider a major, a course of study.  Students may begin attending college without being matriculated, which means being enrolled in a particular course of study.

You can register for classes online.  The courses listed on the web inform potential students if a requirement [another course] is necessary before taking that particular course. 

 

Some colleges offer both Saturday and Sunday classes from about 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in addition to weekday early morning [starting at 7 a.m.] and evening courses.  Of course, online courses abound at colleges.  Summer courses available at colleges are usually fifteen week courses compressed into about five to eight weeks, meeting approximately four times per week, day or evening.  Compressed weekend courses can be found as well.  There are non-compressed summer courses, too, usually about 12 weeks.  I’ve attended both the compressed and the non-compressed versions of summer courses in my ten-year college journey.

 

            So stick a pencil into the college pool of non-pre-requisite courses first if you’d like, and then get matriculated into a course of study and begin your own college journey to a bachelor’s degree.  You’ll be glad you did. 

Scholarships: Where to find Money for Returning to or Beginning College

Money for College Education

Attending college is expensive.  Money was another reason I attended a community college.  Seven people.  One paycheck.  Community colleges are less expensive than four-year institutions.  But as I continued in my college journey, I discovered that I could receive money to help pay for college.  I became determined not to pay for the next leg of my college journey.
 

It’s helpful to see if you qualify for any scholarships being offered.  For non-traditional students [usually students over 30 years of age] the task can seem daunting. 

If you work outside the home, check with Human Resources to see if your company offers tuition reimbursement for college courses or for an undergrad degree.  Notice this is usually reimbursement.  You may need to lay out the money first and then show your passing grades to be reimbursed after the semester. 

Outside of any scholarships or reimbursement offered at your personal work, I would try the Financial Aid Office of the educational institution you wish to attend. 

If you were in the United States military or fought in one of the conflicts, under the G.I. bill the military may pay for your college education. 

These three places are always best to try first as the competition will be far less than blanket scholarships found on the web.  Always try local first.  There are groups and professions that offer smaller scholarships for attending college, but you need to check the age requirements.  Also, many scholarships are financial needs based. 

All financial aid requests require that you complete a FAFSA form and file it.  FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

 

Another good thing to know is the difference between a grant and a student loan.  Grants are financial aid usually based on financial need.  They do not need to be repaid unless you withdraw from school.  Then you may owe a refund.  Federal, state, and college grants are available if you meet the requirements.

Student loans accrue interest, sometimes while you are attending college, and need to be paid back to the institution giving the money within a set time frame.  

Grants and scholarships abound online when I googled scholarship for women, but I don’t pretend to know all.  I received a Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship to attend the University of Pennsylvania as I prepared to graduate from my community college.  This scholarship was based on academic standing, awards achieved, and volunteer work performed during my community college years.  In other words, now I had the proof needed for four-year colleges to offer me money to attend their institutions.  

How about you?  Did you win or receive any scholarships or grants to go to college?  Please share any information you may have to help others afford the expense of a college education.  Thank you.

Gaining Entrance to College for the Non-Traditional Student

College Entrance exams

The big thing to remember about college is that prospective students can begin attending any semester; fall, spring, or summer. 

 

Getting accepted into college is no easy task.  College admission boards prefer intelligent, well-rounded students.  While the category percentages may vary, the boards look for good school grades and/or a high performance on the S.A.T.’s [Scholastic Assessment Tests] as proof of academic accomplishment.  Well-rounded students probably participated in sports and belonged to clubs in high school.  Traditional prospective college students volunteer their time at churches, hospitals, or community functions. 

 

You know, a person who never sleeps, has no time for family or friends.  These are tough sneakers to fill for a non-traditional student, a student over 30 years of age beginning college for the first time. 

 

This was one reason why I started at a community college or junior colleges as they are sometimes called.  Since I was a non-traditional student, with no S.A.T. scores, I needed to take a basic skills test, an entrance exam, to be sure I was prepared for college level math and writing. 

 

Okay, so I was only partially prepared for college, passing the writing portion of the entrance exam, not the math.  I didn’t have a college preparatory high school curriculum.  I was a business student.  I haven’t done algebra and rational numbers and integers, etc., for a long, long time.  I required basic skills math courses to bring me up to college-level math in order to complete the math and science requirements needed for a college degree.       

 

And that is where my college journey begins in the memoir: deciding to apply and take the entrance exam at a community college—with five children in tow for most of it.  However, even though I started at a community college, the possibilities from there were numerous.  I’ll discuss some of those possibilities together with scholarship next month.     

College: Why a Brick and Mortar Institution of Learning Matters

University of Pennsylvania

To continue with last month’s blog post, why should a prospective college student attend a brick and mortar institution?  While totally online degrees abound, I believe it is the educational community and the opportunities the physical college setting offers that make it important for most students to attend. 

The give and take of the college classroom, the professors and their teaching assistants, the availability of tutors and writing centers, fellow classmates working and studying together; upper classmen assisting underclassmen, the genuine proximity of the education being offered.  More than education is shared on the college campus.  And I’m not talking about partying. 

While younger college students learn to become self-sufficient, older college students may struggle to understand new material.  Students come to a particular course from different stages in their curriculums.  Many times the physical presence in a classroom can afford a camaraderie that is not present in the online classroom. 

 

The physical college stetting can help students learn how to work with people from different backgrounds, discover different methods to analyze and evaluate class projects, perhaps fill in some missing knowledge for each other. 

 

I brought life experience to my college education.  Even though I had basic skills math to obtain college level math skills, there were educational holes in my knowledge base that fellow younger students filled in for me.  We worked together in numerous projects, each bringing an understanding that another hadn’t considered. 

Most physical colleges offer opportunities to their students where they can stretch their political or artistic wings, create a new community group or college periodical.  They can learn about other cultures firsthand through fellow students or professors.  Students can study abroad, take classrooms in the field of research, take advantage of internships, and scholarships to continue their education. 

 

The brick and mortar institution, with all its components, is an asset in a student’s learning journey.  Together with opportunities afforded to the student body, attending college within a learning community fosters the sharing of knowledge.  What do you think?

Why Go to College?

A college degree
Worth the paper and tassel

It’s a good question at any age. 

I believe people learn something new each day merely by interacting with others or reading something new.  There are free lectures to attend at libraries or local college campuses, how-to books to read, and online, single-subject classes or webinars to participate in.  There are also introductory online courses such as MOOC’s to interact in.  MOOC’s are “massive open online courses” taught by professors of respectable colleges and universities.  

I’ve participated in a business course taught by a Wharton Business School professor and modern poetry from a Kelly Writers’ House professor at the University of Pennsylvania.  Archeology at Brown University and health and wellness at the University of California.  Almost any topic can be presented to an online audience.  In addition to listening to lectures, MOOC’s have quizzes and writing assignments to test your understanding of the material if you wish to receive a certificate for course completion.  The web environment has online support and question and answer links.  These courses do require a lot of time and there is a time limit for completion.  But I love learning new things and enjoy lectures.

            That being said, I still believe a college degree, with its varied curricula and face-to-face interaction, matters in today’s world.  Many professions require a degree.  

Earning a college degree demands years of a person’s life, large amounts of work and understanding, and the student, regardless of age, grows and changes because of this learning environment.  Earning a college degree demonstrates endurance and the determination to see things to completion.

What do you think about this?  Is a college degree still necessary in today’s world?