Old School

[hollmt]

So, after seeing the 'Old Dude in College Anonymous' thread I thought I would do a real-life 'dynasty' of my dive back into college. I realize that this might not interest many people, but maybe some. Even if it doesn't interest many, it will interest me, especially if I can look back on this in a year, 2 years and 4 years and remember the progress I made.

So a little boring backstory. I graduated High School in 1993 and went directly to college at The Ohio State University. I did fairly well there my first semester and then shit hit the fan my 2nd semester (co-ed dorms, more parties, less studying, poor financial aid planning) which caused me to drop out. I worked and went back a little later until I had enough and joined the Navy. It was not for a lack of intelligence that I did poorly my first go round of college, but discipline. I was in the Nuclear Engineering program in the Navy and enlisted in 1997. While in Nuke School in Orlando, I got sick. Thinking it was the flu, I ignored it. Thinking it was something else, I continued to ignore it. Finally I could ignore it no longer and checked it out. I popped an 891 blood glucose. Suffice to say, I was in the hospital for 4 days. Before I was sick, I was about 155 lbs. I went down to 128 lbs. So, I was medically and honorably discharged and diagnosed Type 1 Diabetic at the age of 22. Feeling a bit discouraged, I didn’t do much after. Job here, job there, etc. etc. I made ends meet. Speeding up years and years now, to where I got my Associates Degree back in 2012 and found a good job where I have been at for over 5 years as a Systems Analyst for Healthcare Tech Company in Indianapolis.

This job is not enough. It is not what I want my life to be nor a career. Years ago, I thought about becoming a Dietician but did not follow through. Furthermore, I have been Type 1 for nearly 20 years, so I know my shit there as well.

The goal:
To be a Diabetes Educator

How to get there:
Multiple career paths which include being an RN, RD, PT, OT, Pharmacist, Doctor of different disciplines etc. Once you are actually working in one of those specific careers, you must meet the minimum year requirement in that field, which is 2 years. Not only that, but you must also provide 1000 hours of Diabetes Education to even sit for the certification to become a Diabetes Educator. That can be the tricky part. RN is the quickest path, but I do not have as much interest in that field. PT, OT, Pharmacy and Doctor are out. Dietician is the path I want to go on and the best for me personally. The $$$ is not as high as RN, but the field is more of interest to me. Plus, getting the 1000 hours of Diabetes Education will be easier as well.

The problem:
I need science classes…..
I haven't had science classes since High School and my Freshman year of College and that was Chemistry and an Animal Science class.
In order to even enroll in the Food and Nutrition Program at Alabama or the Dietician Program at Kansas St. (the 2 programs I am interested in applying to) I need 5 science classes. Chemistry 1 and 2. Anatomy & Physiology 1 & 2, and some Biology.

Solving the problem:
I enrolled at Ivy Tech and started classes on 01.16.2017. I am currently taking Chemistry 101 and Anatomy & Physiology 101. They are both online classes. I will need to take just the 2 Chemistry classes, but will need 3 A&P classes and likely 2 (but maybe just 1) Biology class. The goal is to finish all 6 or 7 science classes (in order to get the 5 class equivalency) done this year, so that I can enroll and start the Dietician program next January/2019.

So, I thought that I would share my life back in school as a 42 year old dude. Hopefully it will be of some interest to some, but really it will be of interest to me to look back on. I have a short term goal. First to finish this semester and my 2 classes. Then the next goal is to finish the year of science classes and be accepted and enroll into the Dietician program. Next, to finish the program. Then to finish the required Internship (which is 1300 hours). Then to pass the RD exam and be certified. Then to work 2 years in that field and get my 1000 hours of 'providing education'. And lastly to sit for the CDE exam and be certified. I will likely be able to finish the actual F&D/Dietician program in 2-2.5 years, since I have many of the core classes done that was required. So hopefully, I only have 3-3.5 years of school to actually do. Then a 6 month or so Internship. I will provide, as best I can, weekly status updates on my classes, struggles, grades and anything I find interesting.

[hollmt]

A quick sidestep on the preparation for college this week. My girlfriend is extremely supportive of this path for me and helped me find some good programs etc. Getting enrolled at Ivy Tech this semester was done very quickly. Once I decided I was doing this for sure, back in mid-December, I requested my transcripts from Sinclair and USA (South Alabama, where I took a year of school as well). Express Enrollment was the first week of January at Ivy Tech. Sinclair transcripts were not going to make it in time (snail mail) so I had to drive to Dayton to pick them up. I did my Express Enrollment, which went fairly smoothly. I had the needed math from Sinclair, but they were giving me a tad bit of grief on the English. USA transcripts had not arrived yet (electronically). Funny enough, as I was sitting with my Advisor, I got 3 quick emails from USA, stating the transcripts had arrived and I was able to provide them then, showing I had the English classes out of the way as well. I signed up for my classes, got home, ordered my books and paid for tuition and waited to start. Of course, I anxiously checked the site every day to see if the syllabus was open and if I could start. It finally opened on Sunday, but you couldn’t really officially start anything until Tuesday the 16th.

Chemistry 101:
This is an online class. Anyone who has taken an online class probably knows the general idea. Read, watch some videos, death by PowerPoint etc. I read Chapter 1, which was a short chapter basically covering the Scientific Method and some key figures. Really simple stuff to start. Read the syllabus, watched the PP slides, etc.
There was an Orientation Quiz, which covered the syllabus and your knowledge of it and the navigating the online portal. Multiple choice and fill in the blank. However, the Instructor FAILED to complete the syllabus and some of the questions were unable to be answered correctly. Those were fill in the blank and he graded it 'by hand'. I got 9/10 on it, missing 1 question asking how many times I had to log on at a minimum (48 hours, and I answered once a week.).

A lab safety quiz was next. Easy stuff there and he also manually graded it 'by hand' (I will get to that 'by hand' thing in a minute.) That was worth 20 points and I got all 20 points.

In the 'First Day Announcement' post, he stated that he would have to grade the Safety and Orientation Quizzes by hand since the fill in the blank sections were not working that well. Apparently half the class (not me) emailed him asking the same question. To which he JUST sent another announcement 30 minutes ago stating:

Class: I have gotten messages from half the class asking the same question which I though I covered in the First Day Announcement. Let me know if you are unable to see or read the First Day Announcement which covers in the third paragraph the problem with the*autograder*grading the fill in the blank questions on the quizzes.* I have copied it and pasted it below for you.* Let me know if you still have questions after reading this.
*The*autograder*for the orientation and safety quizzes struggles with the fill in the blank answers so I will be*regrading*them to correct the mistakes.
*
He also took the time to go back to the original announcement and highlight that entire section.

Moving on, I watched the Intro videos and Safety Videos (which were actually fairly interesting) and viewed the PowerPoint.

Pearson is the tool you access that helps you study and also has homework assigned in it to complete outside of the actual portal. There were 2 assignments there I needed to complete and both were easy. One was for no points but required, while the other was worth 10 points and I received all 10. There was also a normal Chapter Quiz worth 20 points and I got all 20 of those.

Lastly there was the dreaded 'Introduce yourself' bullshit discussion post. This required 250 words. You then have to reply to two other students with a 150 or more word reply, acting like you really give a shit. But seriously, it is annoying, but I get the point of it. Some students are able to find study partners or common interests. That was worth 15 points and I got all 15. So for the week, I received 64/65 points. There are 1145 points in total. I figure I will need all the points I can muster and week 1 is a free week for the most part.

Anatomy & Physiology 101:
This class will be of most interest to me and so far it is proving to be just that. Starting off with the introduction post and replies that were needed. I did those fairly fast to get them out of the way. It has not been graded yet, but is worth 15 points. I viewed the PowerPoint, watched 2 videos on Anatomical Positions and terminology, watched another lab safety video and signed a "Dissection Safety Guidelines" document stating I read and understood stuff. I completed a Introduction Worksheet, which basically covered stuff from the syllabus (she actually completed hers), taking screenshots (we will have to take pictures and label stuff, so she is wanting to make sure we know how to do that) and proving we have access (via more pics) of McGraw Hill/Learnsmart and APR and Ph.I.L.S. programs inside Learnsmart. Easy enough. It was also worth 15 points but has not been graded yet.

Learnsmart is a neat tool and I have used it before for Econ. You have the entire week to do it and you answer questions in it. A question will be provided and you can state that you 'know it', 'might know it' (or something like that), 'unsure' or 'no idea'. I always answer 'know it' and provide the answer (which is fill in the blank, multiple choice or a form of matching. You need to get about 80 questions right. If you miss a question, it will provide you with something easier. If you get questions correct, it will move on and try and give you more difficult questions. Once you answer all the way down to 0, you are done and earn your 15 points. If you do not finish by week end, you only get points equivalent to what you completed. There is really no reason never to NOT get your 15 points here. It is free points. If you are on a tough question, it will attempt to point you in the right spot on the e-book. Read the chapter, view the PP and get free points!

The Chapter 1 Lab Quiz was 5 questions worth 10 points. Easy quiz and got all 10 points.

I am pretty sure I got all the points for this week, as the introduction posts and replies are standard, and the intro worksheet was not difficult. Weeks points are 55 points and I am pretty sure I will get all 55 to start. There are a nice round 1000 points in this class.

Random:
This was a 'short' week and relatively easy week. No real reason not to get most/all the points from easy quizzes and discussion posts. Hopefully students took advantage of that. I am the only guy in the Chemistry class and 1 of 2 guys in A&P. Most of the students are headed down a Nursing path, but one other student replied to my intro and is also planning on Diabetes Education, so that is pretty cool. The instructor for the A&P class pushed all of Chapter 1 due dates to NEXT Sunday instead of tonight, w/o any explanation as to why. Most weeks modules are due each Sunday, with the exception of a Pre-Lab assignment for Chemistry which is due on Wednesday (not this last week though). I finished Chemistry on Thursday and A&P on Saturday so was able to have Sunday off. I did browse the PP for Chem chapter 2 though.

The plan for Module/Week 2 is to read Chapter 2 of Chem tomorrow and finish the Pre-Lab tomorrow night/Tuesday Night. Finish up the Pearson stuff and Quizzes Wednesday and start the lab. A&P will be started probably on Thursday with a goal of finishing again on Saturday.

I've mentioned these classes are online, right? Even the labs are. A&P labs are not that bad from the lab kit I received. There was a cow eyeball and a sheep brain in it and dissection kit and some safety stuff. Not a lot of stuff. Most the labs I think will really be actually ONLINE stuff and some sort of interactive things. There will be an actual dissection lab with pictures required. I might share them when I do them. For Chemistry, the lab kit was loaded with tons shit. Vials, and beakers, and gummy bears and chemicals and all sorts of stuff. There is actually a physical lab I need to do this week and will need to record some data. I will not be taking pics of that.

[Izulde]

Good luck with this! Going back is something I've mulled over myself, as finding a job has been impossible (unemployed since last May and still ongoing).

Having taught online classes, expect to have a lot of students not doing the easy BS stuff. In fact, I failed a third of my sections when I taught online - far higher than my real time courses (where the record is 5 of 25, or 20%). It's really easy for people to get distracted and not stay on top of stuff.

[jct32]

Wow another fellow nuke. I just finished my 8 years. I know you are old because you went to school in Orlando.

Do you develop diabetes during nuke school? I know they take your blood in boot camp so if you already had it they should of caught it there.

Anyways, as I posted in the other thread I'm also starting my college journey. I took 2 classes last summer online and they were hectic. They were a full semester class done in 4 weeks. I did those online while still doing duty days and my regular work. It was stressful.

I'm finding the classroom environment much more relaxing than that and honestly more fun since I have the chance to actually learn.

I'm taking a Chemistry I class which is probably similar to you Chemistry 101.

[hollmt]

Izulde:

Thank you. I've taken a few online classes before at my stint at Sinclair and they do take a little bit of extra discipline. I had it then and have much more of it now. Gaming got in the way even then sometimes. It does amaze me how many students do not pay attention and ask stupid questions i.e. , in the Chem class, where half the class apparently flipped out over the auto-grader and our Instructor clearly stated there were issues with it and that he would hand grade it. Another student in my A&P class could not find some links. She apparently didn't take the time to even look. I replied to her message and directed her to them. Others don't even follow a simple rubric on discussion posts. 250 word intros....150 word replies. Minimum. It isn't hard. Then they will bitch I am sure when they do not get full credit. Or they won't do the easy study plan modules WHICH ASSIST YOU and nearly hold your hand for free points. I would love to hear some of your stories from the other end of teaching online classes. I bet they are interesting.

JCT32:

Grats on finishing 8 years. Also thanks for telling me I am old!
Funny thing (or maybe not) about the diabetes. This was 20-21 years ago, so if I am fuzzy on all details, don't yell at me. At MEPS, I actually popped for passing sugar in my urine. They had me sit for 2-3 hours I think and then test again, after-which I was cleared.
I do not remember if they took blood or not in basic. If they did, nothing was triggered there. Either way I went through basic just fine or at least felt as if I was fine. I was a little tired, but didn't think much of it.
Got to Orlando and I believe we had a couple to 3 weeks before classes started. It was actually during that time that I got sick enough that I noticed. I ignored it etc. until I finally got it checked out.
So, I never even really got to start classes. I was just there in Orlando waiting to start.
I stayed in Orlando for awhile then Jax awaiting discharge.
Navy stated I had a pre-existing condition (which they apparently missed or at the very least didn't check enough when I passed some sugar in my urine), VA disagreed and stated that it was service connected. You can figure the rest out I think.

Long winded answer, I know.

In regards to school. I think I will be alright for the online portion of my A&P class, especially the labs. The Chem class, I have not yet decided if I regret that decision yet. Part of me wanted to take at least my labs with others in an actual lab setting. I can learn the material online but yes, I certainly agree, there is an extra element to learning it in a classroom setting. Next semester I have to have my first Bio class, and that is only in a classroom setting. I might take the Chem 2 class in a classroom setting as well when I take that in the summer or fall.

[Young Drachma]

Good luck!

[hollmt]

Did he quit already? Nope.

So, I am in week/module 4 and I was waiting for a bit to post until I got more grades in to report on.

Lets start with A&P101

I believe I covered module 1 and what I did. That module focused on Anatomical Positions and Orientation of the Human Body. I really enjoyed the chapter. I expected to do pretty well grade-wise in that module and did.
Intro Worksheet 15/15
Lab Quiz 10/10
Introduce Yourself Discussion Post 15/15
Learnsmart 15/15

Module 2 started diving into the chemical basis of life. I didnt enjoy the chapter as much, but grinded through it. So again, I had the typical Powerpoint presentation and some videos to watch. At least the videos are interesting. The lab for this module was an interactive lab dealing with the microscope and the parts and how to use it and then looking at interactive slides. Fairly neat stuff here in regards to being online and operting a 'microscope' and slides. I was having a bit of trouble zooming in on some stuff and did not make the wisest of choices to start my lab quiz before I got the hang of the interactive scope and only hit 9/10 on the lab quiz. I was running out of time and guessed on an answer and guessed wrong. Not a few minutes after the timer went off, did I figure out the scope problems. I needed some patience there. However, your lowest lab quiz gets dropped, so technically that score is not on the board.

Module 3 was even less fun than module 2 for me, but again, I grinded through it. This chapter dealt with Cells and Cell transport along with the main lab focus of osmosis and diffusion. The lab for this chapter was very fun and interesting though. It was a 4 day lab overall and many of you might be familiar with it....The Rubber Egg. Thankfully, I read the module plan on Monday, so I knew the lab required more overall time. This was a lot of data recording and picture taking. Egg goes in a vinegar bath for 72 hours and becomes a rubber egg. After that, it gets dropped in a corn syrup bath for 12 hours and shrivels up. After that it goes back in red dye water for 12 hours (i chose red, the lab did not call for it) and turns back into a red rubber egg. This lab wasnt a quiz and instead was a lab journal based on your results and osmosis/diffusion/active and passive transport/osmotic pressure/hypotonic vs hypertonic/ and some other terms and your understanding of them all and how all of it was used in the lab. It also graded you on spelling, grammar and proper citation and was worth 15 points. It has not yet been graded.

So far the other grades that have come through for A&P are:
Chapter 2 Learnsmart 15/15
Chapter 3 Learnsmart 15/15

Overall grade at the moment: 85/85. Seriously, the Learnsmarts, as I have mentioned before, are free points and I would be stupid not to get them. The quizzes havent been too hard to start. I think my journal was done fairly well (it also covered some interactive stuff from Ph.I.L.S and APR beyond the actual lab) but I have no idea how hard she will grade based on the rubric.

This weeks module is Exam #1 covering chapters 1-3. This exam is NOT proctored and is allowed open book and notes. I spent time over the first 3 weeks getting my stuff in order so I didn't really have to cram on that and have studied/reviewed a bit each night, 1) to know the material and 2) to know where to access the material for the exam as/if I need it. It is worth 100 points and I expect to get 90 or above on it. I believe it is graded immediately as it is multiple choice/matching. I will report afterwards.

There is also a midterm and final and they ARE proctored on campus. There is another non proctored exam later on in the course.

I will cover Chem in the next post.

[hollmt]

Chem 101 Module 1 was the Introduction to the Chemical World. Again, I believe I covered most of what I had to do in that class a few weeks ago. Grades have started coming in though and for Module 1:
Chapter 1 Mastering Assignment through Pearson 10/10
Chapter 1 Quiz 20/20
Chapter 1 Intro Post 5/5
Chapter 1 Lab Safety 20/20
Chapter 1 Orientation Quiz 9.5/10. This was originally a 9/10 but he upped the grade on me afterward. This was the quiz he flipped out on half the class for not reading that he had to manually grade because the auto grader was not grading correctly. Maybe I got an additional .5 points because I read the instructions...I dont know.

Module 2 dealt with Measurement and Problem Solving. This chapter dealt alot with Scientific Notation, Significant Figures and unit conversions. Quite a bit of math in this and a fun little lab as well. This was the first module where a midweek assignment is due (instead of everything being due before Sunday). Also, the lab on this was a 2 day lab technically. There was also 2 labs. The first lab was alot of measuring and weighing and converting. I measured and weighed a penny, weight units of water, weighed a graduated cylinder, measure a room, the width of a book, and lots of other shit and took pictures and reported on data and all that jazz. The other lab dealt with a gummy bear and measuring its width, depth and height to get its volume and then dropping that bear in water for 24 hours and doing it again and comparing the results. Not only did I have data to report on, but I had to answer some post lab questions. I took a lot of pics with label and even added a 'shown work' document which wasnt asked for. Nailed it and got 15/15 with a 'Great Job!!' comment from the Instructor.

Module 2 grades:
Chapter 2 Prelab questions 5/5
Chapter 2 Master Assignment 9.04/10. I was being stupid on some of the converting. I went over them a few more times for practice.
Chapter 2 Quiz 19/20.
Chapter 2 Metric Study Module 5/5
Chapter 2 Post lab and questions 15/15

Not a bad chapter overall. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would, especially the lab.

Module 3 dealt with Matter and Energy. Classifying it, types, separation of mixtures, differences between elements, compounds, mixtures, homogenous, heterogenous and all that good stuff.
Good chapter overall as well and I again enjoyed it. The lab was also pretty cool, and didnt take that much time overall. Took a sand and salt mixture, filtered it through to separate the sand and salt, which went into a erlenmeyer flask. Let the sand and filter paper dry overnight and then burned off the 10ml of water to leave the salt residue. I had already preweighed everything (started with 8g of the origial mixture) and then weighed the salt by itself along with the sand by itself and did fairly well there. The other lab was just answering some questions on different things from a chart to see if it was an element, a compunt or a mixture. And if it was a mixture then was it homogenous or heterogenous. I then had to come up with 5 more of my own, not already mentioned in the book or lab. Simple stuff.

Module 3 grades:
Chapter 3 prelab - not yet graded
Chapter 3 post lab - not yet graded
Chapter 3 quiz - 20/20
Chapter 3 mastering assignment - 9.08/10

Module 4 is dealing with atoms and elements and focusing alot on the periodic table, and how it is organized as well as isotopes, cations, anions and all that other good stuff you all care about and I should to...and I do. Honestly.

I have only read the chapter and completed the prelab questions. I browsed the labs and they wont be too difficult. One is just some measuring again and recording data and density and the other is finding out the mysterious substance. I will probably knock them out tomorrow after I get back from playing bball and my mind is ready to learn.

Overall grade so far in Chemisty is 146.62/150. I'll take it.

So 3.5 weeks into school and things are going better. I have changed up my study plan quite a bit from what I used to do.
I have nearly always lived and died by the 'study at night' routine and absorb that info while I sleep. But things have changed:
1)I like going to bed with my GF and not 3 hours after her. I also like spending time with her and her daughter in the evening and think those things are important for me to do with her.
2)I am getting older and cant stay up late anymore like I used to and find I lose concentration.

So, I have started getting up at 6, rowing 5000 meters and getting a 2 to 2.5 hours in before I leave for work. I still grab an hour in the evening if I need it. And I also study/read for a bit at lunch if I need. All in all, I get about 12-15 hours of study time M-F and can balance it with work and relationships and then on Saturday I spend half that day easily studying so that I can enjoy most if not all of Sunday. That might change as I need to study more, but if it does, it will start with me waking up earlier first.

[jct32]

Off to a good start!

I struggled a little early on but I rebounded well in my first midterms.

I find it easier to go to school before my classes and work on my homework then. That opens it up so I can spend time with my wife and kid at home during the evenings.

Glad things are going well!

[hollmt]

Been a bit since the last update, that I know you are all excited for.
Things are going well. Midterm time. Chem 101 midterm is tomorrow morning and A&P 101 Midterm is next Friday. A&P midterm was scheduled incorrectly by the instructor, so she actually extended it a bit (she has made lots of scheduling mistakes this semester and offered quite a few extensions). Either way, it benefits me for extra study time/dedication to both classes this week and next.

I think I am ready for the Chem midterm. Some things I was finding frustrating the first go round (mol/gram/atom or molecule conversion) really started to click this week in reviews and I figured out some memory tricks. Plus you know...practice. We are allowed to take/given the table of elements, some formulas (I have most memorized anyway) and some other information (polyatomic ion name list) and the soluble/insoluble combo chart for the exam. I have the table of element ion shit memorized in regards to the cations/anions and some other stuff so I can quickly jot that down on the periodic table when I sit down for the exam.

Funny side note. GF and I were watching 'Allied' last weekend and Nazi dude asks Brad Pitt the formula for Phosphate and I rattled it off along w/ the ionic charge and was all proud of myself for doing so. It's the little things, man.

I am sitting on a 98.5 % I think for the class so far. My goal for the midterm is a 90. 100 questions and 2 hours long. Ill know my score immediately, so I'll update soon after with that info and the rest of the chem course.

[JAG]

Good luck!

[Young Drachma]

Keep up the good work.

[hollmt]

So, the test was 63 questions. 5 questions from the easy chapter 1 (and they were worth the least amount of points) and the remaining 58 questions from chapters 2-7.

I struggled on the section I thought I would struggle on and will need to spend more time on that and that was the last half of chapter 7 dealing with molecular/ionic/acid/base/ reactions and all that jazz. Out of the approximately 9 or 10 questions from that entire chapter, I think I missed 4 of them. Overall, I missed 10 questions so I ended up with an 84%, which was below what my goal was, but I am still alright with the score. I missed 3 questions I should not have missed because I knew them and just brain farted them completely. Forgot to convert inches to centimeters on one density question, blanked on a acid question and actually one from chapter 7 that I really did know and failed to balance the product side correctly. It is the stupid mistakes that annoy me more than anything else.

So, not dissapointed overall. Overall grade is still around a 93-94% once he gets other stuff graded (labs, which I always do well on since I am pretty thorough). I will keep trucking and work on the stuff I had trouble with and just try and pay a little more attention on some other stuff.

[hollmt]

It has been almost a couple months. Lots going on with work and school. We had a big shake up at work and also a senior member of my team put her notice in recently and then promptly screwed up nosing into someone's outlook calendar (and an attached email she was not privy to) and was promptly fired. Also, I made a big decision regarding school and I will pass along that information when I know for sure the verdict.

I AM still chugging along though and have a 94 going into my AP final and a 92 going into my Chem final. But as mentioned, I might have some more news to share about other stuff soon and that will take this thread on a different and probably/hopefully a more exciting direction.

[hollmt]

Quite a bit has gone on over the last couple months. Spring semester went smoothly and I finished Chem and A&P with A’s.

So, from the last post, I had made a big decision on school plans. Around April or so, I decided to pursue another path, one that I had mentioned in a previous post that I had considered but put on the back-burner for a bit. Well, I decided it was the best option in the end and I applied to Nursing School to get my RN.

The process was quite annoying and busy and involved many things.
1) Getting my official transcripts reviewed and accepted
2) Taking and studying for the TEAS
3) Maintaining my grades
4) What would I do with work if I was accepted

First thing I did was start my application to see where I stood. I needed my high school transcripts, so I got those and uploaded to the school. Secondly, I had to have some pre-requisites to even apply. Math (done), English (done), Psychology (done) A&P101 (in progress). I got my college transcripts sent and reviewed and they accepted the Math and English, but stalled on the Psychology transfer. I waited. And waited. And finally they emailed back and stated that they were unable to accept the class since they could not find a syllabus at the school I took it from and unless I had a syllabus (from 15 years ago) or could get one, they would not transfer it in. It took me all of 10 minutes to call the school, and get a syllabus and also provide them a link that showed that school actually took their Psych equivalency as well. 2 days later, it was approved. So all pre-requisites were now approved.

Next on the list was my TEAS. The TEAS just covers English, Reading Comprehension, Math, and Science. Math is a strong suit and I did not practice too much here. I double checked my recollection of some basic ideas and formulas and practiced some, but overall it was a glancing pass. Reading is also a strong suit, and I felt comfortable here as well. English and me don’t always get along, probably obvious in this sentence. I forget a lot of the rules, so I spent some time on this and reviewed. Science was where I spent the majority of my time. The problem here was that I was only currently taking A&P 101 and Chemistry, but many of the questions were dealing with A&P 101 chapters I had not yet covered, A&P 102 chapters, which I would not be taking until summer semester, Chemistry stuff I had not yet seen as well as Biology I had long forgotten. I signed up for ATI, which I knew I would need anyway in the future if I was accepted and bought the practice tests, study guide, and also bought the pocket app for the TEAS and studied. And studied. And studied. Practice questions daily, while waiting in line, while at lunch, while sitting at my desk at work with a small break. Doing all of this while still taking my classes and maintaining my grades and work and life, kept me pretty busy.

While all of this was going on, I was still waiting on my Psych transfer. Had it not transferred, I decided that I would put my TEAS test off until later, take Psych over the summer and take the TEAS in September and apply then. Thankfully, as mentioned a bit ago, the transfer came in and I took the TEAS on May 3. The application deadline was May 18.

My practice tests had gone fairly well. Math and reading I was doing well on as expected, English fine and science was about 65-70%. However, you only had to be proficient or above overall, not in each category, so that helped relax me somewhat. I sat down to take my proctored test and Reading was up first. The first thing I had to read and subsequent questions, pissed me off and so I started the test negatively. A problem I have is that I can interpret things differently and sometimes a question can have multiple answers, but maybe just one is the answer they are looking for. I knew I was starting off badly and saw the timer ticking away and then started getting anxious. I finished the 47 questions (I think 42 counted) and moved on. Math was next. They were grouped in 5 or 6 questions per page. I answered, then double checked, and moved on through that part, and then did a quick back check. Done with much time to spare. Took a 5 minute piss and regroup break and sat down for English. Knocked it out and moved on to Science. I felt pretty good on the science portion and walked out. Got ready to submit my score and go see what I got.

77% on reading. WTF!!!! Exactly what I was not hoping for. I stressed myself out and wanted nothing less than a 90% here.
100% on math. Ok, I got my shit together, I wanted nothing worse than 95%
100% on English. Good, as I wanted nothing less than 90% here.
75% on science. Good, as I wanted nothing less than 70% here.

I shit the bed on reading, which was unexpected, but I stressed myself out and overthought too much I am sure. Overall grade was an 83%.
For the nursing application, after your pre-requisites, you need a certain GPA and then they basically take your TEAS score and add it to your class grade scores in A&P, English and Psych. I transferred in an A in English (worth 15 points), transferred in a B in Psych (worth 10 points) and needed a 72 on my A&P final to get my A. I got an 85 on the final and ended with a 91.4% in A&P. That transferred in 30 more points for a combined 55/60 points to add to my TEAS. So, I applied with 138/160. I chose the campuses I was interested in and chose Lawrence/Indianapolis as my #1 choice (which is the most competitive and most seats available) with Columbus #2, followed by Lafayette and Kokomo. All campuses I was willing to travel to and w/in 45 minutes, give or take.

On the day of application submission I almost talked myself out of flipping Indy and Lafayette, based on some scores I was seeing on Facebook Nursing page come through. Again, I was psyching myself out. I let it fly though and stuck with what I wanted.

May 25th was the 1st round of acceptance and email offers. Nothing came in by 9 a.m. and so I checked the Facebook page. Nobody else was getting anything either. At 9:06 a.m. I got an alert on my phone and received my acceptance. I let it sink in a bit, texted my girlfriend and told her first, then let a shit ton of weight off my shoulders.

Over the last 6 weeks, I have had 1 nursing orientation. 90 of us were selected to the ASN program out of 650 some applicants. I have knocked out all my requirements of CPR training, drug and criminal background, titers, vaccinations, couple quizzes on HIPAA, and other odds and ends. Got my scrubs ordered, other supplies I need, books etc.

This semester I took A&P 102, which is a co-requisite to the program and another stupid class for success in healthcare. I finished that class completely in 3.5 weeks. I still have 3 weeks left on the A&P 102 class, and all I have left here are 2 quizzes (one I cannot access until Monday, a Fetal Pig dissection quiz, one more discussion post and my final, which I cannot access until July 23rd and it is scheduled for that day). I currently have a 97% in that class and am officially pointed out and done with the other class as all stuff I need graded is graded and I am not participating in the last discussion post in that class, as I do not need the points.

What is going on with my full-time job? Well, I cannot do it full-time. I received my schedule for school last week. Monday classes from 9-4 straight with one hour lunch. Tuesday, Lab from 830-330 straight with lunch. Thursday, Clinical from 630-430. Thankfully, they need me at work for a bit and agreed to let me do part-time until the end of the year. I will work half a day Wednesday and a full Friday. Mostly, what is happening here is my team is dissolving (which was expected) and 2 of the girls are being absorbed on another team, and I will be going to a support team and training them on what I did and we did as a team that they will be taking over.

So, here I sit, a 43 year old, going into Nursing School. Of the 90 people in my class, about 15 are guys, which is decent. I think there is another guy around my age as well. There are women my age for sure. I am anxious to get started, but also want to enjoy these next 5 weeks as I also bought an engagement ring Sunday and plan on doing the proposal business here in the next couple weeks.

As for this thread, I had good intentions on it and still do. However, I do not think people really give two shits about me taking normal classes, and I realized nobody really wanted to know how I did on a test or what I was studying. However, if there is more interest on what a 43 year old dude is doing in Nursing School and what I experience in clinicals (that I can share) or labs or class, I will certainly continue to post more actively about my experiences as it has to be more interesting.

Also, sorry for the wall of text.

[MacroGuru]

Actually very interested.

I am 43 myself, turn 44 in November. I have been in sales for quite a while.

I have an associates degree in Comp Sci but I am tired of sales, and I am looking at going back to school, this time for something I love...so I am torn in between..

Do I hit the Environmental Science or Geology degree I want...or Do I go get my history degree and teaching certificate and go into teaching for the next 20 years so I can coach HS Football here.

[hollmt]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

Actually very interested.

I am 43 myself, turn 44 in November. I have been in sales for quite a while.

I have an associates degree in Comp Sci but I am tired of sales, and I am looking at going back to school, this time for something I love...so I am torn in between..

Do I hit the Environmental Science or Geology degree I want...or Do I go get my history degree and teaching certificate and go into teaching for the next 20 years so I can coach HS Football here.

This is exactly where I am at in my life. I work in Healthcare Tech, and have a history of retail management and other IT work and I am beyond doing that for the next 25 years. Not going to happen. When it comes down to it, I just want to be proud of the work I do and be happy doing it. Something worthwhile. And I am sure someone out there will say the job I do is worthwhile to someone, but really, to me, it is not. I can offer more than writing logic for some claim so you get paid faster.

If there is even an spark of you wanting to change what you do, do it. And if you have that support system at home, DO IT! Maegan is extremely supportive of me and my choice. It does help that we are financially stable and can afford me not doing full-time work for 2 years, but regardless, if the support system isn't there, it will make it harder I would think.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

Actually very interested.

I am 43 myself, turn 44 in November. I have been in sales for quite a while.

I have an associates degree in Comp Sci but I am tired of sales, and I am looking at going back to school, this time for something I love...so I am torn in between..

Do I hit the Environmental Science or Geology degree I want...or Do I go get my history degree and teaching certificate and go into teaching for the next 20 years so I can coach HS Football here.

Why not get the Environmental Science/Geology degree with teaching credential?

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Why not get the Environmental Science/Geology degree with teaching credential?

Because here is where I have that issue. I love Environmental Science / Geology but not to the point of teaching it. For History, I have such a love and passion, I can't stop.

My daughter, Maddie, she is a History Major and will get her teaching certs as well and it was my passion that drove her there. It's a major compliment to me. If I can change at least 1 kid a year with my love and desire for history...it is worth it.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by hollmt

This is exactly where I am at in my life. I work in Healthcare Tech, and have a history of retail management and other IT work and I am beyond doing that for the next 25 years. Not going to happen. When it comes down to it, I just want to be proud of the work I do and be happy doing it. Something worthwhile. And I am sure someone out there will say the job I do is worthwhile to someone, but really, to me, it is not. I can offer more than writing logic for some claim so you get paid faster.

If there is even an spark of you wanting to change what you do, do it. And if you have that support system at home, DO IT! Maegan is extremely supportive of me and my choice. It does help that we are financially stable and can afford me not doing full-time work for 2 years, but regardless, if the support system isn't there, it will make it harder I would think.

We have a guaranteed income with my wife's military retirement, and I will get $1000 a month towards school, which if I go to Utah Valley University is an extra $2k towards household finances every semester, which means I could work part-time if I wanted or still pull full time.

If I work full time, it will lead up to my student teaching, which is where I would have to quit and work part-time in the evening while doing that.

[hollmt]

So, obviously I couldn't keep up with this 'dynasty' with school and work and a newborn that popped out 5 months ago, but I graduate in 2 months.

All that is left is my capstone and then my NCLEX-RN certification, which I'll likely take in January.

Already started applying to some positions and have had a sit down interview for a position in the OR. As things slow down over the next 2 months, maybe I will update more, but probably not

Just thought I'd toss an update.

[Breeze]

Congrats...

[chesapeake]

Congratulations on the baby and your pending graduation!