{"id":43660,"date":"2019-11-05T11:17:07","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T17:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/?post_type=advice&#038;p=43660"},"modified":"2023-03-17T07:46:59","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T12:46:59","slug":"the-adult-student-checklist","status":"publish","type":"advice","link":"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/advice\/the-adult-student-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"The Adult Student Checklist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Have you been dreaming of pursuing a collegiate life but are unsure of where to begin? There are <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/advice\/what-are-the-costs-of-not-finishing-college\/\">so many reasons<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for you to earn a degree, so we at Abound want to help you make that dream come true! This checklist was designed to help you start\u2014or pick up where you left off\u2014on your college path! From improving your skills or knowledge to knowing where to look for easy-entry careers, this list will help answer your questions and guide you in the right direction with your next step toward higher education.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>THE CHECKLIST<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In order to start college, you will need either a high school diploma or a General Education Development certificate (GED). The GED is a high school equivalency exam used to show whether an adult who may not have completed from high school can still exhibit a graduate\u2019s expected level of proficiency. Visit the official <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ged.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">GED website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to learn more, or do a simple Google search to find resources and exam locations in your area.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Learn about the needs and career patterns for various jobs, and think about what career you might want to pursue. There are tons of resources to find this information, including the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s interactive <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mynextmove.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">career search<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> tool as well as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Occupational Outlook Handbook<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. You can also identify potential opportunities by visiting <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.careeronestop.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">careeronestop.org<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">or speaking with an advisor at a local community college.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Find the right school for you. As an adult, you\u2019re likely to have other responsibilities and time constraints to think about in addition to the classes you\u2019re considering. You want to find a school that offers not only the program you want, but also the class times and format that fits your lifestyle. <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/\">Abound: Finish College<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is an incredible tool for choosing schools, featuring a <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/colleges\/\">college database<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to help narrow down your options and get in touch with schools that are trusted and confirmed to be <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/about\/how-schools-are-selected\/\">Accessible, Affordable, Accelerated, and Advanced<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/advice\/resources-for-working-parents\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-45660 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/1128952289117221.VBANGbxnNDauIsOCnxPL_height640.png\" alt=\"Resources for Working Parents Going Back to School\" width=\"640\" height=\"134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/1128952289117221.VBANGbxnNDauIsOCnxPL_height640.png 640w, https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/1128952289117221.VBANGbxnNDauIsOCnxPL_height640-300x63.png 300w, https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/1128952289117221.VBANGbxnNDauIsOCnxPL_height640-610x128.png 610w, https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/1128952289117221.VBANGbxnNDauIsOCnxPL_height640-360x75.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you\u2019re looking to advance within your current field of work, speak to your previous and current employers for their opinion. And if you\u2019re changing careers, send an inquiry to professionals in your desired field for advice on schools that provide training in the skills you are looking to hone.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ask your current employer whether there are any programs or offerings that could aid in helping you pay for school. It can be intimidating to ask, but you might find it easy to persuade your boss with a <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/advice\/employer-assisted-tuition-8-strategies-persuade-your-boss-wes-creel\/\">clear strategy<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Visit the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.careeronestop.org\/toolkit\/training\/find-scholarships.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">scholarship finder<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to discover scholarships that can support your personal funding.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to apply for federally funded grants and loans.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meet with your desired school\u2019s financial aid staff to learn about your potential options for aid as well as how to fill out different forms. And, of course, you can find more <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/advice\/?topic[]=financial-aid\">tips and helpful guides<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on financial aid in our advice section.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, are you ready to kick off or continue your college search? Print out a copy of this blog to keep yourself on track, or share this blog with a friend or family member who is ready to take the next step, themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dashboard_icons_container\">\n<div class=\"et_bloom_shortcode_message\">\n<div class=\"et_disabled_textarea\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And always know that you can visit <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/\">Abound<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to learn about how to begin your college journey in pursuit of the <\/span><b>right college for you!\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><b>WANT TO EXPLORE FURTHER?<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Abound: Finish College<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> guides you through the complicated process of choosing a school, applying, and completing your degree. Start by taking a look at the <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/colleges\/\">schools<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> we trust and find the program that works for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Discover more about federal funding to pursue your education.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research federal income tax credits for education expenses to see how you can benefit from them.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>More Helpful Guides:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/advice\/tips-for-going-back-to-college-after-dropping-out\/\">Helpful Tips for Returning to College After Dropping Out<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/advice\/im-an-adult-wanting-to-finish-college-where-do-i-start\/\">I\u2019m an Adult Wanting to Finish College: Where Do I Start?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/advice\/?pt=2&amp;topic[]=thinking-about-finishing-college\">3 Reasons Why Earning a Degree Will Advance Your Career and Improve Your Life<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/advice\/how-to-choose-an-in-demand-degree\/\">How to Choose an In-Demand Degree<\/a><\/p>\n<h6><a href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/privacy-terms\/\">Disclaimer<\/a>: This article contains affiliate links to products and services. We may receive commissions for purchases made through these links.<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From improving your skills or knowledge to knowing where to look for easy-entry careers, this list will help answer your questions and guide you in the right direction with your next step toward higher education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":43661,"template":"","class_list":["post-43660","advice","type-advice","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","abound_advice_topics-finding-the-right-program","abound_advice_topics-thinking-about-finishing-college"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Adult Student Checklist - Abound: Finish College<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This simple step-by-step checklist is designed to help adult students start\u2014or return to\u2014their next step toward higher education.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/advice\/the-adult-student-checklist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Adult Student Checklist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This simple step-by-step checklist is designed to help adult students start\u2014or return to\u2014their next step toward higher education.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/advice\/the-adult-student-checklist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Abound: Finish College\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AboundDegrees\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-17T12:46:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/abound.college\/finishcollege\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/typewriter-1750268.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"5722\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"3376\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AboundDegrees\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/abound.college\\\/finishcollege\\\/advice\\\/the-adult-student-checklist\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/abound.college\\\/finishcollege\\\/advice\\\/the-adult-student-checklist\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Adult Student Checklist - 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