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[quote=Anonymous]In January 1990 I enrolled as a 33 year old provisional status freshman at Penn State, University Park. I had four young children and worked full time nights as a PSU maintenance technician. I had been denied the traditional path to college after graduating high school.  I was raised on the world’s poorest farm with 9 siblings in a house without running water.  My parents did not recognize nor appreciate the value of higher education. Studies show that family emotional support provides the most positive influence for a student’s college success, and my support was strongly negative. I recall how my parents and older brother would tell me how stupid I was and how I would never attend college. (Especially sad as Pell Grants in the early 1970’s essentially paid for all a student’s tuition, especially at a state school. My father, however, as a product of the Great Depression refused to file the necessary financial forms for any of his children).

After many years struggling, working difficult, menial jobs at a fertilizer plant, driving a garbage truck, high rise construction in Minneapolis winters, among others, bouncing from one job to another, the opportunity arose at PSU.

I matriculated at Penn State in Spring Semester 1990. In May 1992 I graduated with a BS with honors, completing 144 semester credits in 2 years and a summer session, while working full time and raising a family. After many years of unpleasant, meaningless jobs, frustrated by life, I captured the full advantage of the opportunity. I lived without food, sex, or sleep during my college years but by the grace of God I earned that degree!

PSU changed many policies after I graduated, limiting the number of credits in which a student could enroll in a given semester. (I completed 28 credits one semester, and 26 credits each in 2 other semesters while working 40 hours per week. The most difficult, by far, though, was the 18 credits I completed Summer 1991.) Penn State also limited the employee tuition reimbursement, as no limit existed during my attendance., and now requires several signatures for an employee to enroll in a class.

I discovered that success in college depended on time management . Front load the semester’s work. First two weeks work diligently to complete as much of the semester’s work as possible, and keep working.

Never miss class.

Don’t ‘cram’.

Don’t enroll in easy classes.

Sit in the front row, take copious notes, be prepared with the day’s reading, and ask many questions.
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