As advisors, we receive many calls and emails from potential students. Here are a few thoughts and some things we have learned through the years we have been talking to students just like you.
What you might be feeling
LifeTrack students all have so much in common – a desire to learn, to earn a degree, and to prove something to yourself. But you also have self-doubt. We all do. Going back to school to earn your degree is a brave thing to do. Let us tell you first that you can do it. Think of where you are in life. Maybe you have a spouse and children. You pay bills and have a job. You have come so far from that 17-year-old kid you were in high school, haven’t you? You got where you are through hard work and a willingness to adapt and learn new skills. Guess what? Hard work and a willingness to learn means you are ready for LifeTrack.
What you might be thinking
We’re here to help you reach your potential and learn on. We’re here to guide and encourage you. Still, we know we will get a few dozen calls where some normally self-assured and productive people will say the following:
“I’m too old.”
Nice try, but we have had an 83-year-old man earn his degree through LifeTrack. We watched an even older student walk across the stage with a long beard and a cane to get his diploma. You’re not too old.
“It’s been too long since I’ve been in school.”
So you haven’t been in school for a while. That’s why the advisors are here; to help you through the stuff you may have forgotten. But again, we are certain that you are smarter, more knowledgeable and more worldly than the last time you were in school. Ever have to deal with the cable company, your insurance, a mortgage company or sign a rental contract? All that stuff seems a lot harder than what you’ll have to deal with here.
“I don’t know the new technology/computers/software.”
We don’t expect you to know how to program a computer or build a cell phone out of a bar of soap and some wire. All you need to know is how to use the Internet and send an email. The rest is thinking and doing the work.
“Is it a real degree? Can I get financial aid?”
Listen up. When you are in LifeTrack, you are a real student of The University of Alabama. You have access to financial aid and all the same services provided to other students. You will join thousands of other students earning a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences which is the largest college on the UA campus. Your diploma will be the same as all the students who attend The University of Alabama. You will walk across that stage and shake the university president’s hand. And most importantly, you will learn more than you ever thought possible.
We’re looking forward to talking with you and beginning this adventure together. Learn on!