Getting Ready for School

I have been wanting to go back to school for a few years now. We've never had the money, and I've always had too much else going on. Well, I will have 2 in school full-time now (Kindergarten & 1st grade) and a 3rd in school part-time (Pre-K). I will just have the baby home now.

My dh is counting the days until the baby is in school full-time (4 years from now), so that I can go back to work. Well, I am a bookkeeper/office manager, but by the time my baby is in Kindergarten, I will have been out of an "office environment" for 10 years. I've been doing bookkeeping in my home for the whole time, (plus I sell Pampered Chef) but I am not sure that employers will count that. So, I don't want to have to go back to entry-level.

I want to go get my transfer work done at the community college so it will be cheaper, and I can then transfer to a 4-year school.

I am trying to brush up on my SAT vocabulary so that I can re-take the exam in October. I made a 1260 on it back in 92, which isn't too bad, but it's changed a lot since then. I don't know if the universities will accept my old scores. I was afraid I wouldn't remember any of the vocabulary, but I think I remember more than I thought I would. I am trying to memorize 20 words per day, but I already know about 15 or so of the words from every list, so it's really only like having to memorize about 5. It will be much easier than I thought.

Also, I need to brush up on my Math & Writing. It's been years since I've had to do any math other than routine math for our budget and at the grocery store. I don't even have to calculate the per ounce cost anymore to compare prices...Wal-mart has it already on the sticker. As far as writing, well, email and blogging have been about it since I took a few semesters of community college I took right after high school. So I have a lot of work to do.

I will probably take the SAT at least twice, so that I'll have some scores to pick from. Hopefully, I'll do okay. I've taken the SAT question of the day on http://www.collegeboard.com/ two days now (yesterday and today) and got them both correct. So between that and remembering most of the vocabulary, maybe that's a good sign. I hope tomorrow they do a math question.

I tried applying for financial aid last year, but my local community college said that I had too few classes to qualify, even though I met the eligibility requirements. That made no sense to me, since they accept kids right out of high school with no classes. I told them I couldn't afford to go to school without financial aid. So, they told me to take a few more semesters of classes and maybe then I'd qualify (the curriculum is only 4 semesters long, but could be completed in 3). That made even less sense to me.

Anyways, I'll be trying this fall with a different college, maybe that will work. If I get FA, I intend to go full-time by taking internet courses. If I don't get any FA, I'll probably only be able to take one class, each class is $40/credit hour (so $120-160) plus the cost for each book is anywhere from $50+.

I will be praying for the means to go to school. I've always wanted to, but I didn't have the money to go when I graduated high school (except a couple of classes).

I have a plan already mapped out of what I need to do to get ready.

• File a FAFSA for financial aid
• File an application for the Community College
• Register for the SAT
• Pick my classes that I want to take
• Study for the SAT

Here are today's SAT vocabulary words:

• abhor-hate
• bigot-prejudiced person
• counterfeit-fake
• enfranchise-give voting rights
• hamper-obstruct
• kindle-to start a fire
• noxious-poisonous
• placid-peaceful
• remuneration-payment for work done
• talisman-lucky charm
• abrasive-rough
• bilk-defraud
• covert-undercover
• engender-cause
• hangar-garage for a plane
• knotty-complex
• nuance-something subtle
• plagiarism-taking credit for someone else's writing
• renown-fame
• tangent-going off the main subject

Have a blessed day. I'm off to fill out my FAFSA. ~Cherylann