Adult education is based on the idea that there is much more change in life than might meet the eye. Among the most successful people around are those who embrace life conscientiously, learn constantly, and wrestle with life’s challenges and opportunities with an intelligent and thoughtful enthusiasm. In other words, those who “make good sense a way of life.” Some individuals have a natural curiosity and interest in ideas and things new. They enjoy learning and are easily comfortable, even happy, with change and growth. Others, however, seem to learn, grow and change only by being sort of “dragged through” life. They tend to have less of an appreciation of the somewhat exciting dynamics that growth and change present. Theoretically, adult education is good for everyone. But, only those who relish life will likely enjoy it.

Adult education — sometimes referred to as “on-going education” — might resemble classroom learning in that you may register for, pay for, and attend a presentation or seminar in a formal classroom setting. But, very likely an adult education offering is shorter than courses of study at a high school, technical school, college or university. Each session is more “bite-sized” and is measured in clock hours rather than months or semesters. Usually anything resembling “homework” is optional and without any graded test or exam at the end of the session. Generally, the topic is very specialized and is intended to be informative, practical or insightful rather immediately. The purpose for each adult education opportunity is usually very specific and evident. At the end of the session, you leave with information usable almost at once.

Almost any topic is worthy of adult education status because in 21st Century society an ever increasing awareness is a requirement for responsible participation and effective decision-making. Life planning, political issues, health and medical issues, life-style issues, how-to-do-it items, household management, business management, time management, physical self-care, philosophy, religious ideas, culture and the arts, and just about anything else can be included in fruitful adult education presentations. And, while sometimes “a little learning is a dangerous thing” (for learning is like money or power, much depends on how you use them), you can only begin serious learning from the beginning of the issue or idea. You must risk learning only a little before you can successfully learn a great deal. There is no 3-hour seminar which will make you competent to practice law or medicine, a 3-hour presentation can effectively help you learn more than you knew before. Thus, you can more reasonably and intelligently engage in a useful professional legal or medical consultation.

If “ignorance is bliss,” then ignorance can also become very dangerous and expensive. Adult education is a great modern remedy for ignorance. It has been said that once one stops learning and thinking, one has effectively “died” intellectually. Adult education is a great preventative measure for an intellectual “premature death.” Everyone can do this. And it can be (in fact, it should be!) very enjoyable, even down right fun!

Adult education opportunities are offered by schools and school districts, colleges and universities, professions and industries, and by private adult education companies. Some are free of charge and some cost a moderate tuition. A quality adult education presentation is always worth much more than it’s price. Search the web for “adult education” and similar key words and phrases, and you’ll likely find a whole host of opportunities to live intelligently and insightfully.

The SAT and ACT: The spring of your junior year is an excellent time to take the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT. You’ll get your scores in plenty of time to use them in your college selection. If your scores match those of students who were recently admitted to your target schools, you can rest easy and turn your attention to other application tasks. If your scores fall below that mark, you’ve left yourself plenty of time to take the test a second time.

SAT Subject Tests: A number of selective schools either require or encourage applicants to submit scores from 2 or 3 SAT Subject Tests (formerly known as SAT IIs) in addition to their SAT or ACT score. Look into the requirements for your target schools now, so you’ll know what tests you need to take, and then visit the College Board website to find out what dates you can take the tests on. SAT Subject Tests are given on most, but not all, of the same test dates that the SAT Reasoning Test is given on. Not all Subject Tests are available on all test dates.

Each SAT Subject Test is one hour long. Although you can take multiple tests on a single day, you might find it less stressful to take just one or two tests at a time. If you can, it’s a good idea to take at least some of your Subject Tests this spring. The material you’re being tested on should be fresh in your mind from your classes, and you’ll leave your summer and fall weekends free to work on other parts of your applications. (Don’t forget, though, that you may also have to take AP or IB exams in May.
Don’t schedule yourself for too many major exams at one time.)

Class Selection: It’s not too early to start thinking about what classes you’ll take in your senior year. Your first-semester classes are especially important because they will be listed on your transcripts and mid-year reports. Of course, admissions committees like to see high grades – but they also like to see proof that a student is curious and has sought out challenging courses. That doesn’t mean that you have to load up on every AP or IB class that’s available to you. On the contrary, there’s a good argument to be made for deciding how much time you want to put into AP and IB coursework and then taking only as many classes as you feel comfortable with.

School Selection & Visits: You’ve probably been researching schools for some time now, at least informally. Now is the time to get serious. You want to come up with a list of 8 to 12 schools that you would be happy to enroll at, including ’stretch’ and ’safety’ schools.

If you can, use this spring or summer to visit your top-priority schools. There’s nothing like a campus visit to give you a better idea of what it might be like to actually attend a particular school. Let the admissions office know you’re coming, especially if you’re visiting a smaller school. Having a record of your visit could help you when admissions decisions are made. Schools prefer to admit students who show strong interest in them, and a campus visit is one way of showing your interest in a school.

Essays: All selective schools require applicants to submit one or more essays as part of the application package. Look at the requirements for your target schools. Start thinking about topics for your essays and jotting down your ideas months before your application deadlines. Essays can be the most time-consuming part of preparing a college application – but good ones can pay off by setting you apart from the many other applicants with grades and test scores similar to yours, and by convincing an admissions committee that you are someone they want as a student at their school.

Application Deadlines: Start thinking now about what schools you want to apply to, when. Most Early Action and Early Decision deadlines fall on November 1. Regular admissions deadlines often fall on or around January 1. Although public universities with rolling admissions continue accepting applications into the spring months, it’s advisable to submit your applications well before that. With today’s large and well-qualified applicant pools, many state schools fill all of the available spaces in their freshman classes long before their final deadlines. This past year, several of the more selective state universities (including Penn State) advised high school students to submit their applications by the school’s priority deadline (which is November 30 in Penn State’s case).

Students with very low incomes almost always get a range of financial incentives. Poorer students can get Pell Grants of up to $5000, need based aid from their institutions of higher learning, state based grants, work-study grants, and low interest loans.

Middle class students also qualify for financial aid. They too can get grants from their states and from their colleges or universities. Other forms of aid for middle class students include loans and work study programs.

Who qualifies for financial aid includes the top wage earners as well. Wealthier students are often surprised that they too often get aid when they apply for it. Whether it is grants from the school or non-subsidized loans from the government, the price of college can be discounted even for wealthier students.

You shouldn’t overlook merit based aid when you are asking the question of who qualifies for financial aid either. Scholarships come in many forms. Students with good grades and high test scores can get academic scholarships. Athletes can often get aid in exchange for playing on teams. Musical and dramatic students can get arts based grants. And, there are a variety of “odd” aid packages including scholarships for left handed people and scholarships for red heads.

Almost everyone is able to get some reduction on their tuition by just applying for the various programs available. Who qualifies for financial aid? Maybe you!