Back to school after 27 years and I need some input...

Good morning everyone - Let me give you some background info before I ask my question.

I dropped out of high school when I was 16 and had both my children before I turned 21. The thought of returning to school never occured to me (I lied about my diploma to employers and got by on experience), until I met my husband later in life (I was 35). With his encouragement and support I passed the GED in 2009.

I've been mostly unemployed since early 2010. So this summer I enrolled in community college and signed up for 2 classes (English Composition and Business Math). Because the summer term is short (8 weeks as opposed to 16), classes are twice as long, so I have class on Tuesday and Thursday and they are 3 hours each.

I find myself struggling for a number of reasons; My Math professor is exceptionally loud and very rude (we've lost 1/4 of the normies already), he openly belittles people and he gives us an insane amount of homework even before a test.
My English professor is nice however, she too gives us quite a bit of homework. Yesterday I had to post my first draft essay to our class discussion forum and other students have to give feedback based on certain criteria. This I did not anticipate... My other issue is that the majority of my classmates 18-20 years old and we have to work in groups. They don't do the work prior to class, don't follow directions, don't contribute to group work, etc.

On a side note - I am always the last one to leave class becuase I'm trying to finish in class work. I spend almost ALL my time outside of class doing homework. I don't procrastinate, I take notes, I ask questions. I get help if I need it.

I guess these are my questions:

1 - Will is get easier as I go? (Like exercise for the body) Or will I continue to struggle?
2 - Does anyone have any coping mechanisms/techniques/strategies to offer?
3 - Should I consider taking some online courses for Gen Eds?

There is one other thing - I'm taking Dopamax, ugh.

Thanks!

Depends on you. Some people do well online.

The biggest thing I suggest is going to class during the regular schedule when deadlines arent ontop of one another. It will be easier to manage your time thay way. Sometimes taking a m/w/f schedule is easier because lessons are more spread out. Talk to a counselor and see if they can help you create a schedule that works best for you in the future. Dont stack intensive classes during the summer. Stay in classes with professors you like -- the class doesn't need to be easy but you need to feel comfortable. There are usually multiple professors/grad students/and teachers for basic gen eds. Find the resources on campus and utilize them.

I just listed stuff. Hopefully something helps.

Thank you. I understand that it depends on me but I was wondering if people with BP did better online.

I was also wondering if it gets easier (like when you first exercise) or not.

I don't want to divulge my "medical issues" to a community college advisor. Besides, talking to them is like asking for school advice from a grocery store clerk. I needed help prior to summer session starting, so I went there (it seemed logical to me) and left scratching my head. I'm not the only person that feels it's a waste of time.

I thought if I took both classes on the same day it would give me the day in between to get homework done. Thursday isn't so bad, I have 4 days to do homework.

I wasn't aware of this professors demeanor until class started. I obviously wouldn't have chosen him had I known. Teachers and classes are very limited in the summer, fall will have a much wider range of options.

Where might I find the stuff you listed? Thanks again.

Does it get easier? Can't answer that one. For me school was only ever a challenge when I procrastinated so, needless to say, I developed the habit of procratinating during grade school and kept it up all through university. Even when I wanted to change, I didn't. Maybe I didn't really want to change though, the stress of writing a term paper and doing all the research two days before it was due was, fun in a fml kind of way. Basically, school made me develop some lazy habits growing up.

I was also good at writing tests and never studied for exams.

Profs though, I used to use a site called ratemyprofessor I don't know if it is still around.

Group assignments are awful... You can always talk to your instructor if someone isn't doing his or her fair share. In the few classes where we had group projects, there were always individual portions split up so you can be graded fairly. But, don't worry about grades. You're learnin' and stuff.

Go for teachers with good recomendations use "rate my professor" if to meet the teachers and find out there requirements BEFORE you sign up for classes it'll save you from jerks a lot. Get the accommodation that you need to. Check into the trio program. If you don't like classes with younger ages you could go after 5 pm because there is a lot more non-traditional students. For GE classes look into testing out if you can (ie. CLEP). Try one online class first. If you fail a class take it immediately next semester because repeated classes replace the grade of F.

I would take advantage of the disability program because it is do benefical. You get free tutoring with it too and you can also get extra time on assignments if you are experiencing mi problems among other things. (Even note taking if needed) Its a valuable assest and can make classes easier.

I used to register for 18 or 19 units and drop the classes I didnt like within the first week.

I think you will be fine after a while because its like your transitioning. First year is the hardest in terms of readjusting. Material never gets easier but depends on the prof. You can get all easy profs but that isnt fun.

Most traditional students are not as involved in general courses as they don't feel as invested in them... they are waiting for the courses in their majors to really get involved. So, group work in general ed classes will probably stay the way you have experienced this summer. For this reason, I would take them online if I could. For your majors, take traditional courses to get the most out of them.

Rate My Professor still exists (I found out this week) and it was pretty accurate about both of my professors.

I don't procrastinate about homework (It's funny how you view school when you're paying for it )

I am going to look into online classes and/or evening classes to finish my Gen Eds.

I truly appreciate everyone's input, thank you.

Your major question is, I think, is it more difficult to take courses online than in a
classic classroom situation?

My answer would be that bipolar illness is a mood disorder, not an intellectual disorder. I found the classroom the best choice in taking courses. You have to turn
off some nonsense in the classroom, but that's par for the course.

You're to be congratulated on continuing your education. It can only help in the long run for your security and self-satisfaction.

Genetic