Over 25? How to Apply to College as an Adult Learner

When I taught first-year students at the University of Iowa, some of my favorite students were my adult learners. They already had so much of the emotional intelligence that my straight-out-of-high-school students were still developing, and they had general knowledge about the world that their younger counterparts also didn’t have. The more time you spend on Earth, the more you understand it, you know? My favorite part about those adult learners was their specific backgrounds—the military, service industry, and non-professional experiences like parenting. They brought that knowledge into the classroom with them. I always learned something, and that meant the other students were learning something, too. The classroom environment was richer, more diverse, and more thoughtful because my adult students were there. 

Applying to college as an adult can be seriously daunting. It can involve a ton of emotions, energy, and the courage to take a big leap into an even bigger unknown. I’m starting this article off by talking about the huge contributions my former “adult learners” (let’s be honest—anyone over 18 is an adult) made to the classroom for a specific reason. The first thing people over 25 benefit from when they’re thinking about applying to a traditional, four-year university is understanding just how much of an asset their age and experience are to their application.

Let’s talk about how to apply to college as an adult learner, what you need to know, and how to make your application a success. 

First things first: Adult learners, remember that your age is an asset.

Before you make your list of schools, before you compile your reach and safety schools, before you ask for a single recommendation letter, I want you to remember that your age is actually an asset in your application—and that you have every reason to be confident in what you’re doing. While you’re going to seek advice from lots of people on how and what to do as you apply (you’re reading this article, after all), and while it’s a great idea to do your homework, my best advice to you is to move from a place of confidence in your pursuit. 

Dr. Vicki Johnson, the founder of the academic and professional fellowship database ProFellow, is always reminding applicants to lead with confidence. She writes, “Asking others for their opinions on your chance of success is a way of talking yourself out of competing.” 

So, yes, compile some ideas about best practices and build a strategy, but don’t get too caught up in the whiplash of other people’s opinions. You are smart, you are deserving, and you are more than capable of going to a four-year university and succeeding. As long as you keep moving, you will! 

That brings us to the second step: it’s time to get clear on your goals.

If you’re an adult learner, building a personal strategy for how you’ll apply to college is essential. And the emphasis here is on the word personal. So, how do you do that? You take some time to get clear on your goals. 

As your guide on this journey, I’ve got a few questions to help you do just that. Take out a notebook and write out by hand the answers to these 10 questions:  

1) Why am I choosing to go to college? Why now?

2) What do I hope to gain by attending a four-year university?

3) What problems and ideas do I enjoy thinking about?

4) What fields of study do my authentic interests naturally lend themselves to?

5) What potential challenges will I face:

• a) In the application process? 
• b) At college itself? 
• c) After graduation? 

6) What can I do now to best prepare for those challenges?

7) In terms of taking care of myself:

• a) Who is my support system? Family, friends, animals, places? Name them. 
• b) What are my personal, spiritual, and/or mental health practices that help me in times of stress? 
• c) How will I incorporate those practices into the application process? Into my time at university? (This could involve literal time blocking in your calendar to make space for rest and wellness.)

8) What lessons have I learned from high school, previous attempts at college, or other periods of study in my life?

9) How will I apply those lessons to this moment in time?

10) What do I want to be able to say I did when I:

• a) Finish my college applications? 
• b) Finish my four-year degree? 
• c) Embark on the next phase of my life after graduation? 

Now, these are some pretty heavy-duty questions. There’s no doubt about that. So, break up the list into chunks if you need to. Answer them over the course of a week or two weeks. The point is that you answer them and lay out for yourself what you want, what challenges you face, and how you’ll reach your goals. 

Being clear and deliberate about what you want and what you need to do is the best way to start building your personal application strategy. Things can and will change along the way, so you’ll want to practice being resilient and adaptable, but having a path toward your goal will only serve you in getting there. 

Once you know what you want, the third step is creating your personal strategy to get there.

At this point, you’ve done the leg work to shore up your confidence and understand and outline your goals. Now’s the time to build your personal application strategy. How? Here are my best tips: 

1) Start this process as early as possible. College application deadlines usually happen over the course of the winter season. But it can take months of time to write, compile, and edit all of your materials. If you’re an adult learner who is also juggling a full-time job and/or a family, it’s even more important to leave yourself plenty of wiggle room. The sooner you start, the better off you’ll be! 

2) Use the information you gleaned from questions 3 and 4 above to understand what field of study you want to pursue. You might already have a good idea of what you want to study, but it doesn’t hurt to open up your imagination and ask yourself if your previous idea is still in line with your life goals. 

3) Once you have several fields of study you’d like to pursue, research which schools would be good to attend. You don’t need to attend “the best school for neuroscience in the county.” But maybe one of the universities in your city has a more comprehensive program than all the others. Maybe there’s a hybrid online/in-person program that lets you keep your current job while pursuing your degree. Or maybe there’s even a school with special programs for (or a higher population of) adult learners. Make a list of the schools that will help you reach your goals, as delineated in the questions from the previous section. 

Best Application Strategy for Adult Learners

1) Order your school list based on: 

• a) How difficult each school is to get into and 
• b) How much you want to attend. 

Are there any schools you’d like to cross off? Do that now.

2) Now, add to that list: 

• a) The application requirements (found on each school’s website), 
• b) The application deadlines, and 
• c) Who to contact for help. 

3) Add the application deadlines for each school to your personal calendar, and set reminders: 

• a) Two weeks from the deadline, 
• b) One week from the deadline, 
• c) And two days from the deadline (or whatever combination of reminders helps you). 

4) Start compiling your application materials. Common application materials include: 

• a) Transcripts. 
• b) SAT or ACT scores. This only applies if you’ve taken one of these tests and if your school requires them. If your desired schools don’t require them, you can choose whether or not you’d like to add those scores to your application.
• c) Your resume. Hint: Check out our helpful guide! 
• d) Letters of recommendation. Not sure whom to ask and how? We’ve got your back.   
• e) Personal statements and essays. Remember: the more you can tell a story that weaves throughout your entire application, the more persuasive your application will be. Use your essays to help accomplish that. 
• f) Make sure to double-triple-check each school’s required materials list. They might all be different, and they might all ask for different things from what I’ve listed here. Don’t miss the chance to show off your skills and abilities! 

This final section will represent the biggest “lift” in terms of time and effort. Realistically, you’ll be collecting years of your life. 

Step number four: You’ve planned your work. Now, work your plan.

If you’ve followed all the steps above, you have a robust calendar sequence of deadlines and reminders. You have a dossier of compiled application materials—or, you’re working to polish your personal essays and secure your letters of recommendation. The next step is to simply push “play” on the plan and start hitting “submit” on those applications. You got this! 

The fifth and final step: Embrace the chaos! Highlight what makes you great!

Oh, how you thought you were done, my excellent and hardworking applicant. But you’ve only just begun. 

In this “somewhat less conventional” approach to college applications, many adult learners might still feel a little bit unsure. Behind the eight ball. Decidedly unhip. Even if you’ve done all the work to shore up your personal confidence, it can still be intimidating to do something “less traditional.” 

Doubt may creep in. When the going gets tough, you might feel a dip in your self-esteem. You may ask yourself: why am I even doing this? You may be tempted to slam your laptop and never think about these applications again.

But I’m here to remind you of why you’re here, Dear Applicant!  

This is why I asked you to write about why you’re choosing to apply to college, why now, and what you want to get out of it. Revisit that journal entry. Revise it if you need to. Add to it! What’s at stake for you here? What will be different a year from now if you stick to the plan? What do you stand to gain by continuing on your path? 

I’m willing to bet that you stand to gain quite a bit. 

And I’m also willing to bet that you have quite a lot to contribute. Any college or university would be lucky to have you! 

As you compile your application materials and write your personal statements, remember what I said at the start of this article: as an adult learner, your unique experiences are a huge boon to any university classroom. So, what have you been doing that makes you stand out? Maybe you’ve been a volunteer firefighter and saved countless homes and lives. Maybe you became a mom, and you learned the beauty of selflessness. Or maybe you’ve dedicated yourself to working with animals, kids, your community, a restaurant, your country, your family, or some other undoubtedly worthy cause. Your story matters because it’s yours. And as you convince other people that you’re worthy of admission, you’ll be convincing yourself of the same thing. 

Final Thoughts

The bottom line is this: not everyone’s life path is one clean, simple experience. In fact, very few people live their lives that way, even if it seems like it from the outside. 

Experts have called this the “Chaos Theory of Careers,” and it simply means that you’re moving through your professional life in a way that isn’t totally linear. Maybe you’ve taken time off from school. Maybe you started in one career field and you want to change to another. Alternatively, maybe you never believed you could attend university before, and now, you’re taking the time to do it. 

It’s time to embrace the chaos! Your life, your story, and your abilities are far more interesting because they are diverse. The more you embrace the reality of your life, the more interesting and persuasive your personal statements will be. Don’t shy away from what makes you you. Use it to your advantage. 

When you’re ready, College Transitions is literally built to help you get into your dream school with targeted essay tutoring and application counseling. Get started with us today! 

Good luck out there, applicant! You have every reason in the world to apply to the school of your dreams—and we’re rooting for you to get in!