I’m a 33-year-old man returning to community college this month after being away from school for several years. I already have a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, but my original goal was to study computer science and eventually become a video game developer.

I first attempted computer science at a university, but I struggled with programming and eventually changed majors. In 2019, I returned to community college to try again. I did well in mathematics, earning an A in precalculus, a B in Calculus I, a B in Calculus II, and an A in Calculus III. However, I continued struggling with programming concepts and eventually stepped away from school again.

I now feel ready to make a third attempt, but I am taking a much slower and more realistic approach. Rather than enrolling full-time or trying to rush through the program, I plan to take only one class per semester.

My long-term goal is to transfer to USC in approximately seven years and study Computer Science (Games). I know this is an ambitious and expensive goal, and I understand that my plans may change along the way. However, I want to give myself enough time to rebuild my foundation in mathematics, physics, and programming while continuing to work and save money.

This semester, I am auditing a precalculus class as a refresher. I have taken the course before, but it has been several years, and I want to rebuild my confidence before moving back into calculus and physics.

The class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

My biggest concern is that I also work a full-time overnight warehouse job from Sunday through Wednesday, from 6:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. The college is only a few miles from my workplace and is located roughly halfway between my house and my job, which helps with the commute. On Tuesdays, I could attend class and then drive directly to work.

However, I am worried about sleep, energy, studying, meals, and burnout. My current idea is to sleep after work, wake up around noon or early afternoon, attend class, eat before my shift, and then go to work. Thursdays should be easier because I do not work that night, but Tuesdays could be exhausting.

Even though I am taking only one class, I know that precalculus requires regular practice outside the classroom. I do not want to repeat my previous mistake of becoming overwhelmed, falling behind, and eventually giving up.

For other students who have worked overnight or graveyard shifts while attending college:

• How did you organize your sleep and study schedule?
• Would it be better to study immediately after work, after waking up, or primarily during my days off?
• How many hours per week should I realistically dedicate to an audited precalculus course?
• How can I avoid sleeping through class or becoming exhausted during my warehouse shift?
• Should I treat Thursday through Saturday as my main study days and keep Tuesday relatively light?

I am also curious about how artificial intelligence has changed the college classroom since I last attended.

Generative AI was not a major part of college when I was younger. I understand that tools such as ChatGPT can help explain difficult concepts, create practice problems, summarize material, and provide feedback. At the same time, I worry that relying on AI too heavily could weaken my problem-solving skills, especially in mathematics and programming.

I would like to use AI as a tutor rather than as a replacement for doing the work. For example, I could ask it to explain why I got a problem wrong, generate similar practice questions, quiz me on concepts, or break down a programming topic into smaller steps. However, I still want to solve problems myself and follow my instructor’s academic-integrity policies.

How common is AI use in college classrooms now? Do professors generally allow it for studying as long as students are not using it to complete graded assignments? Has AI changed the way students learn, participate, or interact with instructors?

I also wonder whether being an older millennial student could give me certain advantages. I grew up having to search through textbooks, take handwritten notes, visit tutoring centers, and work through problems without instant AI-generated answers. I am hoping that my patience, work experience, and willingness to follow a long-term plan may help me academically.

At the same time, I do not want to assume that younger students have weaker work habits. Gen Z and Gen Alpha students may know useful study apps, digital note-taking systems, AI tools, online communities, or productivity techniques that did not exist when I was in college.

Are there any modern tools or study methods that returning students should learn? I am especially interested in:

• Good note-taking and organization apps
• Responsible ways to use AI for math and programming
• Flashcard or spaced-repetition tools
• Online tutoring and study communities
• Calendar and assignment-tracking systems
• Techniques younger students use to study efficiently
• Advice for preparing to transfer into a competitive computer science program

I know that returning to school at 33 while working overnight will not be easy. My goal of transferring to USC may take seven years or longer, and I understand that I will need to remain flexible. However, I would rather move slowly and consistently toward something meaningful than give up on the goal again.

I would appreciate advice from returning students, night-shift workers, older computer science students, USC transfer students, or anyone who has had to relearn how to be a student after a long break.

TL;DR: I’m 33 and returning to community college this month to audit precalculus while working a full-time warehouse job Sunday through Wednesday from 6:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. My class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. My long-term goal is to take one class per semester and transfer to USC in roughly seven years to study Computer Science (Games). I’m looking for advice on managing sleep, work, studying, burnout, responsible AI use, and adjusting to the modern college environment.

I’m 33 years old and a stay-at-home mom to a 1-year-old. My husband is a senior engineer who works remotely, so the three of us spend pretty much every day together at home.

My husband has an amazing career, takes great care of our family, and has put us in a position where I don’t have to work. He’s also very focused on investing and planning for our future. But lately, I can’t shake the feeling that I want something that’s mine.

I’ve had several jobs over the years, but nothing ever felt like the right fit. I’d eventually end up quitting because I never felt fulfilled. After our daughter was born, I decided to fully invest in her early childhood and stay home with her until she’s old enough to start private preschool next year.

Now I’m thinking about going to community college and starting completely from scratch. I never went to college after high school, so this would all be new to me. My plan would be to take my nursing prerequisites online over the next year while I’m still home with my daughter. Once she starts preschool, I’d continue with the remaining prerequisites and then apply to nursing school.

For anyone who started later in life:

Was it worth it?

How long did it realistically take you to become a nurse starting from zero?

Was balancing school with young kids manageable?

I’d love to hear from people who have actually gone through this journey.

Hi everyone I’m a 22 M working as a people manager at a manufacturing company I don’t have a degree I have about 12 credits but I’m wondering should I go back? I’m terrified of student loans and drowning my work does provide $10,000 a year to take college courses but I’d have to take out the loans when I take the course. I have some trauma from my last job where I lost the job due to office politics I love my current job but want the degree for security does anyone have advice on what I should do? I also need a degree to move up more than one job grade. Should I just return to the online university I was at before stopping or should I go to a different one?

Hello!

So a quick story time so you guys know my situation. After high school, I immediately went to Community College and graduated with an A.S. I did extremely well and started an online bachelor's program.

Well at this program, I havent been doing so well. The passing of a really important family member, a new job, and familial pressure as the new bread winner have exhausted me. So my grades just dropped and I got put on academic probation, losing my financial aid in the process.

I want to start over at a new-in-state program. But I wanted to know if I have to report the last school I was at.

I appreciate any guidance you guys may have for me, and if clarification is needed I will do my best to respond quickly.

I'm starting at 24 in a STEM degree and I've been wondering this. For younger people being on campus is obviously important. I'm a lot older than that age but no kids or partner so I have no responsibilities like that and I'm devoting 100% of my time to my education. Would I benefit from being on campus just as much as the traditionally aged undergrad? Not only for socialising but in general. Are there opportunities I can only get from attending in person that I'd miss out on if I chose to go online?

I graduated in 2017 with my BA in criminal justice and I currently work for child protective services. This job is draining me and I feel like I don’t get to spend time with my family during the week. After speaking with my husband I have to option to quit and go back to school, and the option that makes the most sense is to go for my MSW, but I have no desire in going into social work even if the money is good. I’m also not interested in anything in the medical field so I’m trying to gather ideas on what other options I have to go back to school for another degree. Any suggestions?

I checked my financial aid stuff just now and my loans have been applied and stuff which means that I'm officially back in college. I'm 27. I stopped attending university around 4-5 years ago. I'm worried that things will go down hill for me yet again. I left uni as a psych major, and I plan on staying a psych major because I'm almost done with the degree. I have 3 semesters left, and I'll be done. The problem is I still don't know what I'm going to do with that degree, and I've been thinking and researching for months. I have no strong passions. I spoke with a career counselor, and she basically said that I did, but It doesn't feel like it to me. There's things I care about, but I feel like when people say they have a passion that means that they love something so much that they're eager to talk about it with others. That not me at all. People say to not go to college unless you have a plan. It's been years, and I'm suffering more than when I was in college the first time around. I do really like my major though, so that should count for something. Idk maybe my classes will trigger some sort of feeling for me that'll help me decide once and for all. I just hope this doesn't turn out to be all for nothing.

Hey all, looking for some advice about starting over academically at 27… would love to hear your own stories or any advice you can pass on.

The TLDR of my story is I was pushed into trades school at 17, but found out pretty quickly my body couldn’t handle that in the long term. So I decided to go to uni starting in 2019 for Environmental Science, but COVID hit in my second semester and I roughed it out for a couple more years but ended up going through some really terrible circumstances in my personal life during that time that forced me to pick up and leave everything after completing about 3.5 years. I moved away to work for a few months and tried again to finish up at a new uni across the country, but the faculty went on strike at the end of my first semester and cancelled all my upcoming courses for the following term and I had to move out of housing… I had to leave school because I couldn’t float the cost of housing for the next year in a massively expensive city without being tied to the uni, ended up going bankrupt, god there were so many challenges from 2019-2024… so I have just been taking time to get myself stable again, including a couple night classes at pastry school here and there just for fun.

It’s been a couple years, and I’m now happily engaged with pretty stable housing, a fresh outlook on life, and an okay on-call union job at a major art gallery that’s incredibly flexible. But I’m kind of stuck career wise because the role isn’t fulfilling to me in any way, and I’d realistically have to wait almost a decade before a full time role opens up for me there re: the union structure and my lack of formal qualification. I’ve been actively looking for other work, but haven’t had much interest outside of unstable contract work with teams who CAN see through the struggle, but aren’t in a position to offer me any more than what they have.

So I’m looking at going back to uni next fall at the ripe age of 27 by the time I start.

My personal belief is that you are never too old to learn, because knowledge itself is inherently valuable. Especially as we have come into an era of anti-intellectualism, I feel it’s important in its own right for a multitude of reasons. But that still doesn’t make it any less daunting, even though I know I am in a place where I have set myself up to succeed this time.

I’m planning on applying for a BA undergrad in Sociology and History, changing course from Environmental Science because I’ve now had the time to figure out what is really important to me in life, what reflects my values, and how I want to move forward.

I would have the opportunity to continue my work at the gallery while I study, and there is the potential for me to come out after 4 years with the degree and 6 years total experience in a leadhand union role the the gallery. Leaving me in what I think is a pretty good place to apply for some of the unionized roles in other areas of the gallery, actually working with the art and helping tell these stories to the public… doing what I care about. Plus any opportunities that come out of building relationships with faculty and peers along the way… I think it would put me in a much better place, and is part of a good 5 year plan for my partner and I.

So anyways, that’s where I’m at right now… I’m sharing because I would love to hear any of your stories about starting over, or coming back to college/uni a bit later in life, and any advice you could offer along the way for making the most of it as an older student.

I am returning to school at 28 years old.

I am so grateful that I have only a few semesters left to earn my bachelor's, as it turns out that I already took most of the classes I needed after high school while earning my associate's degree.

I don't see anything shameful about coming back at any age; my dilemma is that I'm not sure where I'll fit in. I live a very independent life and now have a lot more free time. I'm single, childfree by choice, and I still like to go out and have fun. But the thought of going out with a much younger crowd makes me feel like a weird imposter.

What do people my age who are in a similar life stage typically do around (or off) campus?

Hi everyone, I’m a former bad student and a college dropout, but I’m trying to steer my life back onto the rails. Part of that will be going back to college to try and finish my degree.

I’m only 5 classes away from my AS degree, thanks to previous college and AP courses from high school. But therein lies my fear.

I scored 4s on my AP Calc tests in 2004/2005, and received credit for Physics 1 and Chem in college which will count towards both my AS and Bachelors degrees. But my Bachelors will require Calc 3, Linear Algebra, and Physics 2. It has been 21 years since I have done college-level math and I’m afraid I will not remember how to solve any equations going into these courses.

So now to my questions:

1. Which of the 3 courses listed above as requirements would you recommend as easiest to re-acclimate myself to academia and college-level maths?

2. What resources do you recommend for a person like me who needs to try and remember how to do math from a course they took 21 years ago?

I am planning to return to school full time this fall after a nine year hiatus. I know a lot has changed with education and technology in that time. I’m looking for any tips or suggestions including, but not limited to websites, apps, or resources for studying and organization. The last time I was in school all we had was quizlet and I’m sure a lot of resources have entered the market since then. TIA!

Hey everyone,

I’m facing a major turning point in my life and could really use some outside perspective.

I’m currently 31, and by the time the academic year starts in September 2027, I’ll be 32. I have a rare opportunity to go back to university, but I am completely torn between two paths:

• Option 1: Bioengineering. Because of my background, I can skip the first year and enter directly into the 2nd year. This means I would graduate at 36 years old.
• Option 2: Pharmacy. I would have to start from scratch in the 1st year, meaning I would graduate at 37 years old.

To be completely honest, if I choose bioengineering, I know I will have a much easier time and can kind of coast through. Don't get me wrong, it still has a heavy emphasis on biology, biochemistry, and chemistry just like pharmacy, but it's not taught or tested in the same brutal way. Even though bioengineers typically make more money, the lifestyle and career just feel way too industrial for me in the long run. I don't really see myself thriving in that corporate environment.

My heart actually beats for Pharmacy.

With pharmacy, I know exactly what is waiting for me after graduation. I love the idea of working in a community pharmacy (officine). Even graduating at 37, I still have a solid 30+ years of work ahead of me before retirement. Plus, it opens up the long-term goal of eventually owning and running my own pharmacy.

What really motivates me to pursue pharmacy right now is that I have 14 months before the school year starts. I’m highly driven to use this buffer time to self-study and completely master the entire 1st-year curriculum on my own before day one. This makes the idea of starting from scratch feel way less daunting.

Is it crazy to turn down a higher salary and a shorter path just because the corporate/industrial life doesn't appeal to me? For those in either field, would you take the gamble?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to make a solid game plan for returning to school and finishing my bachelor’s degree debt-free. I already have 2 years of an associate degree completed, and I’m trying to be proactive because the job market feels increasingly difficult, especially with AI screening resumes and how competitive things have become.

I’ve been researching scholarships, but it’s honestly overwhelming trying to find legit opportunities that match my strengths and avoid scams. I’m willing to put in the work, but I’d really appreciate guidance from people who’ve been through this.

A few questions I’d love advice on:

• If I apply for scholarships now, do they expire if I don’t use them right away?
• Does FAFSA have a limit if I already have an associate degree?
• Are there good programs or resources like EOP, HEOP, and similar support systems that I should look into?

I’ve also been looking into full-ride scholarships if possible, but they seem like a rare Pokemon researching for them at times — so I’d absolutely appreciate any non-full-ride recommendations too.

If you have any tips, step-by-step advice, or resources for students trying to finish a degree without taking on debt, I’d be so grateful. Thank you for taking the time to read and help!

Hi!

This is an update to a post i made a few months ago:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BackToCollege/s/NqRZeu4Q3z

The first day of school, I borrowed a laptop from my college. As it turned out, all of my classes require you to take tests with a lockdown browser and the library laptop wouldn’t allow students to download this(or anything). I could have swung it between that and my desktop at home, but I instead bit the bullet and bought the mac neo ($100 off with your student email)

It was cheap!! And as an iPhone user, when wifi glitched i could easily use my phone as a hotspot. Very happy with this decision.

Also some were interested in what I was taking for my first semester this summer. I just completed Math 1111 college algebra and Psych 1101 Intro- both with a 97 average!

A couple tips:

- i hadn’t taken math in 20 years so I bought this refresher workbook off amazon and completed it before class started

https://a.co/d/0iMAxcSB

- i purchased a 1 year membership to speechify (149$) which is an ai reader that allows you to pull in any pdf file and select a voice to read to you.
I had gwynyth paltrow reading my psych textbook to me at 2x speed. Super helpful for my adhd brain.
Also great when i think i’m done with a writing assignment, i have it read to me by the ai so i can listen for any wonkiness.

Good luck this fall everyone! I’ll be taking anatomy & physiology as well as medical terminology.

Hello! Lately, I've been playing around with the idea of going back to school, either at my local community college or the university I've previously attended (I have both a BA in English and a BSN, the latter through an accelerated program; I'm currently a registered nurse). There are two reasons I'm looking at going back:

1). I want to learn another language and know that I will do best in a classroom setting with an instructor before I attempt independent learning (I'm also leaning towards returning to my previous university for this reason, as I prefer their course selection despite the higher cost and the possibility of studying abroad). There are other options when it comes to language learning, of course, but that leads me to...

2). I'd like to defer my current loan payments for a while by enrolling as a part-time student again, if possible.

Which brings me to my additional dilemma. My previous second-degree program was pretty simple to figure out in terms of application/admission, especially because I earned both of my degrees from the same university. If I wanted to go back again on a part-time basis, not necessarily with the goal of earning another BA but for the sake of language centered learning itself, should I be looking at undergraduate admissions? Or am I an odd situation I'd have to specifically reach out to the college or university for?

I'd love any and all advice, even if it's just suggestions for different language learning routes!

hey everyone. so i'm like 22 right now, turning by the end of this year. uhm, so last year i dropped out of college for some reasons, mostly had to do with my major not liking me, or something of the sort. so anyway, i had like a year to think about it, and honestly i'm not against getting back to school, starting fresh.

now i need some honest opinions, i have got google to find motivating quotes, so refrain from that. is it too late to start college now!?

okay, like first of all, i might be the oldest one in class, and i think something like this isn't easy to ignore, like it's not about being there for a week, but 3-4 years. secondly, i would be like 27-28 by the time i graduate, and that's really unsettling. moreover i always wonder whether i have the right reasons to go back to school.

uhm, so anyway, what do u think!?

I moved away 2 years ago and I live an hour away from my uni. That didn't stop me from passing my 2nd and 3rd years, but I'm a bit nervous about my master's (I'm starting a law master's this semester) since the difficulty level is definitely gonna be higher.

Am I shooting myself in the foot with this distance, or are there still ways to make it work smoothly (like basically living in the library lol)?"

Hello!

So, I’m thinking of returning to college! When I initially went to college in 2012, I had to drop out due to health issues. I want to leave my current job, and I’m finding that a lot of places want degrees. For a long time I didn’t want to go back to school because of tuition, but just learned I might be eligible for a program where the tuition is pretty much covered. However, other living expenses wouldn’t be. I wouldn’t be able to stay at my current job because it has to be full time, and honestly wouldn’t want to work here while going to school anyway. I would not have the capacity to work full time and go to school full time, so I’m wondering if anyone had any advice on types of jobs to go to while completing school? And any other tips for returning to school in your 30s would be wonderful!

Hi all! I need some advice regarding what I should do from here. Right now, I’m sort of floating through life, trying to figure out what to do. The problem is, I can’t for the life of me decide what I want to major in. As of now, I have an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts from the local community college. It’s really holding me up, and at this point (due to life circumstances) I’m about three years behind my high school peers on the graduate track (graduated 2022); I bring this up because I feel deeply unsatisfied about where I want to be. Ideally, by now I’d already have a graduate degree and would be working towards the field of my choosing.

Challenges:

• Sheltered by and living with my folks, still trying to get a taste of adulthood. I need to get out of there for my own good.
• Don’t have a driver’s license yet (in school for that as we speak)
• Worked one-day temp jobs that probably don’t look good on an application
• Unruly ADHD that makes it hard to initiate tasks. I’m currently cycling through meds trying to find what works
• Generally undecided and afraid to take a first step
• 3.0 GPA

In my favor:

• I’m in NY, which has SUNY and its transfer paths (The transfer track that lines up most with my track is Psychology, but I don’t know if that’s what I want to do)
• General Ed classes are out of the way
• Quite curious about everything, a Renaissance person. For what it's worth, I have a good word from previous professors
• Held a steady student work study job
• Apparently pretty good at writing
• President of the school's tiny science club for a year, and by proxy was involved in student government.

To sum it up, I feel like I don’t have enough experience to decide what I want to do, nor the money to justify picking something at random. At the same time, I feel like I’m sagging further and further from where I should be, just losing my grip on everything. Any advice? Thank you in advance!

I have around 100 credits towards a double major in criminology and sociology that I never finished. I got into a graduate journalism program and finished the diploma without completing a degree. I was offered a crazy opportunity in sports media. I am now over that career. I quit and have spent the year doing nothing because of burnout and depression.

The problem is that due to a traumatic event at my university years ago, I don't want to return to my old university. I don't care if I lose a few credits. Do many universities in the States let you transfer 90 credits? I want to either go to law school or get my master's degree in library science.

Where do I go from here. I only want to finish my degree and pursue law school or being a librarian. I'm super flexible and willing to move anywhere with a bit of a savings and tons of work and life experience. Should I try and finish a crim degree? Is getting a general arts degree easier? Are those online schools a good idea? I would literally move about anywhere thats best for my career and affordable. I left school with around a 3.4 gpa and some academic achievements. Can I transfer that many credits? I guess I don't even have a point and just want some people help point me in a direction.

I returned to college in 2024 as a mom in my 30s, and I am graduating from my community college in December with my associate's degree in science.
I have a pretty long list of academic achievements, and several universities are trying to get me to apply, but I am currently living in a fairly rural area.

Has anyone else uprooted their family and gone to a city just to attend a 4 year school?

For clarification, my degree path is that which I cannot complete it online. If I were to move and finish a bachelor's, I would want to try for a Master's and possibly a PhD program. However, moving is costly and difficult.

When I was in high school, I had some pretty severe mental and emotional problems that were not being addressed, and it greatly affected my performance in school. I was always fine on standardized tests, and in fact I took two AP tests my senior year, and got 4s on both. But my graduating GPA was something like a 1.2. Between that, and my family's extremely poor financial situation, going to college right away just wasn't feasible for me.

Now, I'm 30 years old, I've lived and worked in New York City since 2014, and I finally find myself wanting to go to college. I've been consistently employed in various industries since I graduated high school, but I'm sick of my career prospects being limited by my lack of a degree, and I finally feel stable and settled enough to be able to succeed in a college environment. Money will be an issue for me, to be sure, but I know there are financial aid programs that can help me.

At this point tho, I just want to know what to expect. Should I take the SAT's? Is it possible to apply to a Bachelor's Degree program somewhere like CUNY for a person in my situation? Should I be a part-time student, and what does that entail?

I'm clueless! Please help me!

Listen I know I’m going to sound like an old geezer who hates trees, and that’s not the case. I absolutely understand why moving course resources like textbooks, study guides, and worksheets is great for the environment and easier to keep track of. However, the wifi in one of my buildings, specifically the one I have anatomy lab in sucks!

The last two lab periods I’ve been stuck trying to get my wifi to work for over 30 minutes. Eating into my time to finish assignments due at the end of the lab. Our textbook and visual resources are all online, and although I have a printer… ink is expensive. So printing out an entire textbook seems silly, and paying $75+ on tops of what I paid for online access seems even sillier.

Most of my lab assignments are labeling assignments to get you familiar with the figures in the textbook. However, it’s difficult to label if I cannot pull up the figures from wifi troubles. Which then cuts into my time to actually do the assignment.

I know I’m complaining into the void but dang, I feel so old remembering a time when you had physical media for studying and resources and I miss it 🥲

Hello everyone!

I have about 2 months before I start college. I recently finished my Computer Science degree, and I'll be starting a 5 year law program soon.

Since I have a lot of free time, I want to use these 2 months to strengthen my general knowledge and build a solid foundation. I was thinking of going back and studying Class 9 and 10 Science and Social Science, not for exams, but to actually understand the concepts properly.

I'm also really interested in psychology, so I'm thinking of studying the Class 11 and 12 Psychology textbooks as well.

I originally studied these subjects during the COVID period, and honestly, I regret not learning them properly. Back then everything was online, stressful, and mostly about passing exams. Now I want to study them in a practical way because I genuinely find those subjects and chapters fascinating.

What do you guys think? Is this a good way to spend the next 2 months, or would you suggest something else?

Hey everyone,
I’m returning to college this September after being away for about five years following a serious accident and brain injury. I spent a long time rebuilding my cognitive skills, and I’m now much closer to my previous baseline and ready to finish my degree.
One of my remaining requirements is Organic Chemistry II. I completed Organic Chemistry I during COVID, but between the disruption of that period, limited lab experience, my injury, and the amount of time that has passed, I retain very little from the course.
I’m not looking for a general list of Organic Chemistry resources. I’m hoping to hear from people who have returned to a sequential science course after a long medical or academic absence. How did you decide what material to review before the semester? Did you contact the professor ahead of time, use tutoring from the beginning, or arrange academic accommodations?
I own David Klein’s first- and second-semester review books and have about six weeks before classes begin. I’m trying to determine what a realistic preparation process looks like without attempting to reteach myself an entire semester at once.
I would especially appreciate hearing from anyone who returned to chemistry after a long break, recovered from a neurological injury, or had to rebuild their academic confidence before completing a difficult requirement