Community colleges like College of DuPage in Glen Ellen, IL, are poorly prepared to support adult students. I know, because I was a student there part-time for almost 10 years before finally earning my degree. Why did it take so long? Let me tell you.
I began my college journey at College of DuPage, a community college in the western suburbs of Chicago, in the Fall Semester of 2012. My wife was expecting our first child and I wanted to better myself through education to advance my career. The job I was in at that point had no room for growth and I wanted to move on. The general affordability of the community college compared to Columbia College Chicago (where I had previous taken a couple classes) seemed to make this choice a good one.
I was offered an adult continuing education grant as part of my enrollment at College of DuPage. It would cover nearly 1/2 of my class costs in exchange for me doing well academically and follow me throughout my journey. I was not informed that it wouldn’t self-renew and when I noticed the following semester that it had not I was told it no longer applied to me because I had not applied to renew it. Obviously, that was not a pleasant experience.
My first two classes were General Psychology and Introduction to Business. I took these classes in person. I enjoyed the feeling of being back in a classroom again at first, but after a few weeks it quickly lost its luster. I was the oldest in each of the classes by far. It was made clear that I didn’t belong when my Psych professor pulled me aside during one of the group projects and apologized to me for having to be in such an environment. The kids didn’t focus on the work and didn’t seem to try nearly has hard as I expected them to try.
I was working full-time at a non-profit at the time that often had me clocking 50+ hours a week in the office. It made the added travel to the school and scheduling of classes that next semester very stressful. Even with general courses that offered several class times most were during the week and during business hours. This issue only became worse as my educational track at the school progressed.
I vividly remember taking an Intro to Computers course taught by a “web professional.” It was a required class that didn’t offer a way to simply test out. It was early on in my A.A.S. in Marketing journey. The website language and procedures he taught were almost 10 years out of date then. He wasn’t open to hearing about it either. Programming languages no one used anymore. Website design tactics that were big in the late 90s were being taught here in his class 15 years years later. I even looked him up online and he had a whopping 30 or so Twitter followers. It hurt to take that class. I aced it, obviously, but disagreed with the professor so often I literally had to rant about it to my wife after every class.
The bookstore, oh the bookstore. I was never able to tell when the bookstore was actually open to not. Sure, the hours were posted on the door and online, but I found out on several occasions that those hours meant nothing. I drove 20-40 minutes a few times to get items from the bookstore that were required by my classes only to find that it was closed. The bookstore was closed when thought the posted hours said otherwise. I’d call ahead, but no one would answer (even when the store was open.) So it was a total crap shoot.
The school offers an Early Childhood Education and Care Program but not actual childcare options for students. That continued to compound my scheduling difficulties to take classes. My wife’s schedule as a flight attendant was unpredictable and we had no family near us able to watch the children while I attended school. Yes, our second bundle of joy arrived while I was taking classes part-time online.
Did I mention that the College of DuPage Alumni association started emailing me and asking for money after I’d been a part-time student for two years? They acted like I’d graduated and owed them some debt for being “helpful” while I was in school. No thanks. That hasn’t stopped either. For 8 years I got pitches from them for volunteering my time and money in order to pay them back for just existing. Nope. Not gonna do it. I still owe $20,000+ in school debt and they have the nerve to ask me for cash.
My dad moved in with us. His health had declined a lot and we couldn’t get him the help he needed because the state wouldn’t approve his assistance requested. My MIL lived with us as she got back on her feet after my FIL passed. I lost my job. The pandemic happened. Wife was without work for months. It was a whole shit show and through-out all of it College of DuPage showed no flexibility or interest in helping me finish my degree.
I literally spent 5 years trying to get advice and helpful guidance on how to finished my degree. The last few classes were labs that required in person instruction. I got a lot of nothing, and then one time at an open house finally talked with a school counselor who gave me super-unhelpful advice about in-person classes I couldn’t take because I was busy taking care of my dying father and to small children. Plus, nothing on the books met my needs to finish the required lab work online for several semesters.
Then, out of the blue, TWO YEARS after I last requested help from the school I got a call from a super helpful person that from my understanding was a volunteer at the college and not even a paid member of staff. She was letting me know that the last two classes I needed to take were being offered in the fall of 2022. If I was able to take and pass the math prerequisite I needed I could finish out my degree. So, that’s what I did.
I wanted to celebrate my achievement. I had finally earned my degree. I signed up to walk at the May 2023 commencement and was given only 4 tickets to have my family attend. So, it’s a good thing my dad had already died, or I wouldn’t have been allow to bring him. My wife, two kids, and mom attended. Even after weeks of asking for a single additional ticket one of my closest friends wasn’t able to attend. Why? They had almost 800 students graduating and couldn’t plan ahead enough as a college to at least split up the ceremony into two sessions. It seemed like half of the people who walked had only earned a certificate and not a degree. It was yet another example of the poor planning and lack of care the college showed me for a decade.
Why, oh why, did my whole A.A.S. degree take so long? Mostly because College of DuPage isn’t setup for adult students with adult responsibilities. I do not recommend anyone with childcare responsibilities attend the school. They don’t care. They don’t try. They don’t help.
How was your experience in school? Do you have any similar stories to share? Would love to hear them.