How Your Life Experience Can Enhance Your College Career

Have you ever considered returning to school as an adult to advance your career or gain new academic knowledge? Pursuing an undergraduate degree later in life means that you are also bringing valuable life experiences with you that can enhance your experience.

The following blog will explore five reasons to consider embracing and incorporating your life experiences into your college journey.

5 Ways Your Life Experience Can Impact Your Degree

Not only do prior life experiences enhance the process of earning a college degree, but they help set you apart, allowing you to get more out of your education. By leveraging these experiences throughout your program, you can position yourself for success in several ways.

It Can Give You More Perspective

Incorporating life experiences into a college classroom can provide an invaluable perspective on how your courses align with your career goals. Drawing from your personal and professional experiences, you can better understand the practical applications of any theoretical knowledge you acquire throughout your program. 

For example, if you have experience in a customer service role, past customer interactions give you insights into human behavior and communication styles that can be applied in a psychology or communication course. Similarly, if you have volunteered in community outreach programs, you may bring a unique understanding of social issues to a sociology course.

It Can Help You Help Others

It may seem daunting to connect with fellow students as an adult. However, your life experiences and professional knowledge can empower you to form relationships with others, providing valuable assistance with any academic and professional challenges they may have. 

By sharing advice to overcome hurdles you have encountered or leveraging your perspectives to help troubleshoot unfamiliar issues, you can become a supportive figure for your peers.

Here are specific ways your life experience can help you help others:

• Mentoring
• Peer support
• Cross-disciplinary collaboration
• Conflict resolution
  

By embracing your role as a mentor, collaborator, and supportive peer, you can create a positive impact within your academic community.

It Can Enhance Your Classroom Contributions

Your contributions can enhance classroom discussions by:

• providing a bridge between theory and real-world scenarios.
• encouraging classmates to approach topics from different perspectives and challenge assumptions.
• sharing your diverse life experiences to foster understanding and security within the classroom.
• creating a positive and encouraging atmosphere that leads to academic engagement and personal growth.
• relating to others through shared experiences to create a sense of camaraderie.

By actively engaging in classroom discussions and sharing your unique insights, you can enhance the educational experience for yourself and your peers, creating a dynamic learning environment where diverse perspectives are valued and celebrated.

It Can Improve Your Motivation and Focus

Establishing clear goals for your return to school can enhance your motivation and concentration on your academic pursuits, particularly when your goals relate to career objectives and advancement. 

The time management skills you have acquired from working full-time or juggling various life commitments will enable you to effectively navigate the demands of resuming your education.

Here are ways that your life experiences can impact your motivation and focus as a returning student:

• You have increased goal clarity.
• You have a strong personal investment.
• You have effective time management strategies.
• You can adapt and overcome obstacles.

It Can Increase Your Networking Opportunities

By sharing industry-specific skills and knowledge with younger classmates, you not only enrich the learning environment but also create networking opportunities that can be mutually beneficial. Expanding your professional network in this way can enhance your academic experience and lead to career-changing opportunities.

Do Colleges Give College Credit for Life Experiences?

Several colleges give credit for life experience, a concept that recognizes the knowledge and skills gained from prior learning. This process typically involves assessing your learning experiences to determine if they align with the learning outcomes of specific courses or programs.

By receiving life experience credits or even a life experience degree, you can expedite your educational journey, save on tuition costs, and focus on courses most relevant to your career goals. 

Would you like to learn more about earning college credit for life experiences?
Explore our free resource—The Credit for Prior Learning Toolkit.

Make the Most of Your Life Experience Credit When Returning to School: Choose Southern

At Southern Adventist University, our Adult Degree Completion (ADC) programs prepare you with practical knowledge and experience that can be directly applied to your career. Whether you are interested in business, nursing, communication, psychology, or beyond, you will find your fit at Southern.

Why Southern?

• We understand the value of prior learning and allow you to earn life experience credit for the knowledge and skills you have acquired outside the classroom.
• We provide the option to learn online, ensuring you can balance your studies with work, family, and other commitments.
• We have a supportive faculty who will support you every step of the way.