Most colleges have remedial programs now. It’s not like it use to be where you had to have good grades to be in school. Many colleges are more of a business now and will do what it takes to get your money just as any other business would.

The smartest thing would be to contact the admissions office of the school(s) that interest you and ask them what to do. They aren’t going to expect you to retake SATs. And they are going to realize that what happened 16 years ago is not a reliable indicator of your abilities today.

My guess is they’d want to perhaps see a resume of your experiences and possibly an essay or at least a substantive cover letter explaining your goals now that you are focused upon a quality academic experience. I am sure they have a different way of working with non-traditional students in terms of admissions.

Go for it! One of my favorite students ever was a retired man who used his retirement to pursue the areas of learning he’d always found interesting but never had the time to study when he was younger. You are never too old to learn and grow.

Good luck.

Usually you will have to take a placement test at the community college (although they will pull your previous college scores and may require your high school transcript) to see where you need to begin your studies (some of us non-traditional students had to go back and take high school algebra before going on to college algebra).

I found that the instructors at the community college appreciated the older student because they had some experience and were more motivated to learn than recent high school graduates. I would say that all of my classes at the community college (usually evening classes) were at least half older “non-traditional” students.

Go for it and good luck!