Hey! I did that. I didnt take my SAT or ACT either. the thing is, many colleges do not want to accept you unless you have those scores. i live in alaska, so the colleges up here are fine with it. i just applied to my program, got accepted, and started going. if you just want to go to college, with no specific goal, you need to visit local community colleges and ask them about their programs. they can also help you get started online. good luck! if all else fails, come to Alaska! 🙂

Hmm, if you took the SAT’s go ahead and choose a major that defines who you want to be in life. After that, choose among a list of colleges that have that major, find their info, and determine if you have the GPA and SAT scores to get in with a reasonable chance. Sounds simple, but in regards to the deciding on your major part, take that very seriously because we’re talking about your next 30+ years of your life or so. Of course you can always change major, but back to the point…If you don’t have SAT scores, try, try, try as hard as you can to take that test somehow because almost all colleges use that as a large proportion of their acceptance decision. Otherwise, do what the girl from Alaska said. If you want good chances at big money, I think bachlors degree is by far a better choice than an associate’s degree. It costs money, but it pays in the end.

I would recommend taking a course in your local community college. You don’t have to declare any kind of degree just to take a course. “Matriculated” means you’re going for an associate or bachelor’s degree, but there’s no reason you have to be matriculated. Just pick a subject that might interest you and go for it. I think actually going to a community college as opposed to an online course would be best for you because you’ll have a chance to interact with other students in person and will learn a lot about what college is all about.

Good luck to you and I wish for you a great degree someday!

(P.S. Congratulations on that G.E.D. Good job!)

Congrats on the G.E.D. I think the best thing for you would be taking classes at a community college. Online classes can be tricky because people get scammed. The link below will give you a list of accredited and reputable online programs. But being in a classroom environment is probably better for you than taking classes online, at least until you’ve taken a few classes in a classroom with regular interaction with your professor and fellow students, have a better idea of what you’re doing, and the whole thing isn’t as overwhelming and frightening to you.

http://www.geteducated.com

Start by figuring out what you want to study. You didn’t mention if you know what you want to do, but if you don’t, this website might help you. Type in a career you’re interested in (note: add an /s/ at the end to yield more results, e.g. nurses, psychologists, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, accountants, etc.) into the search box in the top right-hand corner of the page.

http://www.bls.gov/obo

Don’t be scared of the whole college thing. You’re on the right track, and after your first couple of months it won’t seem as overwhelming. If you go to a community college, talk to an academic counselor/advisor there so that he/she can help you choose your classes and give you information on majors.

Associate degrees take two years and bachelor’s degrees take four. Community colleges offer associate degrees only, but you can take the credits you took there and transfer them to a four-year university where you can get a bachelor’s degree. You don’t have to get an associate’s degree first if in order to get a bachelor’s degree. You can transfer to a four-year university before you get the degree. However, with an associate’s degree you have more income potential than someone with a high school diploma (and with a bachelor’s degree you have more income potential than someone with an associate’s degree). Also, keep in mind that the field you choose might not require a bachelor’s degree, just an associate’s. In that case, it’s a quick two years and you’ll be starting a new career. Community colleges are also cheaper than four-year universities as well as many online colleges. They also tend to offer a lot of classes during the day as well as in the evening so that more people can schedule their classes around work, family, etc. if they need to. There’s more information here:

Associate Degree:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associate’s_degree

Bachelor’s Degree: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelors_degree

How about starting by just taking a few classes without worrying about whether you’ll go for an associate’s or bachelor’s degree? Start by contacting your local community college. If you’re not sure about the ones in your area, search online by typing “your city/town – community college”. Go to the community college’s website and search through it. It will tell you what majors they offer, tuition information and more. Then call and ask to make an appointment with an academic advisor/counselor. That person will tell you much more about the college and answer any of your questions.

Good luck. -:) I’m sure you’re gonna do great. If you need any more help, you’re welcome to email me (click on my profile).