BACK TO SCHOOL; TIPS AND ADVICE FOR ADULTS RETURNING TO GET THAT DEGREE.

Byline: Suzie St. John Staff Writer

The third time is proving to be the charm for Susan McQuilkin. After two previous attempts at being a college student, the 51-year-old mother of three is only seven classes away from obtaining her bachelor's degree at California Lutheran University.

Working full time while working toward a degree in higher education is no easy feat, but McQuilkin of Moorpark said the pros outweigh the cons.

``You have to put a lot of things on hold, but pursuing an education is something I do for myself. I don't have time to participate in hobbies or do pleasure reading, but going to school gives me such a feeling of accomplishment,'' said McQuilkin, who works as the assistant to the school's vice president of university advancement when she isn't taking classes.

McQuilkin is one of a growing number of people who are returning to school, whether to finish a degree they never completed or to take classes in an entirely new field. They're going to school to enrich their lives, or to get a degree that'll give them the raise or the new job they covet.

Interviews with a half-dozen different people - from experts in the education field to people pursuing a new degree - offer the following advice:

Take classes that are relevant to what you want to do as a career or to what you are already doing.

``If you take something that applies to what you're doing, it's a hook and it has more meaning,'' McQuilkin explained.

Be dedicated because you are doing this for yourself and not anyone else.

``When you want to be there, school is fun and exciting and stimulating,'' McQuilkin said.

Take classes through an adult program.

``I would have struggled more in classes with 18- and 19-year-olds,'' McQuilkin said. ``The structure of an adult evening program helps because you are in class with other working adults and we keep each other going.''

The University of LaVerne targets working adults by only offering classes at night at its campuses across the region.

Classes meet one night a week from 5 to 10 p.m. for 10 weeks, with two classes considered full-time attendance. Prospective students are required to be at least 25 years old or have a minimum of 30 college credits.

``We assume all of our students are working full time,'' said Jennifer Siefken, an academic counselor for the university. ``I'm not going to say it's easy to go to school while working, but we try and work with the students' schedules.''

One way the university does this is by letting prospective students do most of their admissions paperwork through the mail and doing admissions consultations over the phone.

Siefken said the university also offers off-campus library services.

``It takes a lot of commitment, but it's worthwhile. It's also a great way to meet people; we like to call it `intelligent nightlife,' '' said Siefken with a laugh.

Linda Kunze, an assistant in Glendale Community College's adult re-entry center, said the first thing she tells re-entry students is to take things slow.

``The first semester is about getting adjusted. A class may only meet once a week, but there are papers and reading you have to do outside of class,'' said Kunze, who is working toward her bachelor's degree at California State University, Los Angeles. ``You just have to set your priorities and take it one step at a time.''

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PHOTO (color) Mario Morales takes a final exam in a class at the California Lutheran University MBA Center in Woodland Hills.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer