Answers to some questions posed by the viewing audience.

I received an email today with a questions from someone who is in a similar situation to me. Since not much is happening academically right now (since I am just waiting on acceptance letters) I thought I'd share his email and my answers. Here is some initial background:

Rus: I've also been out of school (high school) for ten years, and I'm going to start college in the fall, with the intention of getting into Harvard Business School for my MBA.  Out of high school, I started a construction company instead of going to college.

This is a similar situation that I was in except I had taken a couple years of school before I dropped out.

Rus: Did you have any troubles getting acclimated to being in an academic environment after many years?

Harvard or Bust: Surprisingly, I didn't have as much trouble acclimating to school life as I thought I would. The first semester I went way over board in terms of studying and diligence on tests, especially considering I was in community college classes. Though it did secure me a 4.0 that semester which was very important.

Rus: I'm most concerned with math since it is more "developmental" than other subjects. Did you take any straight math classes, or are they not required?

HoB: Yes I did. I took Probability and Statistics and I was worried that since I had been out of math for so long it would pose a problem, however, math has always been a strong suit of mine as I completed third level Calculus in my previous college years so I did not have any problems with the class. If you want to pursue a MBA degree Calculus and Statistics are highly important.

Rus: I'm debating between community college, a state school, and a small liberal arts college. Did you have that decision process as well or did you just decide on community college right away?

HoB: If your plan is to go to an Ivy League school (you mentioned Columbia and Yale in your email) then I would say you would most likely need atleast a solid year of either a traditional school or community college first. You "may" not need this for Columbia's School of General Studies since I believe they focus more on your life experience then your academics, however, a summer semester or especially this coming fall will not hurt your chances.

Rus: Did you find it easy or difficult to obtain recommendations (for Columbia) from your community college?  Did you have extracurriculars?

HoB: I had a great English teacher my first semester at CC that wrote a solid rec letter for me. As for EC's, I think people like you and I who have been working successfully do not really need to worry about EC's. I assume you have hobbies? I think those are sufficient. When you are in college, however, any leadership positions you can obtain will help with possible MBA applications, but again, it's very subjective.

Rus: When applying to Columbia's School of General Studies how much importance do they put on your business history?

HoB: None really. They don't ask for specific information above and beyond any other school you'll apply to, expect to explain WHY you are a non-traditional student and WHAT you have been doing out of school. If you have been running your own construction business then I'd imagine you have plenty of "business" experience when it comes to apply to an undergraduate degree.

I hope these responses are helpful, remember I am not an admissions counselor by any stretch, these are just my opinions. Be sure to chat with admissions counselors as much as possible to ascertain your best plan of action. Thanks for writing!