Adult Students Returning to School

TTC has a large population of students who have been out of school for many years and are returning to upgrade skills, retrain for new jobs or just take personal interest courses. If you are one of these students, keep reading. You’ll find you have a lot in common with TTC students.

Will I be the oldest student in class?
Nationwide, more than 6 million older adult students attend college each year; one-third of all college students now fall into this category. TTC’s focus has traditionally been on the older student with class schedules and services directed to the working adult.

Will I be able to learn and compete with younger students?
Faculty are appreciative of returning adult students because these students provide a different perspective in classes. Generally, older adult students also are self-motivated, self-directed and committed to their studies.

How can I get extra help with courses?
You can find a variety of help in selected courses at the Math Center and the Writing Center. Tutors, audiovisual media and computer software are available for tutoring and practice. Check with each campus to find out what kind of help is available and what hours you can use these resources. See Learning Assistance below.

Thornley Campus, Math Center Bldg. 920, Rm. 211, 843.574.6409; Writing Center Bldg. 510, Rm 137
Berkeley Campus, Rm. 141, 843.899.8079
Palmer Campus, Rm. 226, 843.722.5516

Where can I get help with classroom skills?
Counseling and Career Development Services offers workshops and individual help with study skills, test taking, test anxiety, time management and stress management. Check with each campus to find out how to access these services.

Thornley Campus, Student Center Bldg. 410, Rm. 210, 843.574.6131
Berkeley Campus, Rm. 111, 843.899.8079
Palmer Campus, Rm. 226, 843.722.5516

Where can I get help with juggling college, work and family?
Counseling Services offers individual counseling to help you with your academic and personal needs. Call for an appointment or stop by the office.

Thornley Campus, Student Center Bldg. 410, Rm. 210, 843.574.6131
Berkeley Campus, Rm. 111, 843.899.8079
Palmer Campus, Rm. 226, 843.722.5516
Mount Pleasant Campus (by appointment), 843.574.6131

Can I get a meal on campus?
Thornley Campus has a food court in the Student Center (Bldg. 410) and the TTC Café in Bldg. 950. Additional vending machines are located in Bldgs. 100, 200, 500, 600, 630, 700/800, 900, 920, 940, and the 100/300 breezeway. The Culinary Institute of Charleston operates the Relish Restaurant and the Relish Bakery Café at Main Campus and 181 Palmer at Palmer Campus, which are open to the public. The Berkeley and Palmer campuses have small food service operations and vending machines. Mount Pleasant Campus has vending machines available in the student lounge.

TTC Alumni and Friends

Trident Technical College Foundation’s Alumni and Friends network provides opportunities for former students who have successfully completed courses toward their academic and professional goals to stay connected to the college and participate in mutually beneficial activities and initiatives, contributing to the reputation and advancement of Trident Technical College.

For more information, visit www.tridenttech.edu/foundation/alumni or email alumni@tridenttech.edu.

Cooperative Education

Cooperative Education is a nationally recognized program that awards college credit for work experience related to your major. A current job may qualify for co-op credits, or you may seek help in finding a co-op job through the college’s student employment referrals or through personal efforts. The job can be for pay or can be on a volunteer basis.

The credit you receive depends on the number of hours you work per week. Credits appear on your transcript and often substitute for elective credits. You may combine co-op and class attendance in the same semester or alternate semesters of co-op with semesters of class attendance.

You must meet the following requirements for eligibility: have completed two full semesters of your program, have at least a 2.0 grade point average and have the approval of your academic advisor.

Further information is available from the Co-op Office on Thornley Campus, Bldg. 200/Rm. 229, 843.574.6918.

Education Abroad

Students over the age of 18 are encouraged to take advantage of travel and study abroad. Many TTC trips are credit-bearing and program-specific. TTC students who are interested in exploring diverse cultures and places, gaining new skills and enhancing their studies are encouraged to contact the International Education office director at 843.574.6457.

Learning Assistance

Learning at TTC offers tutoring and resources to help all currently enrolled TTC students achieve academic success. This assistance, by drop-in or scheduled appointment, can be found in the Math Center and the Writing Center. All tutoring services provided through Learning Assistance are free of charge for currently enrolled TTC students.

The Math Center
Students can meet face-to-face with individual tutors for assistance with math, accounting,
chemistry, and physics. Students also have the option of receiving assistance through small
group tutoring, workshops and limited online tutoring. The Math Center is located in Building
920, Room 211 at the Thornley Campus. Hours vary by semester. Current hours are found in the TTC
Student Portal, under Resources>Tutoring. Tutoring is limited at Palmer, Berkeley, and Mount
Pleasant. Call 843.574.6015 for hours.

The Writing Center
Students can meet face-to-face with individual tutors for assistance with writing, languages,
reading, research, and oral presentations. The Writing Center is located in Building 510, Room 137 at the Thornley Campus. Hours vary by semester. Current hours are found in the TTC Student Portal, under Resources>Tutoring. Tutoring is limited at Palmer, Berkeley, and Mount Pleasant. Call 843.574.6034 for hours.

Distance Learning Courses

Through the Distance Learning office, the college provides a number of online and hybrid courses. The Distance Learning office is constantly exploring new and more efficient ways to make courses available to more people – courses with instruction not limited to specific times or places. Courses offered through Distance Learning are listed on the college’s website under the course search.

Libraries

TTC’s libraries provide resources and services to assist with users’ informational needs. Libraries are located on the Main, Palmer and Berkeley campuses. Staff members also travel to all other TTC locations to provide in-person services as needed. Accessible both on and off campus, the library’s website is the gateway for students, faculty and staff to access research resources and library services. Each library provides computers with a suite of programs available for users’ educational needs. TTC’s library collection supports all programs of study at the college and fulfills the informational needs of the college community. Students, faculty and staff have access to all items in the library’s collection, regardless of campus or location. The library’s collection includes books, periodicals, e-books, databases, videos and DVDs. The libraries are teaching libraries with reference and research assistance readily available in class, in person or online.

TTC’s libraries participate in several partnerships, increasing availability of resources to students, faculty and staff. Through an agreement with academic libraries in the Charleston area, TTC students, faculty and staff can check books out from the College of Charleston, The Citadel, the Medical University of South Carolina and Charleston Southern University. Through its membership in The Partnership Among South Carolina Academic Libraries (PASCAL), TTC benefits from cooperation on a broad range of issues, including shared licensing of electronic resources, universal borrowing and Interlibrary Loan Services. The PASCAL Delivers service is available through the library’s website and online catalog. The TTC libraries also have an agreement with the Charleston County Library System, a large system with a main library and 16 regional branch locations. This agreement allows current TTC students who live outside of Charleston County to obtain a free county library card for use while they are students. All libraries have circulation policies and charge fines for material returned after the due date. For more information, contact the Main Campus Library 843.574.6095, Berkeley Campus Library 843.899.8055 and Palmer Campus Library 843.722.5540.