Rocket fuel: How libraries boosted Anjali Reisdorf's education

Anjali Reisdorf grew up with every advantage, and the results are as impressive as you'd expect: At 19, she earned her bachelor's degree in pre-med from the University of Northwestern in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This year, at 23, she'll complete the Doctor of Chiropractic program at Northwestern Health Sciences University (NWHSU). The program typically takes five years, but Anjali will finish early, thanks to NWHSU's no-summers-off option and her own dedication. When you compare the time Anjali will have spent on her undergraduate and graduate education with how long it takes a typical student, by the time it's all said and done, Anjali will be about seven years ahead of schedule.

How did she do it? You may be thinking that she grew up on private jets with highly paid tutors at her beck and call. That wasn't the case, but I was telling the truth when I wrote that she had every advantage. That's because Anjali goes to the library. Of course, her educational achievements aren't solely the result of her library. Anjali is an exceptional individual. Her mom, who homeschooled her and currently works as an English teacher, is too. But libraries are a big part of the story. If Anjali was always a rocket bound for the moon, perhaps libraries were her rocket fuel.

Anjali's mom, Amy Reisdorf, started taking her to the library when she was very little. At that time, their local library was a Hennepin County branch. Before Anjali had even learned to write, if she asked a question (which was often), Amy would encourage her to give her question (in the form of a drawing) to a reference librarian, who would then point Anjali to the library materials she needed. Anjali has gone on to replicate this basic scenario many times, and to great effect.

By the time Anjali had begun her freshman year of high school, her family had relocated to Lindstrom, Minnesota, and the question for which she sought an answer had become: how can I earn college credit? As before, her mom got her started, and she took the lead from there, this time with some help from Chisago Lakes Area Library, a branch of East Central Regional Library (ECRL). She wound up following two pathways recommended by her mom: Minnesota's PSEO (Postsecondary Enrollment Options), and credit-by-examination tests through CLEP (College-Level Examination Program) and DSST (DANTES Subject Standardized Tests). 

PSEO allows high school students to enroll in college courses and earn high school and college credit simultaneously. CLEP and DSST exams, on the other hand, are standardized tests that assess college-level knowledge and award credits without requiring the test taker to enroll in a formal college course. CLEP tests are generally more well-known and cover broader topics (e.g., biology, chemistry, literature) than DSST. DSST was initially developed as a means to enable American military personnel to earn college credit while serving overseas. These were the pathways Anjali followed to finish her bachelor's degree at the early age of 19.

The library was crucial for Anjali's success in her accelerated education. For her CLEP and DSST preparation, she leaned heavily on study guides and practice exams. She borrowed these and many other materials via interlibrary loan, using MNLINK, and picked them up right at her local library. MNLINK gave Anjali access to literally millions of books (no pun intended) and other materials not held at Chisago Lakes, or even within ECRL.

Beyond the study guides, Anjali found The Great Courses to be a "phenomenal" resource for her studies. The Great Courses are lengthy lecture series given by professors who are leaders in their fields. Purchasing a series can be quite expensive, but Anjali borrowed those she needed, such as Introduction to Psychology, from the library. Often, she made her way through the lectures while pursuing other activities. While playing Minecraft, for example. Flexible learning at its best! Anjali's approach to education was, and is, highly efficient and financially savvy.

PSEO, CLEP and DSST exams, coupled with library resources, drastically reduced Anjali's financial burden. Between all three programs, she earned around 90 credits. The PSEO credits cost her about $2,400, and the 30 credits she earned through CLEP and DSST were another $600. But Anjali thinks the latter figure would have been even lower if she'd known from the start all she does now. For example, she learned about Modern States, a non-profit organization that offers a program called "Freshman Year for Free," and added it to her toolkit. Modern States provides free online courses designed to prepare students for CLEP exams and, upon completion, issues vouchers that cover CLEP (though not DSST) exam fees. If the testing center for a CLEP or DSST exam charges a fee, Modern States will even reimburse that cost. 

In Anjali's system, earning college credit becomes incredibly inexpensive. And in true Anjali style, she has developed a checklist and a resource list to guide other students who'd like to further their education way ahead of schedule, and way under budget.

Anjali's reliance on the library goes beyond her education, of course. She's used her library's Mango subscription to dabble in new languages. Through a free workshop at the library, she learned to create Ojibwe-style beadwork, a hobby she maintains today. Soon, she'll move to Kansas City, Missouri, to complete an internship required by her doctoral program. Her first stop will be the library. "Libraries are nice places to get connected," she says. "Okay, I'm going to go to an art class. I'm going to do a board game night. It's wonderful! And my internship is unpaid, so I'm not going to have a ton of money to do a lot of expensive stuff, but I'll still have the opportunity to really connect with the community."

When Anjali Reisdorf combines who she is with what her library has to offer, she really does has every advantage. Just like all library patrons.