retuning to college after 14 yrs!!

So after having 2 kids , who are ages 13 and 8, I have decided to follow my dream....well sort of.. and return to school. Now I have not been in school for 14 years! so this is an all new experience to me. I have applied for financial aid, and got all my paperwork in, but now the waiting game... This is the most tedious part of the whole process! I got my papers in order all the way back in October 2009!, and then in the last 3 weeks or so, i have registered for classes, (starting my pre-requisits for RN nursing program) turned in a million papers that they always say, "this is the last thing we need" YAH RIGHT! reminder to those who go back to school, never believe this nonsense saying! I have since turned in like 4 more "needed" forms.
So apparantly they need to know I have lived in the state of Washington for at least 12 months, now all the stuff I have gave them, you would think they would know that .yes I have lived here my whole life. But no,! I had to bring in proof... Proof? what?! So I take them a utility bill that says where i live now, guess that means i have lived here at least 1 year. Ok, now im finally done , or so I think. Now i go to the school, and check on my financial aid, and see if they got my proof of residency letter all done and put in my file. Sure enough , they did! Wow, but then I'm told that classes have been going almost 2 weeks now, and have I been going? WHAT! why would I go to classes that I haven't even paid for yet, I thought that when you apply for financial aid, you must wait until you are approved so that you can pay for the classes, BEFORE you can attend them. OK, so I must once again remind myself, and the advisor that I do not know how all this college shit works! I am doing all that I have been asked, and people just expect that I should know everything? Now I'm 2 weeks behind in classes, and I have to go and talk to my teachers and ask that they put me back on the class list. Plus I'm going to have so much homework! I know that it will all be worth it, but anyone who works at a college, please be nicer to those of us who are not 18, and are trying to better ourselves by returning to school.
Wish me luck, tomorrow is my first day of college, hopefully they let me back in to my classes and i can get caught up with no problem!