When Mom Goes Back To School....tips for the non-traditional student
Nov 19 '00
When I graduated from high school in 1979, I did not follow the path of most of my classmates. Instead of moving away from home to pursue an education, I opted to get married and build a life in the town where I was raised.
In 1985, with two small children at home, I decided to fulfill my goal of earning a college degree. I enrolled in a local community college and took one semester of classes. With a full-time job and two babies at home, it proved to be too much. Even though I did well in my studies, I decided that it was not the right time for school. Once again I put that dream on hold.
This past summer as I began to reach the age of 40, I decided it was time to dust off those dreams and get started. My oldest son will be attending college next fall and I knew it was the time for me to finally realize my dream.
In my community, we have a satellite campus that is a part of a larger community college 40 miles away. I visited with a counselor at the college and found that my credits from 1985 would still be good and I could pick up where I left off and continue my education. I enrolled in two classes in August and at this writing, they will conclude in just a few weeks.
Returning to college at this stage in my life has been a challenge. I am in class with students whose ages range from 18 to 45. Learning how to study again has been tough, but I’ve been able find a system that seems to work for me. For those of you contemplating returning to the classroom as a “non traditional” student, I have some advice for you.
*Before you enroll, sit down with a college counselor and map out a possible course schedule so that you don’t miss any of the classes necessary to complete your chosen degree. I’ve found that some of the classes I will need are only offered once a year, so I have had to plan my class load around these limited classes.
*Visit with other non-traditional students and get their opinions on classes and instructors. Because of the advice of several students in one of my current classes, I know which instructors to avoid, which classes require the most work, and which classes to avoid.
*Make sure you sit down with your family ahead of time so that they understand the time commitment that you are making and what you will need from them. My classes are only two nights a week, but I spend hours and hours a week on homework. I needed a commitment from them to help with everything from meals to laundry to grocery shopping. They have been wonderful, and it is much easier to study when I don’t have to worry about cooking supper or folding the laundry.
*If you are working full-time while going to school like I am, be sure to sit down with your boss and let them know what you are doing. I started a new job three weeks into my class schedule and I made sure that they would allow some flex scheduling if I needed it so that I could attend class. My employer is one of my biggest cheerleaders, and is great about letting me have the needed time off to attend a class. I think most employers will appreciate the initiative and drive it takes for someone to return to school.
*If money is a problem, check with the school about loans and grants available for non-traditional students. My employer has a tuition reimbursement program that will reimburse me for 50% of my tuition if I finish the class with a C average or better. Check to see if your employer has any such program in place. Many do, but unless it is something you’re interested in, you may not know about it. I am the first one in my company to take advantage of it.
*When it comes to studying, just remember that you’ve been out of school for a while and you have to relearn good study habits. I struggled with this, as I found that I had a very short attention span. To begin with, I would study in short intervals and gradually increase the time, until I was finally able to spend more than a few minutes reading and comprehending the material. I also found that I could study better away from home, such as a library. I didn’t have distractions to keep me from my studies.
*Studying with other non-traditional students has also been good for me. We seem to have the same focus and we’re able to get a lot done in a short time.
If you are thinking about finishing up a degree you started years ago, or thinking about starting from scratch, I encourage you to do so! It is a lot of work…I won’t lie to you. But doing so will give you a sense of self-accomplishment that you can’t get anywhere else. I will be at this for several years (which is why I don’t have the time for Epinions that I once had), but it is definitely worth the time invested. Good luck!
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Epinions.com ID:
willowbear
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Member: Julia
Reviews written: 54
Trusted by: 290 members
About Me:
To love what you do and feel it matters...how could anything be more fun?
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