Registration Time!

It's that time again. Registration time. Luckily, students nowadays seldom must wait in lines and get signatures on cards to register like I used to when I first went to school. Most everything is now online, which makes it a lot easier.

Registering at the Last Minute
If you are like me, the first semester back at school means a lack of choice when it comes to classes. You are going to have to take what is left. Later on you can register earlier and get better time choices. Hopefully there will be classes to take if you register at the last minute. Make sure to talk to somebody at the college office before you register.

College Loans and your FAFSA
Make sure you have talked to the Student Loan office and filled out your FAFSA. You can fill it out now, but it takes several weeks sometimes for it to come back to the school. You will want your tax records from last year in order to put that information on the form.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you go to the CORRECT FAFSA SITE which is located at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Make sure you check prerequisites for classes - what classes must you take before you can take the next one you need?

Your Professors:
If you are registering late (which means now) you may or may not have a choice of professor. But if you are curious, you can check out your professor at two check sites, ProfEval and PickAProf. The first one is better, but the second one does have how many A grades vs. F grades the professor gives, which can be handy to know.

The General Studies Degree
Sometimes you can get credit for college courses you have taken in the past, and don't have many left -- if you go for a semi-new General Studies Degree. I know that Western Kentucky Unversity offers this program. It's worth checking out.

For those who are registering now, more power to you. It takes a lot of guts to decide to go back to school. Now you are actually signing up. That is so great. You deserve to pat yourself on the back for really doing it instead of just thinking about it.

Non-traditional students and families

I think more and more teachers are realizing how hard it can be to go back to school and take care of a family at the same time. I had two classes in which people actually took their children to class. I go back and forth about this in my mind. One: people sometimes have emergencies and must put their children's needs and safety first. Two: sometimes there is not physical room in the class for children. Three: sometimes people won't really say what is really on their mind remembering that there are children in class.

Plus, being there MUST be so boring for them (the children forced to attend class with Mom or Dad.) Though it's true Mom or Dad brings homework or coloring books, those activities pale after the first hour of a 2 1/2 hour class.

Perhaps in the future students of all ages will know that they can both go to school AND take care of their children. Some colleges have daycares on campus. Others (like Western) have an office that directs parents to daycares around town.

What is the solution? I know that child care can be a problem, whether a person has to be at school in a class, or is working at a "regular" job. Any thoughts out there?

Going for it...

Is this something you would do? If not, why? For me, I have to force myself to go up to high places. I have fear of heights, but sometimes I must go up high in order to get places. I have to fly in an airplane in order to get somewhere, for instance.

I have not been up in a paraplane. Who is in this one? You'd have to ask kennkiser@yahoo.com, who shot this photo.

This picture reminded me of the choices Non-traditional students face when deciding whether to go back to school or not.

People who go back to school after a break are facing a decision much like the person in this photo. The first time he or she decided to go up into the sky in a paraplane, I imagine that person probably felt many emotions - excitement, doubt, or even fear. He or she probably thought, "I haven't ever done this before!" or "What if something goes wrong?"

Some people never go beyond their first doubts. They just freeze. They keep doing what they have always done. Changing is too much trouble. It's too much risk.

Then there is the person who goes beyond the risk to see the prize, to see what he or she will achieve and how he or she will feel about themselves. This kind of person tries something instead of always taking the "safe" way (which isn't always safer in the long run...)

This brave kind of person actually follows through with a choice by really acting on it; he or she goes back to school, skydives, learns to operate a paraplane, (!) changes jobs, goes into business --- all of these things can be so life changing.

Some people just make the decision that they are going to take a chance.

I wonder how the person is feeling in this picture. I admire this person. He or she is up in the air - looking down on a cornfield, coming in for a landing.

What an amazing experience!

Non-traditional connections

This photo looks like Kentucky to me. It's from the Morguefile site, by franthony@morguefile.com. In fact, it's the picture of the day or month, and is there when you get to the site. I'm sure that he would appreciate hearing what you think of it. He named it "Sunrise." I really like it.

Today I wanted to write about Non-traditional students (of course) and talk about their interests. What I've found by meeting and talking with many non-traditional students is that they have many and varied interests. You can't just classify a non-traditional student just by being older and in college. Of course, many have families, but not all. Some have full-time jobs, some part-time. I have met genealogy and history buffs, teachers, grad students, artists, and people with many other interests.

I think it would be good to add an interests page to the Non-traditional Students website. That way, non-traditional students could talk to other non-traditional students about things they liked, about their interests and hobbies. It's what other students do... but non-traditional students don't always have the option of hanging out at the dorm, or even talking to other students in class. I think I should wrap my mind around this. I know when I was in college the first time, it was fun to get together with other students and sing and play guitar.

That's just an example of what I am thinking about today. I think that non-traditional students need to find more in school than just the classes and the grades. They need to connect via their hobbies and interests, too. Let me know if you, readers, have any ideas about this. Thanks ahead of time.

Learning is habit-forming

Learning is habit-forming. Just when I got done learning something about teaching (really, scratching the proverbial surface...) along comes web page design and SEO (Search Engine Optimization.) There is so much fun stuff to learn about getting a web page online, doing a blog, and getting on the Google, MSN, and Yahoo lists for computer searches.

Talking about computers, I believe more and more non-traditional students are becoming computer literate. When I first started college again (two years ago), I realized that some other non-traditional students did not regularly use a computer. It was hard for some of them to follow along with the class, especially when some information was on the Blackboard, a special student site where some professors at Western Kentucky University put assignments, syllabi and due dates. They were just lost. They could not get messages about class.

One time they didn't get advance warning about a "pop quiz" that was announced via email. Everyone else had opened their email and found out about it, but not these students.

I felt sorry for them. They eventually learned more about their class email, but in the meantime, their grades suffered.

I think that's another important consideration for non-traditional students to be aware of when they consider going back to school. I would suggest brushing up on computer skills at least six months before school starts, if possible. Non-trads should buy a "Computers for Dummies" book or another easy-to-follow mini-course and make sure that they know how to:

1. Log in to any special class sites
2. Research online and use search keywords
3. Register online, if necessary
4. Use email to contact other students and teachers.

It helps to be able to type. I remember learning on an old-fashioned typewriter. I still push too hard on my computer keys. I guess that stems from pushing so hard on the typewriter. It used to be that you HAD to push hard to go through all the carbons sometimes.

My favorite typing program is Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. One of my clients used it and improved his typing speed by at least 30 words per minute, and it didn't take more than three weeks.

Extra - Extra! Article by Andy Schiller makes the Nontraditional Student News!

I knew it... I just knew it. In an article HERE, Andy Schiller quotes statistics from the U.S. Department of Education. Guess what? Non-traditional students are the fastest-growing group of people enrolled in college!

Here's a quote from his article:

"As thousands of these adults return to the higher education market, they are making a huge impact. The non-traditional student is becoming more the norm in the college classroom."

We non-traditional students just KNEW this had to be a trend. I remember seeing more and more non-traditional students every semester up to last semester.

Here's what else he says:

"• The number of students taking classes online tripled to 2.2 million in the year 2002.
• The proportion of four-year colleges offering online programs grew from 84 percent to 90 percent in 2005.
• Total enrollment in all distance learning courses across the United States has more than doubled since 1995 (754,000 to 1.9 million)."

Check out this article HERE. It's on the news.searchforcolleges.com site. How interesting! I can't wait to read it all again. I agree with Mr. Schiller that colleges and universities are going to have to pay more attention to non-traditional students and their needs and wants. They are going to be an even bigger group in the future, and I think that is a good thing.

Non-Trads and younger friends

Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1300. From the Hubble Site.

I made some friends in classes last semester, and the other semesters. One thing about making friends in college when you are a nontraditional student is, you don't live on campus. You usually have a family and are used to being more of a homebody. The younger students are still into what you used to be into, like gatherings, parties, staying up all night, etc. etc.

Truthfully, I felt like I wanted to make friends as a non-traditional student and sometimes I had to make myself approach people in order to have that happen. It's a different dynamic. Some younger students think you just want to impress the professors, when actually, all you want to do is do your best. You see how important the class is to you, and you simply put your all into it. Sometimes it no longer matters -- or you make it not matter -- if people think you are doing "too" well or trying "too" hard.

I think when a person gets older they don't care as much about negative things like what others think about what they do. When a person is younger, peer pressure is paramount. Now, speaking for myself and I think a few others, I feel this way: if people don't like me for who I am, I have learned that I can still exist (and live) on my own.

Still, people do need friends. People don't want to hang out with their mom or dad (I'm talking about the younger students here -- the ones in class with you) but I think some younger people look below the surface at the person instead of the age. That's why I made some friends at school.

A person has to have a thick skin, though. Most of an older person's classmates might not feel entirely comfortable until they really get to know him or her. It's definitely a learning curve - for you and for them.

Non-Traditional Students and A.N.T.S.H.E.

Non-Traditional Students - A.N.T.S.H.E.

I have found some great links for Non-traditional students. A representative from A.N.T.S.H.E. wrote on the WKU Student Yahoo Group this week. He reminds students to check out their link. They are a national group and have news from Non-traditional student groups across the country.

They are currently getting their information ready for a 2007 conference at Oklahoma State University, who have a member group and website. I went to the Oklahoma State U. website for their Non-Traditional Student Group - it's great. They feature news, events, photographs, and a lot more. It's clear they have an active membership. Good job, OK State!

Non-traditional students and global warming

I went to see An Inconvenient Truth this week and it was so powerful. As a baby boomer, I remember the first Earth Day. The Scouts participated, and they took a whole bunch of stuff out of the Milwaukee River. Including a kitchen sink. Really.

I would recommend all non-traditional students (and traditional students!) go to see this movie. It's all about how people have been lying in the media about Global Warming. It's a sure wake-up call for everyone, students included.

I think students - and non-traditional students - can take the lead during this environmental crisis (which it is!).

The website is here to find out more:

http://www.climatecrisis.net/
you will want to turn your volume down some.

Also, you can click here to watch the trailer

Motivation... how a non-traditional student can find it.

Non-traditional students DO have motivation. The ones that sign up, have a goal, and pursue that goal, while keeping up with a job, other responsibilities, a family, etc. etc. -- these people DO have motivation.

It helps to bolster motivation sometimes. I go to ITunes, my Mac's music and podcast-playing program, to help with motivation to do many things I must accomplish this summer.

If you do not have ITunes, you can download a FREE version by clicking this link:
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Both FREE music downloads and pay music downloads are available here. Haven't heard your favorite artist for awhile? Download a song for only $1.00.

New artists are often featured and you can get FREE song downloads to listen to... to see if you like them.

I listen to motivational podcasts on ITunes. I just select "Podcasts" at the upper left, and search the podcasts listed there, OR I find them online with search terms (just like you look for any page, only select "podcast" too) -- I have found many fun podcasts and load them on to ITunes using the Advanced and Subscribe to Podcast buttons (on the program, above.)

Non-traditional students can find classes, music, and motivation here at ITunes and on the internet. Here are a couple of motivational podcasts that I like:
The Procrastination Podcasts and
the Metamorphosis Site
(scroll down the page a little and click on "Audio Feed.")

Let me know if you like them!
Email me at Lizann447@yahoo.com. Until next time!

Online classes and relationships

Computer classes...
Originally uploaded by betsyanne.

On-line classes (or distance classes) vs. in-class classes:

It is really fun to take on-line classes sometimes. It's also true what they say, though - online classes can be even harder than "regular" classes where you are actually sitting in a class. When I took online classes, that's how it seemed to me. Not that it's impossible, only harder.

One of the younger students didn't keep up with one of the online classes I took. It was sad, too, because it was a writing class and the person was really talented. The ones (like me!) who just kept shloggin along did OK.

I did enjoy getting to know people face-to-face. It made going back to school more fun. You do get to know people sometimes in online classes. Some teachers like to meet for the first time in person, and then have the rest online. Some professors are doing some classes online, and some not. The day classes are mostly traditional. I think there is room for both. If a person MUST only take online classes, he or she must know that they take a lot of time, and he or she must check online often for assignments, and PLAN AHEAD.

Your Calendar
It's so important to have a calendar and mark out your personal deadlines there. You can take an assignment and break it up in to smaller pieces. That makes it SO much easier when it's crunch time and the assignment, paper, or project is all of a sudden due the next week. Don't set yourself up for high blood pressure or an all-nighter. The assignment calendar helps SO much. It has saved me many a time.

Deciding which classes to take

A major decision students have to make is what classes to take - how many at once, etc. Making a written plan with an advisor is a good step to take, whether or not your college requires this. You can zero in on your goals much easier this way.

Do you need basic requirements or are you getting a post-graduate degree or teaching certification? What kind of schedule do you require? Luckily, most colleges offer classes both during the day and at night or online.

Find out what constitutes full-time status at your University or college. And read the fine print on your loan or grant papers. Some loans or grants require full-time attendance.

REGISTER EARLY. The earlier you register, the better class schedule you will obtain. Always look into pre-requisites, which are the classes that are required before other classes. Sometimes a class you need will only be offered in the Spring or Fall semester. Take the time (at least a day) that you need to really look carefully at your class choices.

CHECK OUT YOUR PROFESSOR - there are a couple of good websites you can check out your professor with. One is ProfEval at http://www.profeval.com and the other is PickaProf at http://www.pickaprof.com

Non-traditional Students blog

THE FAFSA, NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS BLOG, MORE

I am so happy to get this non-trad students blog going. I have found a great website called Feedburner that will syndicate a blog and also will do podcasts.

Later on, I will be purchasing a microphone. This will help me get going on a Non-traditional student podcast. There are some good podcasts out there that I have listed on the Nontraditional Students website, but I'd also like to do one.

THE FAFSA SITE - are you thinking of going back to school? Do you want to know if you qualify for a government loan or a grant? Make sure and go to the OFFICIAL FAFSA site. It is here:
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Ideally, it is good to get your FAFSA reports back and THEN apply for college. Your advisor at the school you select will be able to see what kind of financial aid package you qualify for with your official FAFSA score. So it's Step One in your journey back to school.