Recharging your batteries... do you have a break now?

I hope you can recharge your batteries this month, nontraditional students.  

And I do hope you have some break in-between this and next semester.

By FlaviaC (Own work) CC-BY-3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

What a pretty picture. Well, we can dream, right??

So... what are your plans? I hope they include relaxing and having fun. The link below (You Deserve an Award) has some ideas on how to pamper yourself during this time - - after finals, and before your next classes.

How has this semester gone? Good, I hope. If you want to share and talk about it, just leave a comment below.

Or just leave a comment anyhow.

I have enjoyed doing this blog this year, and hope to make it even better in 2014.

Have a GREAT holiday!

Here are the five most popular postings this week:

10 Tips for Doing Well on Final Exams

Finding Scholarships and Grants for School

Final Project Excitement - Get Excited!

Ten Advantages of Face to Face Classes

and

You Deserve an Award and Some Rewards

I hope you did great on your finals. The very best of luck to you, nontraditional students in Winter or Spring term next.

Have a great break!

Betsyanne
Former Nontraditional Student

Some Nontrad links: The Nontrad site and blog

Join Nontrads on Facebook

Nontrads on Yahoo

Nontrads on Twitter

Tips for Newbie Nontrads - add some yourself too!

Are you a Newbie Nontrad? Have you searched for advice out there and either found some or not? Here is some more to add to your list(s).

Some of this advice is for "traditional" students who attend face-to-face classes. Other advice is for either FTF students OR online students.

#1. Get a good, portable calendar. Use it - - you will be SO much more organized.

#2. Do NOT miss a class if you can help it. This goes also for online students.

#3. Get a thicker skin. You may be stared at sometimes. Don't worry, you will get used to it.

#4. Just chalk it up if you do things like walk into glass doors or fall up the stairs. It's OK to be a klutz sometimes.

#5. Remember that is IS OK to sit in the front or near the front. You can hear better there, and it's harder to be distracted.

#6. DON'T feel like you always have to be the one answering your teacher's questions. Trust me. You will be glad holding back once in awhile and letting other students have a chance.

#7. If you can, get a locker if you have "real" books and you have not just ordered online versions.

#8. DO ask your teacher a question if you have one. Preferable: after class. OR make an appointment.

#9. Spread out your assignments. Use your calendar for this.

#10. Relax and make some friends! You can also make a study group.

Any other good suggestions? Please leave them as a comment. Thanks!

Betsyanne
Current and Former Nontraditional Student

Some Nontrad links: The Nontrad site and blog Join Nontrads on Facebook Nontrads on Yahoo Nontrads on Twitter

Nontraditional students - heads up!

Nontraditional students need to do their homework when choosing a school. 

Photo by Sweeneytoad on Flickr.

A while back, I wrote about for-profit schools, and warned that nontraditional students must be very careful when taking classes at some of them, because the credits may not transfer to other schools. And they can be very expensive.

Plus (see the link below) some for-profit schools actually tell students that they should take classes that don't work out for them, or give bad advice to students about whether they are a good fit for a certain program.

So... my advice is to be very careful. Make sure that your credits will transfer to other schools when you choose a college or university.

The other day, a news story came out here locally that Daymar schools' credits in Tennessee did not transfer as students had been told. Now these students are taking this college to court.

I added another story about Kaplan University, another for-profit school, in the links below. Are they really paying their executives huge salaries? And who is paying for them? The article also goes into how much each degree costs at these schools - PLUS there are many fees students must also pay.

Heads up, nontrads!

Find out more:
Tennessee students sue for-profit Daymar College
For-Profit Kaplan University Pays Executives a Quarter of Billion Dollars, courtest of Students and Taxpayers

And here are the other articles I think you will want to see:
Education or Exploitation? For-profit schools and working class students
A Nightline Investigation - are for-profit schools telling students the truth?


Betsyanne
Former nontraditional student at WKU
And Lifetime Learner

Do you have some advice for nontraditional students? Leave a comment below!

Some more Nontrad links:

The Nontrad site and blog

Join Nontrads on Facebook

Nontrads on Yahoo

Nontrads on Twitter