Summer plans, going forward, going backward - - - there are so many choices.

Choices, choices, choices.

It seems like that is one thing being a grownup is all about. It really IS all up to us. And it is not always easy. Drifting along with the current seems to be easy sometimes, and then when we really think about it, it might not be getting us what we really want in life. And time continues to go by.

Summer seems like a time of choices to me. Then there is the Fall, when school starts up again. What to do... have you learned all you want to learn? Are you in a rut or can't think if there are any choices for you?

What IS true is that sometimes a person can think there is no chance of a change, when actually there IS.

When it comes to school, you can look up what it will take to get another certification or degree. Are you at a crossroads? Or have you decided to go back to school?

If you think going back to school as a nontraditional student is something you might want to do, now is the time to talk to somebody at your local college about it, and see what your options are. There could be a #scholarship or #grant available you could take advantage of, or a School-to-Work program locally.

AND there is also Summer School.

OR vacation, which may or may not do a lot for your career or school plans.

Write a comment - what are YOUR plans for this summer?

Here are some more postings that you might like, about Summer School and Summer plans.

Good luck, too!

Betsyanne

My last posting: Treading water is sometimes NOT a good thing... thoughts on change.

And here are more Nontrad links:

Summer School or NOT Summer School

10 Summer Ideas for Nontrads

And here are more Nontraditional Student sites:

Nontrads on Facebook

Nontrads on Yahoo, and

Nontrads on Twitter

Spring Break - will you be vacationing? (3 tips...)

Three Spring Break Tips for Nontraditional Students

Ah. Spring Break. Time to head for Florida. Or someplace else warm. Or not.

Here are some tips for students who have a week or more "vacation" now, just had it, or are planning it.

#1. Catch up on assignments. This is a perfect time to get that paper written or special project taken care of. Seriously. You will thank me.

#2. If you are caught up on most everything, it COULD be a great idea to take a real break. If you can. Think sun, think relaxation, even a Staycation.

#3. Try not to worry. That's a vacation in itself!

Oh - and do you have plans for Spring Break? Share below!

And here are our related sites:

The Nontraditional Student website 
 
Nontrads on Facebook 

Nontrads on Yahoo and

Nontrads on Twitter

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And here are some more of my blogs:  FYI: Some of my other websites and blogs are: The Find Scholarships and Grants Blog, The GS Betsy's E-blast (for Kentuckiana Area 17 and Beyond), From the Garden Spot (another Betsyanne blog), and The Teacher Tree (I will be working more on this one later this year). - See more at: http://non-traditional-students.blogspot.com/2015_03_01_archive.html#.VRgSdWa1Vow

And here are some more of my blogs: 
FYI: Some of my other websites and blogs are: The Find Scholarships and Grants Blog, The GS Betsy's E-blast (for Kentuckiana Area 17 and Beyond), From the Garden Spot (another Betsyanne blog), and The Teacher Tree (I will be working more on this one later this year).
Later!

-Betsyanne
 





Image by Migmac via Morguefile.

Nontraditional Students - they are VERY diverse, but they all have gumption.

Nontraditional Students come in many forms.
And most have a LOT of gumption.

Some have not been out of school for long. Others have been out of school for many years.

They come from all over, and are all shapes and sizes. Some have supportive families, others are going it alone.

One thing they have in common is GUMPTION.

Merriam-Webster online defines gumption as:

": courage and confidence
  
Full Definition of GUMPTION

1

chiefly dialect :  common sense, horse sense

2

:  enterprise, initiative <lacked the gumption to try>"

Are you going back to school? You have gumption.

If you are just THINKING about it, I hope you have the gumption to try.

Betsyanne

 
Some Nontrad links: The Nontrad site

Nontrads on Facebook 

Nontrads on Yahoo 

Nontrads on Twitter 

Get connected, nontrads. Here are some of my other blogs and sites:  The Nontraditional Student website, The Nontraditional Student Facebook page, The Moon and the Willow Tree (a Betsyanne blog), The Find Scholarships and Grants blog, From the Garden Spot (another Betsyanne blog), and The Teacher Tree website  (I will hopefully be working more on this one later this year). 

The Nontraditional Student Site of the Day for Jan. 22 2015: The Planning and Preparing for College Blog.

The Planning and Preparing for College Blog: by C. Herd





From the blog description: "To prepare students and their parents for college success in areas of academic readiness, community service, internships, summer programs, etc. The blog is to be used as a preparation infrastructure on various areas of college topics."

This blog is a great information blog for many different scholarships. It features scholarships for minority groups, but it is fabulous information for anyone.

Many Tennessee schools are featured here, and also other schools from across the country.

I like it. It also has special postings on subjects like College Prep Timeline, How to Prepare for College Correctly, and Preparing for the ACT/SAT Exam.

(See the right side of the blog...)

There are also links here that are test links, College Prep updates, Financial Aid, Summer Programs, Grants, Minority Links, and Internships.

Definitely, this site belongs on your blog list under "Great blogs for Nontrads." 

Check it out here: http://ctherd.blogspot.com/

Betsyanne

And here are more of my Nontrad links:

The Nontrad website

Nontrads on Facebook 

Nontrads on Yahoo, and

Nontrads on Twitter

Many interests, and how it can mess you up as a nontraditional student. Also: aptitude tests online.

Do you have lots of interests? I think that is a good thing.

I know I do. I have things I want to do eventually, things I do every day, and things I want to learn how to do. Zeroing in on just one is problematic. It can take time away from being natural and spontaneous.

And something worse can happen: you can't decide, so you NEVER go back to school at all.

I will list a few interests of mine, and perhaps you will list yours as a comment. Or you can write about them on YOUR blog and share that blog address as a comment.

#1. Writing (this can translate to English, Teaching, more)

#2. Art (Can also lead to teaching or one KIND of art-making...)

#3. Hobbies - - collecting, crafts, Scouting, books, more.

If you are like me, it's hard to select just ONE thing to focus on. And I know that many nontraditional students feel that same way.

One thing to do to select something to do as a JOB is to take a quiz or test about it. Or sometimes people just KNOW what they want to do. OR you can talk to a school guidance counselor or advisor.

One rule of thumb can be that selecting a field where you can actually make a living can make your other interests possible.

Here are another posting to help you decide on what you like the most, or want to do the most.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Some aptitude tests online.

And here are some more Nontrad links:

The Nontrad site and blog 

Join Nontrads on Facebook 

Nontrads on Yahoo and

Nontrads on Twitter

President Obama's talk at the University of New York - plus free colleges - a link from the Find Scholarships and Grants blog

President Obama at the State University of New York - Today's Talk at a Town Hall (via C-Span).

He talked about lowering college costs for everyone with a College Affordability plan, checking college for quality, Climate Change and green energy, and equality for everyone in college opportunity. He said he was working to see that college students did not get loaded down with debt.

He also said he was going to look into Service Scholarships, where nursing students, for instance, can pay back part of their scholarships when they get out of school.

He vows to fight for students and try to lower costs.

And politicians who are just worried about getting elected, he said, are sometimes not doing what is right for the country. I agree with this one!

He took questions too, and they were good ones.

He said to go to Whitehouse.gov and see what they had posted there. He also said that studentaid.gov has information about financing too.

Here are more links talking about his new Plan:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/08/obama-unveils-new-college-affordability-plan/

And here is something about FREE classes, which definitely could help if students are on a budget.
(But be careful - - many may not count towards a major.)

Here is a link to a video of his speech at the University of Buffalo:
President Obama Speaks on College Affordability | The White House

Earlier today, I wrote about free classes that people could take. Hey - maybe I should combine this blog with the Find Scholarships and Grants blog. Only later.

Here is a posting from the Find Scholarships and Grants blog today.

I know I have thought about this before - - taking FREE classes.

Here is that posting: 
Absolutely free classes - good as a scholarship? Could be!

Betsyanne
Former Nontraditional Student in Education, WKU

And here are some more Nontrad links:

The Nontrad site and blog

Join Nontrads on Facebook

Nontrads on Yahoo

 Nontrads on Twitter

Getting ready for Fall Semester? Share some nontraditional student blogs.

It's that time again. Those who were off from school this summer are now thinking about Fall.

From Flickr - Black Mtn. College Fuller class

Many nontraditional students are waiting for their grant or loan funding to kick in, which happens right before school.

Then it's all about books and schedules, and those butterflies I used to get.

Are you making lists? Getting school supplies?

These nontraditional students (and one professor) are taking and giving classes... and writing about that AND their lives.

This one talks about listening to someone at a party who got his PhD.  It inspired him to keep going with his education.

This person wonders if women over 50 are invisible in this culture.
Makes you wonder. Truthfully, I think women over 50 ARE invisible in this culture... will this change in the near future? Who knows.

One talks about a Stats class.
As I've been told, a statistics class can inspire fear. It's a required class for at least one discipline. I haven't ever taken it, and don't plan to.

A history professor talks about his life and thoughts. 
This person seems to be happy with his job. This is more a personal blog than anything though.

I am looking for interesting fascinating blogs written by nontraditional students. I want to list them on the blog site. If you have one, or know of one, send me the link.

Betsyanne
Former nontraditional student in Education
WKU

Other recent postings you may like:
Fall 2013 Must-haves for Nontrads

Are you ready for Fall semester?

And other ones!
Career and Aptitude Testing

Registration Time (some tips)

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 student... can you think of a better term?

Bubbles art photo by Jurvetson on Flickr.

What's in the name "Nontraditional Student"?

Well, the older student going back to school after a break is definitely becoming MORE traditional as the years go by, because more older students are going back to school, for one thing.

Yet the term sticks.

We say a student is a nontraditional student if he or she is going to school part-time, is maybe above the age of 24, has taken a break since first going to college, is going to college for the first time after some years away, is working AND going to school, is married and/or has a family... and/or considers him or herself nontraditional.

I have heard that this term should change. But so far, I haven't heard a suitable term that takes it place. (Yet!)

Here are some suggestions:

#1. Nontrad (the same word, only shortened...)

#2. Owls (used already as a word for many Nontrad clubs)

#3. Cohorts (Just thought of this one...)

and #4. Seniors (a bad connotation is here, i'm afraid... many younger Nontrads do NOT identify with being that old, for one thing.)

Can you think of a better word or terms? I welcome the conversation!

Betsyanne
Current and Former Nontraditional Student
Western Kentucky University and
The Pots Place Studio and Gallery 

Art from Jurvetson on Flickr.

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

A reminder: Get connected, nontraditional students!

Hi to all nontraditional students!

Nontraditional students are a growing group across the country and abroad. Older students are realizing that they can change their lives and go for their dreams.

There are many nontraditional student blogs and websites online to help them in their educational journey.

I have several that may be helpful to you. Along with this blog for nontraditional students, there is also the Nontraditional Student website, Nontraditional students on Facebook, the Nontraditional Student Yahoo Group, and a Twitter site.

The Nontraditional Student website has different state pages where people can look up nontraditional student groups in their state. They can also submit their group to the site.

Nontraditional students on Facebook has 538 Likes.  Members can post to the Wall, and there are links and interesting cartoons and articles listed there.

Nontraditional Student Yahoo Group has 278 members. Three just joined recently. Right now, there is an introduction for a new member from Texas. I like the fact that the group is diverse and has people from all over in it. Members give advice and share how they are doing as nontraditional students or people helping them or thinking about going back to school soon.

The Twitter site shares web links and links to interesting sites for nontraditional students. There is also a site for scholarship and grant seekers at the ScholarsGrants Twitter page.

Here are some more links you may enjoy:
The Nontraditional Student blog Big List of Nontrad Links

Later!

Betsyanne
Former and current Nontraditional Student