Are you a Nontraditional Student? Here are some support sites for you.

It can be lonely being an older student at college or even while getting your GED.

You can be close in age to other students, OR you may be a lot older.

True, more and more studentgroups are accepting older students. So... you might even be going through rush right now.

If you are like me, you are keeping to yourself a lot, but still making some friends for Study Groups.

But it helps to know that there are  groups either at your school or online that can help you through it.

Here are just a few:
The Nontrad site and blog

Nontrads on Facebook and

Nontrads on Yahoo

Good luck this semester, nontraditional students! Use the search box to find out how to make a nontraditional student group, find out more about yourself, explore other nontrad blogs and sites, and lots more.

Later!

Betsyanne

Former Nontraditional Student in Education

WKU

You CAN do it. Is IS possible... you can go back to school if you want to.

I know I say it a lot. But it's true. You CAN do it.

You CAN go back to school. For some nontraditional students, it is harder, though. They know they CAN do it, but their family and job hold them back.

It is sometimes impossible to juggle everything at once. A nontrad might be a single parent - - or might be taking care of an elderly relative. Another may have a job that that they really need to keep. At least for now.

The next nontraditional student you see may have hidden problems. He or she is still trying to make life better for him or herself and for his or her family.

It takes some support sometimes to get through school, especially when there isn't a nontraditional student group on campus. A nontraditional student may not even get the chance to meet others, because all his or her classes are online.

Try going to a link below. You will find help there, nontraditional students. Know that you are NOT alone. There are many older students going back to school after a break right now.

Heads up! :-)

Betsyanne
Former Nontraditional Student
in Education, WKU

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

Happy Graduation!! Here is a link to Jimmy Kimmel's "Tale of Two Speeches"

I saw President Obama give a Commencement Speech at Morehouse College.
 

Image Credit: Clker.com

Well, to be honest, I didn't see the whole thing. And it was on TV. But I saw some clips of it on the Jimmy Kimmel show yesterday.

I found out later (today) that President Obama also received an honorary degree.

You can read the text of this here.

Last night, Jimmy Kimmel compared clips of his Commencement Speech at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to the President's speech. Parts of it were really funny.

Here is the video of that, entitled "A Tale of Two Speeches."
(On the video it says, "Why Jimmy Kimmel will Never Be President")

I wonder what I would say if I were asked to give a commencement speech.

Would you ever like to do that? Graduates, did you enjoy your graduation? Did you have a special speaker that left an impression with you?

Leave a comment!

Betsyanne
Former Nontraditional Student, WKU
(Education)

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

Nontraditional students come in many varieties, and the group is growing. Are you one?

A nontraditional student used to be a rarity. But no longer.

Photo credit: Michaelcardus on Flickr.

In a March 2012 article, Steven Bell, a librarian at Temple University, states that "Thirty-eight percent of those enrolled in higher education are over the age of 25 and 25 percent are over the age of 30. The share of all students who are over age 25 is projected to increase another twenty-three percent by 2019."

The number of non-traditional undergraduates is rising for many reasons. 

I believe those reasons include wanting to get a better job, raise family income, and change careers. Some nontraditional students have lost their jobs due to downsizing or the economy and are training for a second, or even third career.

More and more schools are catering to nontraditional students, who are often older and going back to school after a break. I have seen Nontraditional Student clubs, special advising, and more choices in class times in the last five years or so, and I believe this trend will gain traction in the years to come.

Schools are offering more financial aid for older students too. And younger students are generally starting to be more accepting of older students.

As the numbers of nontraditional students goes up, I believe that younger students will welcome them more and more into groups and clubs, which will increase retention for these students who need it the most.

I also believe that more online and face-to-face classes will be offered at more times all across the country, helping many nontraditional students with time constraints.

More dedicated advisors just for nontraditional students, more generalized majors, more financial help, and a more flexible attitude towards child care and assistance in making up classes will be prevalent in the future.

What thoughts do you have on being a nontraditional student today or helping them? Leave a comment today.

Thanks,

-Betsyanne
Former Nontraditional Student in Education at WKU
The Garden Spot, Kentucky

Sources:

Nontraditional Students are the New Majority

Financial Aid for Older and Nontraditional Students at the FinAid site

University using online classes, virtual library to cater to 'non-traditional' students

And here are more of my nontraditional student links:

The Nontrad site and blog

Join Nontrads on Facebook

Nontrads on Yahoo, and

Nontrads on Twitter

Back to school after Spring Break 2013 - new online articles, more

Back to school! (after Spring Break...)

It's back to school now for my daughter, who is a non-traditional student at the local Technical College, which is linked to WKU.

She is taking pre-nursing classes.

Now is the final push towards the end of Spring Semester. I hope things are going well for all my readers.

Here are some new online articles that may be of interest.

Financial Aid - - Financial Aid is First Step in College Admissions (by Deb Peterson)

I'm Waitlisted: Now What? (The Grad School Wait List) - very short article by Tara Kuther, Ph.D.

Free GMAT Practice Test (from Karen Schweitzer)

A Somber Look at College Tuition Rates (by Rishona)

And don't forget to check out the new Nontraditional Student blogs to the right on this posting. I have put new ones on here for 2013.

And here are my Nontrad links: The Nontrad site and blog, Join Nontrads on Facebook, Nontrads on Yahoo, and Nontrads on Twitter.

This blog is for nontraditional students, who are going back to school after a break. Many people who help them also have subscribed.

Nontrads face many difficulties, pressures, and obstacles in their journey back to school.

I like to tell them, Remember, you CAN do it!

Betsyanne
Former Nontraditional Student (Education)
The Garden Spot, Kentucky
From the Garden Spot BG, KY events and more
The Moon and the Willow Tree blog

Inspiration for Nontraditional Students

Here are a couple of inspirational quotes and pictures...

They are for all nontraditional students and also for people who are working towards improving their lives and the lives of their families.

Photo by Wickerfurniture on Flickr.

This quote is so true for nontraditional students. They are looking at the Big Picture, and going to school sometimes for a long time in order to get that Certification or Diploma. Looking towards the future makes today easier sometimes.

Every baby step of taking classes is a step in the right direction for a better future.

Photo by SweetOnVeg on Flickr.

Nontraditional students believe that they CAN do it, no matter how long it takes or how hard the journey is. If a nontraditional student can believe in his or herself, it doesn't matter so much what the world thinks.

Because the journey is all about the student.

I send good thoughts to all nontraditional students and everyone helping them today.

Betsyanne

And here are a couple of links to help inspire nontraditional students:

Articles about nontraditional students

The Nontraditional Student website Inspiration and Motivation Page 

And here are some more Nontrad links:

The Nontrad site and blog 

Join Nontrads on Facebook

Nontrads on Yahoo Nontrads on Twitter

Are you looking for a scholarship? Here is a site to help.

I have been writing for another blog for some time that nontraditional students might like.

It is the Find Scholarships and Grants blog. Here is what the header (top art) looks like:

You can search for the kind of scholarship you are looking for there, and see some great free links you can explore.

Here is that link again:

Find Scholarships and Grants.

Let me know what you like about it, and what you would like to see there in the future.

Have a great, productive week, nontraditional students, and those who help them.

I hope everyone had a GREAT Valentine's Day too.

Aww! This cute Valentine schoolgirl is from Peter-J-Pann on Flickr.

- Betsyanne

And here are some more Nontrad links:

The Nontrad site and blog 

Join Nontrads on Facebook

Nontrads on Yahoo, and 

Nontrads on Twitter

Is your school accredited? You can look it up, plus links to videos.

Checking out your college. Is it accredited? Be sure.

St. John's College - Cambridge. By lenscapbob on Flickr.

Are you online or going to face-to-face classes? Is it accredited? Will your credits transfer if you want to go to another school later?

It is not easy to know whether your school credits will transfer. Some students have been known to go to a school they thought was accredited, then switch schools and have to take their classes over. What a disappointment!

This actually happened to a friend of mine. Then he didn't finish school after all, probably because thinking about taking all of his classes over was daunting.

Sometimes for-profit schools (and others) may not tell you the truth about accreditation or whether your credits will transfer. You may have to check online or with your next school to find out. Do this early and save yourself some money, hassle, and disappointment.

Here are some articles and websites that can help you find out more.

Betsyanne

ABC News 2010: For-Profit Colleges Under Investigation

(Nightline 2010) For-Profit Education Investigation. There is a video here for this one. A short ad is first.

The U.S. Department of Education Accreditation Search Page

I hope school is going well, nontraditional students!
 
And here are some Nontrad links:
The Nontrad site and blog
Join Nontrads on Facebook
Nontrads on Yahoo
Nontrads on Twitter

Nontraditional students, you deserve a hug today!

Some days, everyone just needs a hug.

Graduation Hugs by Chad Miller from Orlando, FL

Nontraditional students, consider yourself hugged today.

Are you going back to school after a break? Did you just complete your studies? Whichever you are doing, you get a hug today.

::::hug!::::

Betsyanne
Former nontraditional student, WKU

Some Nontrad links:

The Nontrad site and blog

Join Nontrads on Facebook

Nontrads on Yahoo

Nontrads on Twitter

The end of the semester is in sight, nontrads...

Are you excited?

New Phone Excitement - by ashn22 on Flickr.

The end is in sight for this semester, nontraditional students.

Here is a handy site and two links to help you coast towards the end of this semester's classes.

#1. I gave this site to my daughter this semester. I figured it would help her citing sources for papers. It is the Son of Citation Machine, a great site for plugging in your information and receiving help on those pesky source citations.

SON OF CITATION MACHINE.

And here are two articles from this blog about doing well on tests and finals:

#2: 10 Tips for Doing Well on Final Exams

#3. Get Organized for Finals

I hope everyone is doing great and sees that proverbial Light at the End of the Tunnel and feels good about this semester.

Do you have some fun Winter Break plans? Or maybe you plan to go school again for Winter Term?

Whatever you have planned, do have a wonderful holiday and here is hoping school is going just fine.

Betsyanne

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

Nontrads, getting ready for the holidays...

Before we know it, the holidays will be here.

...and I will be glad about it.

No matter what Fall and Winter holidays you celebrate, I like this time of year, Fall and Winter are definitely times of celebration for me.

Nontraditional students currently in school taking a full or part-time load may be thinking of travel or presents or visiting with family and friends.

I just love this time, starting with October - Diwali, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hannukah, and Yule.... full of cheerful light and decorations, and people trying hard to be nice to one another.

How are things going, nontraditional students and those who help them? How are classes? Are things going well? I hope so.

Share your stories, or leave a comment.

Thanks!!

Betsyanne
Current (pottery, writing and art) "independent" student, and
Former nontraditional college student going back for an Education degree.



Join me on some nontraditional student websites:

The Nontrad site and blog

Nontrads on Facebook

Nontrads on Yahoo

and Nontrads on Twitter 

Fall Break ideas - - what are YOUR plans?

Is Fall Break coming up soon?

Photo credit: This original photo is by byj on Wikimedia Commons.

I looked up Fall Break at Western Kentucky University, and saw that it is October 4th and 5th this year. Of course, the weekend is then tacked on (the 4th and 5th are a Thursday and Friday), but still... Fall Break is not really very long this year.

But fun can definitely be had - - or a report done. That's what I usually wound up doing during MY Fall Break anyhow.

I think of nontraditional students who have kids. I wonder, do their Fall Break days coincide with their kids' dates? I hope so!

Nontraditional students: what are your Fall Break plans? Do you need to scramble to find things for your kids to do during Fall Break?

Do you GET a Fall Break? I hope so.

Betsyanne

Betsyanne is a current (pottery and writing) and former (Education classes) nontraditional student.

Nontraditional students are going back to school after a break. Are you a nontrad? Share your story in a comment too.

Here are some other articles you may like:

Winter Term: Love it or hate it?

10 Study Skills Tips to help you do Great on your Finals

Study Groups for Nontraditional Students

And here are some more Nontrad links:  
The Nontrad site and blog
Join Nontrads on Facebook
Nontrads on Yahoo, and
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

More than One (academic) Love... Torn between Two Druthers?

Torn Between Two Lovers - - oops - - Druthers. 

There, I've said it. You CAN have two academic loves at the very same time.
So how do you decide what academic path to take when you aren't sure which choice is right for you? You could love science and art. Or nursing and social work. And Special Education and Drama.

So what can you do?

#1. Try the old faithful: A double major. That way if one job doesn't work out, you can always try your other love. This does take longer and cost more though.

 #2. Take an aptitude test and see which one comes out on top. Or talk to a school advisor.

#3. Make an old-fashioned "Pro" and "Con" list. See what major or profession leads with more reasons on one side or the other. 

#4. Make a guess and just pick one, although that's hard to do when you love both fields.

#5. Choose one to be your bread and butter choice (complete the requirements for that field) and tinker with the other. Take a few hobby classes and tell yourself you'll finish it later if you have to.

There is no rule about what you should take in school. And many older, nontraditional students (who are going back to school after a break) can be changing what they like as they grow and learn more about the world and themselves, or may want to break the chains of a career that is no longer right or good for them.

And I believe you can go back to school more than once. It's never too late to make that RIGHT choice for you.

Did you notice that the title almost was the title to a song some of us older nontraditional student remember? It is "Torn Between Two Lovers..." which was written by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary, and is sung by Mary MacGregor.

Here is a link to that song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1F5BLLFAeM.

Enjoy! For some nontraditional students, this video will bring back memories!

Bye for now,
Betsyanne
Former and current Nontraditional Student

Our motto: You CAN do it!

Some Nontrad links:  The Nontrad site and blog 

Join Nontrads on Facebook 

Nontrads on Yahoo 

Nontrads on Twitter

Twitter Roundup for July - some fun links and sites from Twitter

Hello, Nontrads!

I hope you had a great weekend.  I am going to do another Twitter Roundup today for those readers who are not on Twitter.

As many readers know, Twitter can be a fun place to search for nontraditional student links and news. You just search for "nontrads" or "nontraditional students" or "scholarships" - - or whatever you want to learn about. You can put your country or state in the search box too.

Then you can click on the links and postings you find, add people, and generally have a lot of fun discovering new things.

Sometimes the postings don't really match, though - - for instance you might find a complaint or two about nontraditional students in class, or just an announcement about somebody registering for school.

These comments or postings might be extremely interesting to the poster, but not for somebody just looking for some tips or neat links to explore that might help them.

So... I will search and find good links from people I have "favorited" on the site or list links from the @scholarsgrants and #nontrads names I have on Twitter already.

Here they are, and I hope they are useful to you.

60 Digital Media Resources, via Mashable http://goo.gl/53re0  ‪#mashable‬ ‪#media‬ ‪#tech‬ ‪#digital‬ ‪#neatlinks

My big list of Nontraditional Student websites version B http://bit.ly/dUnA5S  ‪#nontrads‬ ‪#coolsites‬ ‪#college‬ ‪#GED 

RT @jcx27 Creating A Book - The Condensed Version http://bit.ly/GFP9UG  <- a great little guide to writing ‪#authors‬ ‪#books‬ ‪#writing 

Five High-Quality Scholarship Sites http://goo.gl/jn4C6  ‪#scholarships‬ ‪#scholarship‬ ‪#college‬ ‪#GED‬ ‪#grants‬ ‪#money 

Five High-Quality Scholarship Sites http://goo.gl/jn4C6  ‪#scholarships‬ ‪#scholarship‬ ‪#college‬ ‪#GED‬ ‪#grants‬ ‪#money 

Pinterest - my boards: http://pinterest.com/betsyanne77/  ‪#betsyanne77‬ ‪#pinterest‬ ‪#greatlinks‬ ‪#funlinks‬ ‪#betsyanne 

Fun and Free Resources for Seniors: http://goo.gl/XVBcZ  ‪#squidoo‬ ‪#lizziebeth‬ ‪#seniors‬ ‪#internet 

8 reasons not to get a business degree (but maybe an MBA...) http://goo.gl/pXkQM  ‪#MBA‬ ‪#business‬ ‪#college‬ ‪#advice

The 7 Deadly Regrets of Former College Students - via Campus Grotto http://goo.gl/BONtQ  ‪#nontrads‬ ‪#college‬ ‪#continuinged

Should you go back to school? 8 questions to consider: http://goo.gl/xW1nF  via Deb Peterson at http://About.com  ‪#college 

I hope you have a great week. Later!


Betsyanne
Former (Education) and Current (Pottery) Nontraditional Student
The Garden Spot, Bowling Green, Kentucky

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

Defining ourselves as Nontraditional Students

Defining the Nontraditional Student (...what others may think, what I think, and what you think...)

Something to think about - and how are your finals going?

WKU has Commencement soon. Do you?

London Fireworks photo by Chris Downer on Geograph.

I am enjoying reading about my Facebook friends who are graduating this year. They are taking finals and are excited about that too. (Or just terrified...)

So... how is your education experience going, nontraditional students?

Leave your thoughts in a comment at the end of this posting.

Also, I just listed something fun for students still enrolled in school. Why not spend some time applying for some unusual and unknown scholarships this summer? Here is that link:

Unusual, odd, wacky, and unknown scholarships and sites to explore.

I wish you the BEST of luck on your exams, graduation, and enrollment for next year or for Summer Term.

All for today,

Betsyanne

Two USA Today articles: President Obama talks about student loan rates, and an article about tuition by major

Two recent USA Today articles definitely are of interest to nontraditional students - and all students, in fact.

#1: More Schools vary tuition by major. Do you agree with this? Some majors would pay one price, others, like math and science degrees, would cost more. I have not heard of this before, and I wonder if more schools will jump on this bandwagon. This article is by Alicia McCarty: More schools vary tuition by major.

#2. Obama talks low loan rates in pitch to college students. President Obama has been talking about his and his wife's students loans lately. This article, by Richard Wolf, Catalina Carnia and David Jackson tells of a speech by President Obama at Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

President Obama wants to see less interest on students loans, and is speaking against raising Stafford loan interest rates to double what they are now. What do you think of this happening? Of course, it would happen only to new borrowers, but the rate is already a lot higher than I and others think it should.

The article says an even bigger problem right now is that graduates right now have few jobs to pick from. Leave a comment on these issues below. 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

Sometimes a nontraditional student is on his or her own

Are you on your own? Or maybe you know somebody who is?

Does your family not agree with your going back to school? Do you feel like you always have to explain yourself to others? Maybe you know somebody in this situation too.

Sometimes it's hard to be a nontraditional student. I feel that this blog and the Nontrad website (along with the Facebook and Yahoo groups) are places that nontraditional students can find help and support. (And if that is what you are looking for, check out the links at the bottom of this posting.)

What is important is that you or somebody else are both doing what you feel is right. You or they are following a dream. Don't let the negativity out there bring you or others down.

Try a positive affirmation or two, like "I am working towards my future" and "I really don't want to hang around negative people anymore" become part of your life.

Do you know somebody that is on their own and is also a nontraditional student, or plans to be? Be that person's helpful friend, and just be there for them. You will be doing a lot to help that person succeed.

Betsyanne

Former and current Nontraditional Student

Leave a comment! I would love to hear from you.

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