Some great nontraditional student Twitters - and how to search for them on Twitter

Are you on Twitter yet? Even if you aren't, it can be fun to search there to find interesting links and sites.

I just went there today (Tuesday) and ran a search for "Nontraditional Students." I found a lot of my own Tweets for nontraditional students. I am @nontrads there and often use the term in my tweets.

But there are also other people who are writing about nontraditional students and putting interesting quotes or site links on for others to check out.

Here are just a few examples:
Nontrads Nontraditional students going back to school after a break: how to begin: http://bit.ly/9cRzDq

lallenreports RT @CMLIFE Nontraditional students should not be denied housing options http://bit.ly/cBQFkn

AATYC More than 22,000 nontraditional students have applied for Academic Challenge (lottery) scholarship. 5 days ago from API   

You can try it yourself, too. Just go to the main site, Twitter.com, and put YOUR search terms in the search box on the right side. Then just hit the "more" button on the bottom of the page to find even more results from your search. Happy discovering!

-Betsyanne

Some of my links!
The Nontrad site and blog
The Betsyanne page and blog
My Squidoo Pages and referral

More about ANTSHE - you can join as a student in college or university, or outside of a college

What is ANTSHE?

It is the Association for Nontraditional Students in Higher Education. They have information, a scholarship, and a yearly Conference, too. If you are a student, you can join for only $20.00 per year. Academic professionals can join for $50.00 per year.

ANTSHE allows your school or organization to join as well.

You can find the ANTSHE Join us! link here:
http://www.antshe.com/member/Joinnow.htm

If you are in a Nontraditional Student group and are in a College or University, check to see if your group can join. (From the site) "This includes three professional memberships, unlimited student memberships (students must be members of a recognized non-traditional student organization), full member benefits, and website acknowledgement."

-Betsyanne

Go to the ANTSHE site to check it out:
http://www.antshe.com

Some of my links!
The Nontrad site and blog
The Betsyanne page and blog
My Squidoo Pages and referral

Give some other nontraditional students a visit!

Here are five outstanding blogs from fellow nontraditional students.

When you get a moment, drop by and give them some comments and support. You can also share your stories about being a nontraditional student too. If you don't have a group of nontraditional students where you go to school, you can form your own group online by following some great nontraditional student blogs. Then check out their links for even more great nontraditional students you can meet.

Here are just a few of the nontraditional student blogs I have found:

Caz in Australia talks about her assignments, her kids, and how her semester is going. She also thinks about the differences she finds in going back to school as an older vs. younger person.

Here is her About Me description: "A 41 year old mother of three - two teenage daughters (urgh! I love them to death but really, who are these people!) and a ten year old son (please don't become a teenager!); partner to an extremely supportive husband and currently studying for a Bachelor of Communication (majoring in Writing and Film and Screen). I intend to stop using my age as an excuse NOT to do all the things I want to do because, let's face it, life's too short."

You can visit Caz here:
http://mylifeasamatureagestudent.blogspot.com/

Zickbee describes herself as a "40something student, Mom to three human children and two canine children, Arizona "native", (and) collegiate basketball fan." She is winding up her semester and thinking about getting a Master's next.  You will really like her postings - they are so fun to read.

You can follow her life and conversations here:
http://oldernontradstudent.blogspot.com/

College Campus Mama has three blogs! The nontraditional one talks about her classes, her grades, signing up for summer classes, learning Excel and Access, and lots more. Her last entry was about Spring Break. (From her profile) "An african american woman who is a wife, SAHM of 3, WAHM, full time college student and everything else in between. Writing is just an outlet of expression that is easier for me to do other than saying things verbally."

Here is that address:
http://collegecampusmama.blogspot.com/

Rishona N. lives in Clairton Pennsylvania. She "has been maintaining a “virtual presence” on the 'net since 1997. She has an A.S. degree in Electronics Technology from the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics; a B.A. degree in liberal arts from West Virginia University; and is currently working on her M.B.A. at Florida Gulf Coast University." She is on Twitter  as @Rishonan and also has a site here:
http://rishonan.net/site/.

You can sign up for her rss feed and follow her journey anytime.

Brandywine is from Missouri. She is counting the days until summer break arrives. She talks about her classes, what she did during Spring Break, her latest Spanish composition, and more. (From her blog) "Heirloom gardener, chocoholic, bookworm. Full-time employee, full-time student. History major with a Spanish minor. I love words, I love history, and I love heirloom tomatoes, not necessarily in that order. I enjoy blogging and meeting new people through blogs (and in real life, as well)."

Here is her site address:
http://traveling-thru-time.blogspot.com/

There are even more great blogs listed at the Nontrad Blog site. Just go to the site, scroll down, and find them on the right side. Happy friending!

Nontraditionally Yours,
-Betsyanne

Some of my links!
The Nontrad site and blog
The Betsyanne page and blog
My Squidoo Pages and referral

A Walk Through the College Archive Exhibit, A Legacy of Learning

A Walk Through the College Archive Exhibit, A Legacy of Learning
Originally uploaded by Lower Columbia College

Just a beautiful design. I like it!

A poem for nontraditional students

One Nontraditional Student

He doesn't always talk enough,
and sometimes he talks too much.
The other students can't figure him out. Not really.

They think, Just who really is that older person sitting in the front row?
Doesn't he know that it isn't cool to ask so many questions?
Sometimes he has to sit on his hands, he thinks.
And is school the only thing he thinks about?
He wants to be able to do so much more.

I need  to think about school, he says to himself.
He needs to think about important things,
the other students would say.
Like getting some new clothes, like getting an i-pod.
Like partying, like making some new friends.

And especially like not being so serious all the time.

But instead, he is thinking about his job and how he can stop being late,
about his kids and how he can still spend some time with them today,
even though his homework isn't done yet.

And how much sleep will he get tonight? Not enough.

Does his wife or girlfriend tell him he is smart?
Sometimes not.
He tells himself he is not smart enough sometimes,
but he'd never admit it to anyone else.

Stuff like that belongs inside, a secret.
And he worries if he's made a bad mistake, and
adds up the money of his loan again in his head.

Just how many more months and years will it be, he wonders.
He's pretty sure he has all his ducks in a row,
but what if he needs to take a class over? What if he doesn't make it?
Will he get that better grade, and pull up the rest of them?
Too many questions. Maybe he will just block them out.
He knows he won't quit, because he is not a quitter.
But sometimes he wonders.

He wonders if he has enough money for the extra books he needs.
And maybe tomorrow he'll try to ask the teacher a question after class.
He feels like it's a stupid question, but he still needs to find out.
He's beyond worrying if anyone will wonder why he is asking.
Well, almost.

He knows he is pretty tired most of the time.
He is almost to the point where he doesn't care what anyone thinks...
but not quite yet.

 -Betsyanne

Some of my links!
The Nontrad site and blog
The Betsyanne page and blog
My Squidoo Pages and referral