Here are a few ways to be nice to a nontraditional student today.

This posting is for families, friends, fellow students, and others who know a nontraditional student.

It takes a lot for many nontraditional students to go back to school. And they deserve some kudos for that! Here are some things you can do for a nontraditional student.

#1. Acknowledge them! For younger students and maybe some family members, this just means talking to them. For a fellow student, it may mean telling them about a club or study group they may want to join.

#2. Help them! Tell them about your advisor (if you like them!), and/or just say hi to them once in awhile in the school hallways. Families, pitch in on chores around the house once in awhile. Kids, give that nontraditional student mom or dad a hug too.

#3. Honor them (this one is for families). Tell your nontraditional student how proud you are of them.

#4.  Help them take a break. Are you a friend of a nontraditional student? Maybe you can do some shopping for them or babysit once in awhile. Maybe you can talk them into taking a vacation or a short break from their studies.

Nontraditional students are students going back to school after a break. Are you one?

I and of course my readers, would love to hear your story. Tell it in a comment, or send me your story and I will try to feature it here on the Nontrad blog.

Oh - and Nontrads, and here are the other Nontraditional student sites you can join:

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

Tips for Inspiration - or how to get moving towards the important things

OK - you know who you are. Or maybe not...

You (and I!) can be the people who think about special projects, going back to school, doing artwork, writing a book or short story, joining a club... etc. etc. etc. But often, we wind up doing something else instead, and putting what is really important on the proverbial back burner.

Some readers will not recognize themselves in this posting. But I'll bet some will. I admire those people who are organized and concentrate on those things that matter.

I have to admit... I need help with organization and following through. I procrastinate. I put important things off. I choose to just let things stay the same. I come up with excuses NOT to do things that I want to do. I suddenly become very busy with little things that don't matter... in order not to have to think about what is really important or start on that important task.

So what is stopping me - - or maybe you? Some say fear. Some say bad experiences in the past. Still others say that low self-esteem can play a factor in NOT doing something that really is quite important.

Thinking about choices in the past can be a non-too-fun endeavor too that gets me sidetracked. I can get stuck in the past, going over and over things that can't be changed. It can seem hard to focus just on today and what I want to really get done with my time.

But I really DO want to get motivated and get things done. I keep coming back to that, and trying even harder.

What helps me? Here are some tips I hope will inspire you to get started doing the important things, like going back to school or getting that important project done.


1. Make a list - getting a great list done helps me prioritize and actually get some important things done. I must post this list on the wall and NOT get it mixed up in other papers for it to start working though. What also helps is making time to actually make the list. And looking at the list helps too.

2. Pay attention. I must take a rest break or meditate in order to zero in on the important things so I can put them high on my #1 list. Sometimes meditating can help me be more relaxed and able to focus on important things. Writing "meditation daily" on my list is also helpful.

3. Read or listen to what experts say. I have found some great books and tapes that have helped me. Some are available at library sales or yard sales. Others I find on Amazon. But of course you can buy them new if your budget permits. Some authors I recommend are: Dr. Wayne Dyer, Ayanla Vanzant, The Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, Sark, and Julia Cameron. There are more that I plan to talk about later too.

4. Keeping the little things up to date. This helps me free up time for what is MORE important. If you are trying to organize the house, for instance, do a little of that every day.

What helps you get or stay motivated to do the really important things? I know for nontraditional students those things might be studying, deciding where to go to school, working on projects, or studying online. It could also be starting that book, article, or artwork piece.

List what you use to motivate yourself and get important things done. I would love to hear what helps you.

Nontraditionally Yours,

Some Nontrad links: The Nontrad site and blog Join Nontrads on Facebook Nontrads on YahooNontrads on Twitter
These links and this advice is for people going back to school after a break, nontraditional students... who are becoming a big part of post-high school students across the country.



The person thinking about an empty box is from the free Clker art site.

I am done with Spring Semester - - NOW what?

Are you done with Spring semester? Almost done?

Some of you have just graduated. Congratulations!! I know how much hard work and dedication this must have taken.

And some people have taken just one semester, or one class, others a whole courseload, for the first time or after many semesters.

So... what is your next step? Have you decided your plans for this summer, and for Fall?

I would be interested to know what you are doing. If you are a nontraditional student, comment on what you plan to do next. If you help nontraditional students, have you learned something this year you would like to share? Or would you like to give some advice to nontrads?

This should make for some interesting comments, I think!

Nontraditionally Yours,

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

The neat circular puzzle clip art at the top of this posting is from the Microsoft Clipart pages.

Ivy League Schools are beckoning to nontraditional students

Who doesn't want to go to an Ivy League school?

A beautiful scene, complete with ivy.

Well, I guess some of us. :-)

For one thing, these schools can be a lot more expensive than most other schools. But there is that magic cachet to the name "Ivy League". And today, more people than ever can go to these schools via online courses. Plus, some Ivy League schools are actively trying to get nontraditional students to attend.

Do you live by an Ivy League school? Or would you like to attend one? Now is a good time to apply. There are some great names in the Ivy League school list. Some are Yale, Harvard, Cornell, and Princeton. Usually, these schools have wonderful professors and classes. You can make awesome lifelong friends and contacts there too.

So why are some Ivy League schools wanting nontraditional students to attend? Marcella Bombardieri, a reporter from the Boston Globe, says that some Ivy League schools have programs especially for nontraditional students. These programs and classes meet on an Extension School basis, and others go at night or even during the day with "regular", younger students.

This article goes on to feature several different nontraditional students and their stories of going to Ivy League schools.

While finding links for the bottom of this posting, I quickly realized that not all Ivy League schools want to publicize their nontraditional student population, or even have dedicated web pages to help them with. This is also true with other colleges and schools in the country. Not all of them really want to advertise their growing population of older students. But I think that may change in the future.

So... in some Ivy League schools, an older nontraditional student is still very much a pioneer. But this is a good thing in some ways. It means that you are helping future nontraditional students whenever you take a class, especially a face-to-face one, complete with much younger students. It's a win-win for both ages, I feel.

I also have the feeling that classes at all schools will eventually open up even more to all nontraditional students, as teachers and other students find that diversity can be interesting!

Find out more:

From the Boston Globe: Ivy League Schools recruit nontraditional students too by Marcella Bombardieri.
The Ivy League schools - from Wikipedia 
Yale's Eli Whitney nontraditional student program
Harvard University Extension School
The Cornell page for students with children
Cornell's School of Continuing Education

Ready, set, fill up an auditorium!

Advice for nontraditional students from Princeton's Medical School
Princeton New Student information - for Graduate School

Some Ivy League schools are offering a free ride to students without many resources
Free Online Courses for nontraditional students

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

The neat photos here on the blog are from the Microsoft Clipart pages. Thanks, Microsoft!

Nontraditional Students and Unlimited Thinking - what does it mean to us?

Unlimited Thinking - what does that mean to me? To you?

I was thinking about my nontraditional student experiences lately (as usual!)

As some of my readers know, I went back to school as a nontraditional student several years ago. I only went back to school for two years. (Vs. some other nontraditional students going for 4 years or longer...) The reason was that I went for a Certificate and already had my first degree (in English).

Both going for 2 years or less, or going for 4 years (of course) are valid choices. And although I have student loans to pay off right now, I COULD decide to go back again sometime, and add more years to my educational journey. I think about that occasionally - - seriously.

And I also think about the whole reason I went back to school. I wanted to open new doors for myself. And I had always wanted to try teaching out ever since I was younger, with an English degree and no teaching certificate.

Now I feel going back to school did something entirely unexpected for me. It made me change my way of thinking. I no longer think that I HAVE to do something I plan to do for the rest of my life. I can change my mind. I have found out that it is okay for things to change - - and for me to change too.

For instance, I have worked in the printing industry as a proofreader, a typesetter, and then a graphic designer for over 30 years, BUT I am not forced to do that forever. Going back to school taught me that, and gave me a lot of new job ideas too.

I think another definition of having Unlimited Thinking is not putting yourself in a rut for your whole life. It also frees you to think about the Big Picture. I realize now more than ever that I can STILL do whatever I want to do with my life. I used to think that because I was older, my life was going to stay the same forever. Ack! What an awful thought. I knew that I didn't want to ever go back and experience the same things I already did before.

In the past, I kept some of my jobs because I was afraid to do anything else. I was raising a child by myself, which is scary enough. I didn't want to rock the boat with my life or by looking for something better. I was long overdue for a new adventure in my life.

Does this sound at all like you? Are you doing what you want to do right now? For those who are already back in school, you may recognize yourself somewhere in my story. And if you are not, if you are wondering what you can do to make your life better, maybe going back to school will help you figure that out. Maybe it will start you on the path towards something wonderful.

What do YOU think? Are you on a journey right now? What kind? Have you ever tried doing something different? How did that work out? I look forward to finding out about that.

And I want to thank my readers and friends online for helping me do what I love and helping me continue my educational journey too. Later!

Nontraditionally Yours,

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

The clip art of a student on an educational journey is from the Microsoft Clipart pages.