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.

What about dating for nontraditional students?

Some News from the Yahoo Nontrads Group

Today I went straight to the Nontraditional Student Yahoo Group to see what was going on there. There are two conversations going.

One is about what to do about a loan, and the other was how to date on campus.  Dating? It's something people going back to school don't think about every day. But older students are human, too, and naturally want to find that someone special.

Wow!

Older people who are single have a unique situation... they can either date younger people (which some people are doing) or just not date, especially when there aren't many social events at school.

I think having a nontraditional student group could help this situation. The leaders of the group could plan social events, and just having meetings could be a good idea and help single nontraditional students meet others.

And these connections could lead to meeting friends or friends of friends too!

Of course, you are going to have some older nontraditional students who are off the market or married, but you just might find a single person or two right in the group a nontraditional student could become friends with.

And, depending how you feel, if you open yourself up to relationships with younger people, you could have fun too. Even if there is no nontraditional student group at your school, maybe there are other people who are going back to school after a break. One idea is to maybe introduce yourself or start a conversation with somebody who looks older and may want to meet others too.

Another idea is to join clubs at the school. Many clubs are opening up to nontraditional students. Just pick one that interests you. OR start a nontraditional student group if there isn't one there already.

At the Yahoo group online, someone also suggested going to conferences and joining other groups as a way to meet new people. I think this is also a good idea.

What are your thoughts? Leave them as a comment below.

Oh - and if you are a nontraditional student and not on the Yahoo Nontrads group yet, you can join there and be Member #273.  I hope to see you there soon. And who knows? Maybe you will make a friend there too.

Here are a couple of other articles you might like:
Five ways for nontraditional students to get connected
Nontraditional students in college - 11 more tips for success

...and here is my Squidoo page: How to make friends at college for nontraditional students.

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

This fun photo scene and rose letter are both from the Microsoft Clipart Images site for MS Word users.

Planning ahead... and getting ready for summer

Nontrads have lives, too...

A nontraditional student having fun... blowing bubbles!

I know... Sometimes it doesn't really seem like it. A life? What's that? It can seem like a nontraditional student's life is is only about grades, pressure, stress, and never getting anything done - well, maybe some schoolwork, but the list of things to do keeps on getting longer and longer.

And that is not even counting all of the family or home responsibilities.

So... now that school is over for some, and getting into the home stretch for other, are some Nontrads getting ready for a more relaxed summer? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Some nontraditional students don't get to relax - - they must earn money all summer, or catch up on things they didn't get to do during school. And some get about two weeks before school (summer school) starts again.

Nontraditional students - - what are you going to do this summer?

Here is a poll to help me find out. 

Thanks! I can't wait to see what people answer.

AND: Get connected with some Nontrad links: The Nontrad site and blog Join Nontrads on FacebookNontrads on Yahoo Nontrads on Twitter

Study checklist with a study helper - funny!

A study helper!

A study helper - and so cute!

I went to find a neat nontraditional student photo for a short blog posting tonight and found this great photo.

This really cute photo is by Carrinated on Flickr. The text that is under this photo goes:

Dog on lap - check
Coffee - check
Studying materials - check

ready to go!

 I like it.

So... how is your studying going? Does your pet help YOU with your studies?

Share with a comment.





 All for now,

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