Live Blog event for veterans will be Wednesday January 11, 2012

This posting is shared from Antshe on Facebook and the Military.com Advantage pages.

Soldiers in Iraq - from the U.S. Army photos on Flickr.

There will be a live blog discussion with the House Veterans Affairs Committee about the Post-911 G.I. Bill and how it works this Wednesday (January 11th) at 4 p.m. Central time.

This event is being held at the Military Advantage Blog.
This information will directly impact many nontraditional students, who may be leaving the military and wanting to further their education.

Here is their press release, which explains more:

"January 06, 2012 | Terry Howell

GI Bill Q&A – LIVE Blog Event – Wednesday January 11, 2012, members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee staff will be available to answer your questions in a live Q&A chat session on the Military Advantage blog.

The live blog will take place at 5:00pm EST (4:00 Central, 3:00 Mtn, and 2:00 Pacific). The event is free and open to all.

Please note that although every attempt will be made to answer questions about how the Post-9/11 GI Bill works and who is qualified for the benefit, questions regarding specific cases should be directed to the Department of Veterans Affairs at GIBill.VA.Gov or by calling (888) 442-4551.

Read more: http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2012/01/live-blog-event/#ixzz1itsXtmid"

I like it when online events like this happen, because it opens it up to people across the country who have comments and questions about things.

You can comment below about this posting, how you are doing, or your thoughts about the new GI Bill. 

Betsyanne

Find out more:
The New Post 9/11 G.I. Bill Website
The New G.I. Bill: Calculate Your Benefits
The Dept. of Veterans's Affairs New G.I. Bill Changes page

B

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Tell me about your nontraditional student group - online or offline.

Are you in a nontraditional student group?

This original photo is by klk13 on Morguefile.

Are you in a nontraditional student group on or offline? I would love to add you to the BA Nontraditional Student website listed under your state or country. I have a few groups listed already, and more than a few on some state sites.

Just send me information about your group or tell me about it in a comment at the end of this posting. I can contact you that way too.

Having this information online can help your nontraditional student group get more members.

Some questions to answer for an article or going on the webite are: How would somebody join? What kinds of things does your group do together? How many members do you have? and  Do you have any funny or interesting stories about your group?

Some nontraditional student groups at schools have their own meeting area and percs, like lockers, study tables, and computers. Some nontrad groups are also on Facebook and have their own websites.

Many nontraditional student groups are members of ANTSHE, the Association for Nontraditional Students in Higher Education. They are getting ready for their yearly conference, which is at Eastern Kentucky University this year in 77 days.

Other groups are part of the Pinnacle and Spire Honor Society, which provides recognition and awards to nontraditional students.

If you are not already in a group, and want to be in one, you can often start one yourself at your school too.

Two other articles you may like are:
Starting a Nontraditional Student Group, which tells you more about what is involved in doing this.
and
Are you in a nontraditional student group?

All for now,
Betsyanne
Former Nontraditional Student
at WKU

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Ten Inspiring Nontraditional Student blogs

I am inspired by other nontraditional student blogs.

Plus, I am curious to see what it is like for other people on this kind of an educational journey.

It is fun to see how each student reacts to being back in school. I love it when people share their daily lives and how going back to school is making a difference.

Here are some great new blog discoveries. I am including the first sentence or paragraph of each of these.

#1. A Nontraditional Medical Student's Experience - Hospital Experience - from Ross University School of Medicine and Life.
"After several days of restless sleep, dehydration, and both physical and emotional stress, I have stepped out with more knowledge than ever of the crazy world of the ER and the County Hospital." 

#2. One Nontraditional Student's Journey to Kansas (one blog entry... but a good one).

"“I-L-L…I-N-I.”
That was the college chant I’ve been accustomed to for most of my life and collegiate career. But, as I wrap up my first semester, Kansas has me bleeding blue, and believing in the essence of a bird that doesn’t even physically exist.
Having spent some time as a Jayhawk, I realized that college is a far more different place for non-traditional and transfer students than it is for recent high school graduates."

#3. Life in Vet School and Tips on Getting In. (At UC Davis).
"So you want to become a veterinarian. Now what? Some people say that veterinary school is the hardest type of professional school to get accepted to. I disagree. Getting accepted in to veterinary school is not that hard, but it does take strategy! This blog will: 1) Provide information to aspiring veterinary students that will help them become the most competitive candidate they can be. 2) Provide a glimpse into what veterinary school is like at UC Davis. Enjoy! -Sharon"

#4. Reflections of a Nontraditional Student and Marketer - this person talks about his experience being a nontraditional student in retrospect.
"Next month, I’ll be returning to my alma mater, Columbia University, to give a speech to this year’s Phi Beta Kappa inductees. Reflecting on what I ultimately took away from my time at school, I realized that those life lessons underpin my philosophy of marketing today."

#5. Always the Write Time - this blogger was a nontraditional student in the past. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Literature, Writing and Film. She then became an intern and writer.
"Keep updated on my new journey through my weekly posts, and remember: it’s always the write time to learn something new.  ~ cs"


#6. I'm not brave and this is not a battle - Amy Durfee West has cancer, and is also a nontraditional student. Learn more about her feelings about her illness at her latest posting.
"I get it. People don’t really know what to say about cancer, or what to do if someone they know has it. But on Christmas Day I asked those present never to say I lost my battle with cancer if I end up dying from it. 

#7. These look interesting. They are the Top 50 Blogs by Graduate Students as chosen by the BestOnlineMastersDegrees sites. Luckily, these bloggers are not just from online schools.
"From the introduction: "Graduate school can be an interesting adventure. However, it can also be quite challenging, fraught with difficulty. Every graduate degree has its own issues. It can help if you can connect to others who understand your situation.

#8. The Perpetual Student - this blog is written by a woman over 50 who is going back to school to get a college degree.
"Psychology is complete with an A!  And Freud lost to modern theory." 

#9. The 50 Best Blogs Written by PhD Students - this listing is from the PhD in Psychology.org site.
"You've finished high school. You sailed through college. What's your next step? Oftentimes, successful graduates from university will choose to further their love for academia with the pursuit of a Doctorate in Philosophy, also known as a PhD."

#10.  This is a 2007 article. I tried to find more about getting a GED, but many sites were just question-and-answer sites. Until I found this one. It is called Getting my GED While I'm Sleeping Outside. I wonder how many people do this?
"It is the first day of class, and I arrived at 5:45 p.m., a full forty-five minutes early. I thought I wouldn’t make it to school on the east side of San Jose, coming from downtown on the city bus. It’s actually good I have some extra time before class starts, since the trip over was tiring." 

Do you have a favorite nontraditional student blog?

Until later - Remember: You CAN do it!
 
Betsyanne
Former Nontraditional Student
WKU

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Just curious... do you keep your books?

I have been curious about this for awhile. 

Do you keep your books after you complete a class?

This photo is by Mr. Thomas on Flickr.

I know of people who always sell their books. I guess I think I may need my books someday, so I keep them. I guess I am thinking if I win the lottery or get a scholarship, I may want to take more advanced classes, go for my Master's or Doctorate someday?

I may be keeping my books for sentimental reasons, to remember my classes and teachers, or how it felt to be a nontraditional student going back to school after a break.

I did finally get rid of some old school books that I knew would never be used again last year. I felt good about that. But so far, I haven't felt the need to get rid of the newer ones.

What do you think? Should people keep their class books?

Betsyanne
Former Nontraditional Student
WKU

Another thought: Even though some people get their books online or rent them nowadays, I like the feeling of a real book in my hands, so even if they were expensive (which they are) I think as long as there is an option of getting the book, I will. What do you think?

Nontraditional Students - New Hope in the New Year

Hello, all nontraditional students. Happy New Year!

Did you watch the New Year's festivities in New York City for New Year's Eve? They had two hosts, Ryan Seacrest and the original host, Dick Clark, who had a stroke in 2004, and now speaks in a much lower voice register. I personally remember him from many years of New Year's Eve telecasts.

Dick Clark, 1990. Photo by Alan Light on Flickr.

I got used to hearing him speak during the event with his new, slower bass voice, but still could not help but notice the difference between his old voice and his new one. I admired him for even trying it. I also admired him for his tenacity and bravery.

It's not everyone who could actually do this. Dick Clark has gone through some huge changes. I also commend the TV station for having him participate.

An article on ThirdAge.com interviewed Mark Shapiro, who is Chief Executive of Dick Clark Productions. Shapiro called Dick Clark a "beacon of light" and also said that his continued presence on the show could serve as an "inspiration" to others.

I think that Dick Clark and his comeback directly relates to the bravery and problems many nontraditional students must overcome in their educational journey.

I think a big reason some nontraditional students do NOT go back to school, and stay in jobs that are perhaps unfulfilling is that they do not believe in themselves, or do not believe that they can overcome what they think of as a disability - their age.  I think that Dick Clark never lost his faith in himself. That is what helped him be there for the event last night. It took so much practice and gumption, but he did it anyway.

Times Square 07, from Mike Schmid on Flickr.

He didn't let it get to him that he was older, or had a stroke. I suspect that some people could have spoken out against having him there.

Would it alienate new audiences? Would he still help make the event exciting? Was he "too old" to be there? Sometimes it is age alone that makes older performers  and employees be first on the list to leave. Is that fair? No, but it is something that happens.

Though it is true (I believe) that age discrimination is alive and well in the U.S. still today, the very fact that more and more nontraditional students are going back to school today proves that things can change and are changing for the better for older students going back to school after a break. Otherwise, older students would not have the self-esteem or the courage to even try to go back.

I say Go, Nontrads! This new year, 2012, is another chance for many older people to go for their dreams by going back to school and learning new things. My imaginary hat tips out to all of them.

This cool hat art is from Jody McNary Photography on Flickr.

Share your story! Are you a nontraditional student? Are you back in school, or thinking about it? Leave a comment or contact me about your story.

I'd love to hear it and perhaps even feature you and your story here on the Nontrad Blog, or even on a Tweet, our Facebook page, or on the Nontraditional Student website.

Later!

Betsyanne
Former Nontraditional Student
Western Kentucky University



Read more - Story Articles: 
Dick Clark and "Rockin' Eve" Reach 40th Anniversary
Dick Clark hopes 'Rockin' Eve' 40th anniversary is not his last
Nontraditional College Students: America's Most Important Group by Daniel Luzer / Washington Monthly
Opinion: We Need to Fight Age Bias; Jack Gross on Workplace Discrimination (AARP)
The Gray Matters Coalition - Ending Age Discrimination

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5 Fun Products for Nontraditional Students

5 cool things for Nontraditional Students to check out

Now is the time for after-Christmas Sales. You may find these products anywhere on sale, or you can buy them on Amazon or Ebay.

For some (insert: me here) this is just a dream list. Especially for the phone electronics. But for others, they just might help make life easier.

These are also ideas for gifts for that deserving nontraditional student.

If you can, now is the time to treat yourself or that nontraditional friend or family member now that after-Christmas sales are happening.

I have some examples of each with the suggestion from Amazon.

You can also go to Ebay and find some really good deals on used items (as you can on Amazon too.) SquareTrade can give you a warranty on many of these, and the price is low.

1. A  digital recorder. I own two RCA digital recorders. That is the same kind in the picture. I got them for ESL tutoring. I haven't used them yet, but the price was right and the size is small and very portable. I looked up prices before I bought it. This one is really reasonable and does the very same things that the more expensive models do.

A digital recorder is perfect for recording lectures. You can take these home and re-listen to them in your spare time. You can also type them up to use as study notes. It is a handy tool. Here that is:



2. A rolling (or regular) backpack - great for carrying books, lunches, and much more. This example has a special compartment for your computer. I did not use a rolling backpack when I was a nontraditional student, I used a regular one. But these look very handy. I saw at least five other nontraditional students use them at WKU when I was a teacher ed student.



3. An iPhone, iPad, or iPod. These portable goodies can make your life simpler and help with scheduling.



4. And a new computer wouldn't hurt. When I was going back to school, I often used the computers at school. But sometimes the computer labs were crowded. I brought my computer to school sometimes, but mostly used my computer at home. That's where a portable laptop can be such a good choice for nontraditional students.

I prefer Macs, but you can find good deals on other PC's too.
This is a refurbished Apple laptop that would be perfect for writing papers. It is on sale for a really good price on Amazon.



5. Some GRE helps and study books can come in useful if you take this test for graduate school. I used the general book (earlier version). I probably also should have used the special Math program too for review. Math has always been my hardest subject. When I took a remedial math class in college, I really liked it and got a B in it.

The teacher went back to the explanation of each math method - - and I finally understood it a lot better. Here are some suggestions for popular and useful help. I like it that the first one offers a CD in it. You can also find Kindle downloadable versions of these.



I hope everyone is having a great holiday season.

Later!

Nontraditionally yours,
E. Sheppard / Betsyanne

Remember: You CAN do it!

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