The Non-Traditional Student Blog (BA): Education

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Spring Break - will you be vacationing? (3 tips...)

Three Spring Break Tips for Nontraditional Students

Ah. Spring Break. Time to head for Florida. Or someplace else warm. Or not.

Here are some tips for students who have a week or more "vacation" now, just had it, or are planning it.

#1. Catch up on assignments. This is a perfect time to get that paper written or special project taken care of. Seriously. You will thank me.

#2. If you are caught up on most everything, it COULD be a great idea to take a real break. If you can. Think sun, think relaxation, even a Staycation.

#3. Try not to worry. That's a vacation in itself!

Oh - and do you have plans for Spring Break? Share below!

And here are our related sites:

The Nontraditional Student website

Nontrads on Facebook

Nontrads on Yahoo and

Nontrads on Twitter

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And here are some more of my blogs: FYI: Some of my other websites and blogs are: The Find Scholarships and Grants Blog, The GS Betsy's E-blast (for Kentuckiana Area 17 and Beyond), From the Garden Spot (another Betsyanne blog), and The Teacher Tree (I will be working more on this one later this year). - See more at: http://non-traditional-students.blogspot.com/2015_03_01_archive.html#.VRgSdWa1Vow

And here are some more of my blogs:
FYI: Some of my other websites and blogs are: The Find Scholarships and Grants Blog, The GS Betsy's E-blast (for Kentuckiana Area 17 and Beyond), From the Garden Spot (another Betsyanne blog), and The Teacher Tree (I will be working more on this one later this year).
Later!

-Betsyanne

Image by Migmac via Morguefile.

Never too old... that's really true. And the sooner you start, the better.

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."

-C.S. Lewis

Photo via Morguefile, by Anita Peppers.

How true this is. When I went back to school, I met an older woman who was taking art courses. She had wanted to do this for a long time. And finally, she was doing what she had dreamed of. She was very happy, she said, and planned to continue with other classes.

At WKU, people can take classes after age 65 and do not have to pay tuition. Maybe a school near you has this program.

And sometimes you can take classes online for no charge. Plus, you can also audit classes for less money.

However you swing it, going back to school may be just what you have been wanting to do for a long time.

If you are not yet back in school, try it out - you might like it!

-Betsyanne

Some Nontrad links: The Nontraditional Student website

(and check out the Scholarships Page One and Page Two pages there too)

More: Join Nontrads on Facebook

Nontrads on Yahoo

Nontrads on Twitter

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And here are some more of my blogs:
FYI: Some of my other websites and blogs are: The Find Scholarships and Grants Blog, The GS Betsy's E-blast (for Kentuckiana Area 17 and Beyond), From the Garden Spot (another Betsyanne blog), and The Teacher Tree (I will be working more on this one later this year).

Just checking in - how are you doing, nontraditional students? A bit about that first job.

Once in awhile, I like to check in and write a quick blog posting here and try to give some pointers.

After all, I was once a nontraditional student (for teacher education, in English and Allied Arts).

I consider going back AGAIN sometimes. It was challenging, but worth it.

Nowadays, some students worry that there may not be a job for them when they get out of school. It's a valid worry. Some ask their advisors about it... and I would say that's a good idea. There are also some sites online that tell what kinds of jobs are in demand.

Of course, you should like what you are doing. I have heard that some graduates are so valuable they actually are recruited and don't even need to apply for a job. But those graduate areas are hard to find, at least they were for me.

My personal experience, at first, then later: I found that there WERE jobs out there, but not always the optimal ones.

Some advice I'd give new graduates: don't settle for the first job you get... IF you can help it. Do your homework first. Seriously.

Of course, if you need to start working at your chosen job right away, sometimes you DO need to take the first job that accepts you. And then just take your chances. BUT you might get more than one offer. And one might be way better than the other.

I found at my first job (as a "regular" graduate) that waiting a little while to check out positions could be worth it. This is hindsight, because I only realized that AFTER I was working at the other place. If you find out that one place is better, it's OK to let the other place know about it before you start working there. You CAN change your mind.

Ask around at the place you are thinking of working. Get an idea of what happened to the last person that had your job. Did they quit early? Why? Does the company or place you want to work at have a good reputation in the community? What is the boss like? Are they fair?

Yes, luck does have something to do with finding a great job, that is fulfilling and makes you actually WANT to be there. It can be kind of scary to ask people at the workplace what they think of it. It makes me nervous just thinking of doing that. But next time, if I do that again, that's EXACTLY what I plan to do.

Betsyanne

My last posting:
Tests, Quizzes, Pop Quizzes, Papers, Reports, Ack! OH - and Fall Break too.

And you may also like these postings:

Fall Break ideas - - what are YOUR plans?

10 Study Tips for Nontraditional Students

And here are the 5 most popular postings right now via Statcounter.

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

President Obama's talk at the University of New York - plus free colleges - a link from the Find Scholarships and Grants blog

President Obama at the State University of New York - Today's Talk at a Town Hall (via C-Span).

He talked about lowering college costs for everyone with a College Affordability plan, checking college for quality, Climate Change and green energy, and equality for everyone in college opportunity. He said he was working to see that college students did not get loaded down with debt.

He also said he was going to look into Service Scholarships, where nursing students, for instance, can pay back part of their scholarships when they get out of school.

He vows to fight for students and try to lower costs.

And politicians who are just worried about getting elected, he said, are sometimes not doing what is right for the country. I agree with this one!

He took questions too, and they were good ones.

He said to go to Whitehouse.gov and see what they had posted there. He also said that studentaid.gov has information about financing too.

Here are more links talking about his new Plan:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/08/obama-unveils-new-college-affordability-plan/

And here is something about FREE classes, which definitely could help if students are on a budget.
(But be careful - - many may not count towards a major.)

Here is a link to a video of his speech at the University of Buffalo:
President Obama Speaks on College Affordability | The White House

Earlier today, I wrote about free classes that people could take. Hey - maybe I should combine this blog with the Find Scholarships and Grants blog. Only later.

Here is a posting from the Find Scholarships and Grants blog today.

I know I have thought about this before - - taking FREE classes.

Here is that posting:
Absolutely free classes - good as a scholarship? Could be!

Betsyanne
Former Nontraditional Student in Education, WKU

And here are some more Nontrad links:

The Nontrad site and blog

Join Nontrads on Facebook

Nontrads on Yahoo

Nontrads on Twitter

You can do it! Hug a nontraditional student today.

The McCarl Center for Nontraditional Student S...

Image via Wikipedia

Although officially the deadline for the 2010-11 school year has passed for the FAFSA, (the official Student Aid form) you can still go back to school this year on your own and apply later for financial aid, perhaps for next year. You can perhaps pay another way. Classes may still be open and you may have the money to go. Perhaps you have savings you want to use for the first year's tuition, if you plan to go more than one year.

You can fill out your FAFSA for next year (2011). The deadline is June30, 2011. You can also register for a GED class and get into school for Spring semester or even Fall.

Here is a pages to help you do just that:
http://www.nontradstudents.com/scholarships.html
FAFSA deadlines
5 Ways to Pay for your Education without Going in Debt (from About.com)

There is a FAFSA video there, plus links to the correct FAFSA site. To enroll in classes to go for your GED, try this information page: Get your GED (from About.com)

The FAFSA form will let you know if there is any financial aid for you to use to go to school with. Today the door is a lot wider open to all nontraditional students, who can train for a better job for taking care of their families or just making a better life for themselves.

Are you a nontraditional student, or would you like to become one? Write out reasons that you would like to go back to school. Many schools have an information office that will help you. Just call the number in the phone book and arrange an appointment. The person you talk with (an advisor) will help you find financial aid and explain the ins and outs of going back to school.

Do you know of a nontraditional student - maybe even in your family? Give that nontraditional student a hug today.

Nontraditionally Yours,
-Betsyanne

Some Nontrad links: The Nontrad site and blog Join Nontrads on Facebook Nontrads on Yahoo Nontrads on Twitter
How an Advisor can help you find scholarships

Positivity vs. what you tell yourself - taking baby steps

Taking your first baby steps

Nontraditional students CAN hold themselves back. I have held myself back too. I never even considered going back to school - - I guess I thought it would be too much work, for one thing. And I was busy raising my daughter as a single parent. I did not know about student loans, and I wondered if I could do college level work as an older student.

Now I realize that I held myself back by thinking I could not do it, by not even looking into it for many years. Looking back at the past can be dangerous, because situations change. But I do feel that if I had gone back earlier, I would have been able to do a lot more with my degree, and even may have pursued a Masters. I may still do that, but taking action on what I wanted to do EARLIER may have been even better.

So now I am helping other nontraditional students succeed. I feel really good about that. Are you a student who is not sure of yourself? Do you doubt whether or not you can succeed at school because of family obligations, responsibilities, or your own self-doubt?

I talk about this a little in my last blog posting, Fear and the Nontraditional Student. For many people, it is the first baby step that can be the hardest. What is something small that can lead to something big? Your personal baby step could just be making that appointment with an advisor. Or it could be looking up schools online. It could also be filling out your FAFSA. Or it could be just considering going back.

Are you already enrolled in school for the Fall? Are you just considering whether you can do it or not? Or maybe you are an experienced older student who has already gone to that first class or logged online for the first time, full of trepidation but also full of hope that you will succeed and learn at school.

Let me know how you are doing! And remember, you CAN do it! What are your thoughts? Post a comment right now.

-Betsyanne

Some other articles you may like:
How to make friends in college
Study secrets of a nontraditional student
How to begin as a nontraditional student
and
Nontrad students - 11 more tips for success!

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

Nontraditional Students - labels and preconceptions - and how do nontrads feel?

Image by betsyanne via Flickr

Just what is a nontraditional student? And how do they feel going back to school?

Some say only students a LOT older qualify for this name - - say, maybe 30 and over? Others (most others, I think) say that anyone who is not a "traditional" student - living on campus, single, etc. is a nontraditional one.

Sometimes the line is blurred. But I think most students who don't fit the traditional mold can feel somehow like an outsider at school - like somebody who doesn't quite fit in. In fact, I have had some people say that even though they MIGHT be able to do an online class, going back to school with younger students just terrifies them! Some younger students make a point of including them in conversations. Others would rather they just didn't exist - - which is really a moot point, because they do exist, and in higher numbers than ever.

I have written an article that hopefully will be published on another blog soon. I will list the link here as soon as I can. It has to do with Fear and the Nontraditional Student. I do think that there are some fears that nontraditional students have that can hold them back. I think nowadays, though, that older, "nontrad" students are learning to overcome their fears and to welcome the chance to interact with younger, more traditional students.

Other nontraditional students are shouldering heavy family responsibilities and money woes. I don't think we can clump everyone in the same basket always, but I do think that many nontraditional students have a lot in common, such as:

1. Less time to study
2. A lack of encouragement from family or friends
3. Family responsibilities that can take time away from schoolwork
4. A feeling of being "less than" or not being as prepared as younger students
5. A greater focus on where they are going, and a more serious outlook about school.
6. More stories and life experiences they love to share with others

I think it's good for different groups to interact, whether it is in an online or face-to-face class. It is my hope that the diversity of the modern classroom will have a positive effect - - helping younger students to appreciate how seriousness has its place, and for older students to realize that fun and a sense of play have their place in education too, and can make the whole experience even better.

All for now!

Nontraditionally Yours,
-Betsyanne

Some of my links!
The Nontrad site and blog
Join Nontrads on Facebook (be member #166)

New Information and Links from the Nontrad Twibe

5th floor lecture hall at Baruch College. Take...

Image via Wikipedia

Are you on Twitter? You can join the Nontrad Twibe there. This is a nontraditional student interest group. From there you can find Twitter postings of interest to nontraditional students of all ages.

Here are some recent postings from the Nontrad Twibe:

SophieMaddox: Exclusive Scholarships for Stay at Home Moms Going Back to College ...: With the scholarships ... http://bit.ly/bjLy4N www.sophiemaddox.com

SophieMaddox: program $ 10000 Obama's Science allows mothers to go to college ...: With a college education,... http://bit.ly/cZqBOU www.sophiemaddox.com

JeannetteMarie: RT @Comm_College: RT @aacu: Excellent article on the ridiculous frenzy to speed up college students’ time to degree: http://bit.ly/9G66yC

drwetzel: How is Continuing Education Evolving http://shar.es/mGSLh #in

NortheasternCPS: The amount of time college students spent studying fell from 40 hours per week in 1960 to 27 hours per week in 2003 http://n.pr/c5EZaO

CourseAdvisor: RT @jlwill: How Facebook Can Jeopardize Your Chances of Being Accepted to College | Online Degree Finder: http://bit.ly/dDdVo7

CourseAdvisor: 10 Tips to Help Pay for College http://bit.ly/b38ys6

ScholarBuysWeb: RT @rrodgers: Mashable: 6 science teaching websites-->http://bit.ly/aJSMWI #scholarbuys

There are even more great articles and links at the Twibe site:

http://www.twibes.com/group/nontradstudents

Nontraditionally Yours,

-Betsyanne

Some of my links!

The Nontrad site and blog
The Betsyanne page and blog
My Squidoo Pages and referral

Celebrate! It's the end of Spring Semester! 10 Summer Ideas for Nontrads

Image via Wikipedia

What other Nontraditional Students are doing...

I know you may still be winding up your semester, getting ready to graduate, or enrolling in summer school. But many nontraditional students are considering what to do after this, the end of the semester.

If you aren't already finished, you soon will be. It will be the end of final projects, the end of finals, and the end of crash studying. At last!

But now what?

Some of you will easily transition to "just the job..." or easily relax after school is done for the semester. But others will probably want to have some ideas. Here are some I thought of today:

1. Pamper Yourself. Do some things you have been putting off, like getting that new hairstyle or spa treatment.

2. Read and Relax. Get that favorite book out and have a fun time NOT having to do homework for a change.

3. Go on vacation, even if it's just nearby. If you can swing it, try staying at a relative's house or even a hotel for awhile. Yeah.

4. Have a picnic at home or at a park. This is very relaxing.

5. Take some time to garden, organize your house, the garage, etc. Completely forget about having to re-register for school. Or take care of that early and then do a project.

6. Do a craft project you have been putting off. For example, get out those easily-fixable bracelets and necklaces that just need a jump hook. Attach them and voila! New jewelry.

7. Get together with a neighbor, friend, or favorite family member and have an old-fashioned tea and cookies gab session.

8. Journal. Start a Summer Journal and put your thoughts, ideas, wishes, drawings, and more in it. If you need some inspiration on how to journal, check out the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. She has great ideas here, especially if you are artistic in any way.

9. Go to see a movie. Get popcorn and drinks too. If you are adventurous, and have one nearby, go see an outdoor drive-in movie and sample the snacks there too.

10. Spend $10.00 at a Dollar Store, buying little knick-knacks for Christmas presents for friends and family (or maybe the mailperson?). OR go yardsaling or thrift store shopping. This is a great picker-upper for many people.

Got another end-of-school pick-me-up to add? Just add it in the comments.

Find out what other students are saying about the end of the semester:
Dead Day Party and Initiation
from Rantings of a Middle-Aged College Student

Older Non-Trad Student
Stop and Smell the Roses

College Campus Mama
So Surprised - (getting ready for summer classes)

Later!

-Betsyanne

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

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