Nontraditional Students: Choosing, Financing and Succeeding in College
A lot of people have vague plans to continue their formal education, but not many find the time, money and opportunity to fulfill their academic goals. It is tough to go back to school when you have a job, a spouse, children and hobbies. For the at-home parent, there has never been a better time to pursue a degree or certification. With more and more institutions offering online courses, class work can literally be completed during naptime. Web-based classes are not the only option; enrolling in evening or weekend classes gives the at-home parent adult interaction and his spouse some time alone with the children.
Continuing education is an investment with potentially high economic returns. While the median weekly paycheck for full-time workers age 25 and over was $572 in 1998, those with at least a bachelor’s degree averaged $821 (Mariani, 1999, p. 9). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, new graduates with Master’s degrees earn an average of 28% more than those with Bachelor’s degrees (Cosca, 1998). A college diploma isn’t just a sheet of paper; for a potential employer it symbolizes a well-rounded education, perseverance and a level of expertise in a specific field. For the parent planning on returning to the office when the children are in school, finishing a degree may lead to a better-paying job and quicker promotions.
Returning to the classroom – whether physically or virtually – has benefits beyond the financial. For the at-home parent a challenging course can offer stimulation and a creative outlet. Attending classes, reading papers and completing assignments provides structure to the week and fodder for conversation at cocktail parties.
There are several reasons why many people who want to return to school never do. The cost of education is constantly increasing, and for a family budgeting to live on a single income it can be difficult to justify the expense. Depending on the degree or certificate sought, the number of classes taken and the type of institution, tuition costs can range from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars per year .
Money isn’t the only resource needed to make academic pursuits successful. Attending classes, keeping up on class readings, completing individual assignments, meeting with project groups, researching at the library, meeting with professors and studying for exams takes time and energy. Add to this the demands of caring for a child and spending time with a spouse and the task becomes even more daunting. If the family expects an immaculate house and dinner served promptly at six, quite a bit of organization and support will be needed just to complete a three-hour class.
For the parent motivated to continue their education, the cost in time and money don’t have to be barriers. The federal government offers financial aid packages with attractive repayment offers and many schools will divide tuition into monthly payments. The at-home parent doesn’t have to jump back into school fulltime. Taking one or two classes per semester will give slow but steady progress towards the curriculum requirements without completely disrupting family time and priorities. Later sections in this chapter will tackle financial and time-management concerns in depth.
For many people there are psychological hurdles to overcome. For the adult who has never attempted higher education, passing a college class, let alone completing a degree, might seem impossible. Someone who finished a graduate degree years ago might recall the long nights studying and shudder at the thought of repeating the experience. A professional who feels left behind by current technology might be hesitant to take a class that requires extensive computer use.
In answer to the growing number of adults returning to college, many schools offer special services to help nontraditional students. At Bowling Green State University, for instance, the Continuing Education, International and Summer Programs Office provides special services to help meet the needs of adult learners. Seminars devoted to building self-confidence, assessing interests, exploring career opportunities, identifying values, effective time management and improving study skills attempt to ease the transition back into the classroom.
What Opportunities are Available?
“Going back to school” encompasses as broad range of education levels. From personal enrichment programs to professional degrees, it is important to evaluate the entry requirements, resulting qualifications, cost and time investment to find the right one.
Personal enrichment programs are classes that don’t confer college credit upon completion. They are taken to increase knowledge, learn a skill or simply for enjoyment and often cost considerably less than credit classes. Furthermore, because they are designed for adults, they are often offered in the evenings or on weekends. Popular personal enrichment programs include craft instruction such as crochet and stained glass, introduction to specific sports like curling and karate, and skill-building workshops like photography, computer use, journaling or team leadership. For many personal enrichment classes there are no minimum entry requirements, although some may have prerequisites. An advanced knitting class, for instance, may require students to have completed an intermediate class or demonstrate equivalent skills.
For the at-home parent who craves stimulation and adult interaction, personal enrichment programs may be ideal. Since there is no set curriculum, the student is free to pick only the subjects that most interest him and fit in with the family schedule. Completing carefully chosen non-credit courses in technology or business psychology can be an affordable way to build skills and enhance a resume, but for the adult whose goal is a degree or certification they won’t help fill requirements.
Certificate programs, or vocational training degrees, are available for many professions, including technology, cosmetology, culinary arts and business. Completing a certificate program often takes less time than earning a bachelor’s degree and the cost can be significantly less. For the student who already holds a college degree, working toward a certificate can help bring skills up to date, demonstrate to future employers an eagerness to keep improving and add to credentials.
Acceptance requirements for certificate programs vary. Some programs require a high school diploma or GED, others require previous experience or classes. Special professional development certificates are different than vocational certificates and may require work experience, licensure or advanced degrees. The Senior Certificate Program � at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, for example, requires the completion of the Professional Supervisor certificate or three years of supervisory experience.
A certificate acknowledges mastery in a specific field, unlike a degree, which requires the completion of classes outside of the major field of study. For the parent whose professional goal is to land a management job, a certificate may not be enough – employers look for the writing, project management and research skills that college develops. While a certificate in itself is ample qualification for many professions, a vocational certificate in an appropriate field combined with an undergraduate or advanced degree can be very valuable. For an adult new to post-secondary education, working toward a certificate can develop the skills and confidence needed to succeed in college.
Some careers require a higher level of education than a certificate. The parent who decides to pursue an undergraduate college degree has two choices. An Associate in Arts (A.A) or Associate in Science (A.S) degree traditionally takes two years of fulltime study to complete and are often offered by community colleges in technical fields such as nursing and engineering. An Associate degree differs from a certificate in that it requires the completion of a number of general education classes. A student in an A.A. program will probably have to pass math, English and elective classes in order to graduate. Many colleges offer programs that allow students with Associate degrees to complete a Bachelor’s degree in just two more years.
A Bachelor’s degree (B.A. or B.S.) is the traditional undergraduate degree offered by colleges and universities and is composed of enough classes that it can be completed in four years by fulltime students. Earning a Bachelor’s degree requires passing a significant number of classes within a major area of study as well as a variety of classes in history, literature, mathematics and science. Many schools require undergraduate students to complete a series of foreign language courses. For the student who plans on attending graduate or professional school, a Bachelor’s level education is generally required.
Entry requirements vary from college to college, but usually acceptance into a degree program requires a high school diploma or equivalency. Some schools require a certain score on an aptitude test such as the SAT or ACT or previous college attendance. Often community colleges don’t require test scores for acceptance and occasionally universities will waive this condition for non-traditional students.
Careers that require a high level of problem-solving, logic and research skills may require a graduate or professional degree. Master’s and PhD’s are graduate degrees awarded to students who have demonstrated expertise in a particular field in study more advanced than that required for an undergraduate degree. Students can choose to pursue a graduate degree in the same major field they earned a Bachelor’s degree in or in a complimentary field. A school may accept a student into a graduate program in a completely different academic area with the provision that the student completes a specified number of undergraduate classes. The amount of time required to earn a graduate degree varies and the curriculum often includes a research or internship component.
Professional degrees are awarded in law, health care and theological fields. Although an undergraduate degree is not always requisite for admission into a professional program, earning a professional degree requires at least six years of study.
Finding the Time
Going back to school can encompass anything from a one hour, one night a week class to a fulltime professional degree program. How much time an at-home parent decides to invest in continuing education depends on several factors, including how much time and energy he wants to divert from the family, how much money is available for tuition and how fast he wants to complete the certificate or degree.
A general rule of thumb is to expect to study two or three hours for every hour spent in class, so a student carrying a moderately heavy class load may find she is spending more time away from her family than the parent who works outside of the home fulltime. Commuting time, study groups, meetings for class projects and interning requirements may also limit the number of classes an at-home parent can take each semester and still be able to find time to reconnect with a spouse, give the children the best of care and relax with the occasional novel and bubble bath.
Taking only one class per semester isn’t always an option. Federal financial aid recipients must register for a minimum number of credit hours determined by the level of the program. Some universities enforce a time limit for completing degrees. Oregon State University, for instance, requires that all course work, transfer credit, research and examinations required for a Master’s degree be completed within seven years. The School of Education at the University of Colorado in Boulder requires students to finish Master’s programs in four years and PhD’s in six.
Time constraints imposed by institutions and governments aren’t the only ones to be considered. A typical Bachelor’s degree requires over 120 semester hours to complete, or about 40 classes. A student who completes only two classes a year may find it difficult to stay motivated when he doesn’t seem to be making any progress toward a degree.
For the parent who is dedicated to staying home and making deep inroads toward a certificate or degree, distance education and selecting classes around the family schedule are options.
In the past, distance education too often meant a mail-order degree that signified little more than the graduate’s ability to endorse a check. Today’s correspondence program, on the other hand, may be affiliated with a major university or prestigious college and hold distance students to the same standards as their on-campus counterparts.
New technology has opened up many opportunities for students unable to attend class everyday. The University of Maryland University College (www.umuc.edu) offers certificate, undergraduate and Master’s level degrees completely over the internet. Using the school’s course delivery program, WebTycho, students can retrieve lectures, interact with professors and classmates, submit assignments and access UMUC’s library from their home computer at any time.
Strayer University (www.strayer.edu), which holds evening classes at its campus scattered through Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C., has expanded to offer Bachelor and Master’s business and technology degrees and certificates completely online. The University’s internet-based courses follow one of two formats: synchronous or asynchronous. Students in synchronous classes log in to the school’s network at specific, scheduled times. The professor presents a live lecture and students can interact in a real-time chat room. Created to meet the needs of students in different time zones or with changing schedules, Strayer’s asynchronous classes feature taped lectures that students can review at their convenience.
Distance education opportunities expand to the highest degree of academic achievement. Nova Southeastern University (www.nova.edu) in Fort Lauderdale has distance doctoral programs in several fields including occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy, education and computer science. Classes are taught either online or at off-campus cluster sites. Admission to certain programs requires licensure or previous experience in the field.
Distance education isn’t for everyone and online courses in particular demand certain skills and personal qualities from the student. Student who need to hear a lecture while dialoging with the teacher in able to learn may have trouble getting the most out of internet-based classes that require reading lectures and only interacting with the professor via email or bulletin boards. Although learners who can absorb material well by reading and who don’t need immediate feedback are best suited for distance classes, there are techniques to help students get the most out of an internet course, regardless of their learning style.
Successful distance learners are self-motivated. As convenient as it sounds to log into a virtual classroom during naptimes or when a spouse is home to take over ‘kid-duty’, it is also very easy to skip class. For the at-home parent there are many valid excuses for falling behind on readings and assignments: sick children, unavoidable travel, family emergences and simple exhaustion. While the online education model provides for some leeway for busy adults, it is important not to fall too far behind. Letting one missed day snowball into a week or two without logging in for lectures or corresponding with professors can ruin a semester.
Perseverance is another trait necessary to excel in a distance course. The average student will experience technical problems such as assignments lost in cyberspace and computer breakdowns during finals week, bureaucracy headaches like curriculum changes half-way through completing the program and personal challenges such as relocating and feeling overwhelmed. The ideal student is motivated enough to work through these roadblocks and to pursue her goal even if it means taking a winding path.
Students in an online class need access to a reliable, up-to-date computer connected to the internet and an email account. Specific software might be necessary for a class, such as a programming package for computer science or professional spreadsheet for accounting. In addition to the right tools, the student needs to be familiar with basic computer skills including using a web browser and search engine, word processing, downloading files and sending emails with attachments. Many colleges, community centers and public libraries offer workshops geared toward computer novices.
An online education is not the only option available to at-home parents. Many universities and community colleges schedule courses throughout the day, and with careful planning, a parent can arrange his or her classes around the spouse’s work hours. Evening and weekend classes may be the perfect fit when the “breadwinner” keeps the traditional 9-5 schedule.
What constitutes an “evening class” differs from school to school, but usually they are sections of courses that meet after 5 pm. Like weekend classes, evening classes generally meet only once or twice a week. At Marshall University, for example, students can register for sections of Introduction to Cultural Geography scheduled to meet during the mornings and afternoons for three, fifty minute periods each week. The evening alternative meets just one night a week for two hours and twenty minutes.
Scheduling courses around the family, particularly the other parent’s, schedule has several advantages. Attending a physical class gives a personal quality that online courses can lack. Not only does the student benefit from face-to-face contact with the professor, but the interaction with other adults and scheduled time away from the home can be as valuable as the education itself. Being on a vibrant campus and exchanging ideas with other students can be invigorating and stimulating. Plus, since evening classes tend to attract older students, it is an opportunity to meet others who are balancing family and coursework. When the at-home parent leaves the house, her spouse has the opportunity to spend more time with the children, encouraging bonding and the idea that both genders can be nurturing caregivers. Having the responsibility of feeding, bathing, entertaining and keeping the kids safe fosters appreciation for the work of the full-time parent.
There are also important disadvantages to this plan. Because classes can only be taken during a limited timeframe, there may be fewer options – both in individual courses and in majors. If a class isn’t available at a convenient time a student may find that they have to wait a semester or an entire year to take it. Since some classes require prerequisites (classes that must be taken previously) or corequisites (classes that must be taken during the same semester), missing a fundamental course can push graduation even further in the future. A long commute may make it even more difficult to schedule classes, and it may be difficult to arrange adequate study time. If the spouse is late or needs to travel, even the most carefully planned academic schedule can fall apart.
Fortunately these problems can usually be worked through if the student and his family are motivated. With a little creativity, the challenges of returning to school can be turned into learning experiences for the entire family (Table 2-7). Students at many schools have the opportunity to combine on-campus classes with distance courses, allowing them to experience both formats and enjoy more flexible scheduling.
Finding the Money
Operating on one income puts a financial squeeze on many families. With tuition costs constantly rising, returning to school may seem impossible. Fortunately there are several programs available – some exclusively for non-traditional students – to help finance education.
School and State Programs
Scheduling an appointment with an officer from the school’s financial aid office is a great first step in procuring funds. A knowledgeable financial aid counselor can provide information about scholarships available from the institution, academic and income requirements and filing deadlines, estimate the cost of textbooks, commuting and loan repayment and walk applicants through the paperwork required for federal and state loans and grants. Best of all, the service is free to students and potential students. A consultation with the school financial aid office can save hours of runaround and the heartache of missed deadlines.
Recognizing the financial burden faced by many non-traditional students, some schools have special scholarship programs available for adult students. Point Park College (www.ppc.edu) in Pennsylvania, for example, offers a competitive scholarship to students over age 25. The Dorothy Thompson Scholarship at Kansas State University (www.ksu.edu) is open only to students with children, those re-entering the educational system or over 25 years old.
Many schools will allow students to break tuition payments into monthly payments during the semester. Paying $400 outright for a class may be impossible, but for a standard semester it translates to less than $100 per month. With some budgeting, the family may be able to afford the extra expense without relying on outside help.
Federal Programs
There are several education finance packages funded by the federal government, including grants which do not need to be repaid, loans that students repay after graduation and programs requiring students to work. The Department of Education provides about 70% of all financial aid – over $67 billion in 2002.
Qualifying for federal grants require some level of demonstrated need. Both loans and grants have other specific requirements (Table 2-10). Only students attending school at least halftime (12 semester or 18 quarter hours per year) at accredited institutions are eligible. To receive federal aid, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). As the name suggests, there is no cost associated with filing FAFSA. Copies can be obtained from college financial aid offices, high school guidance counselors and the FAFSA website (www.fafsa.ed.gov), which also provides detailed instructions and tips for completing the application.
Private Scholarships
Community organizations, professional societies, multinational corporations and non-profit foundations offer need or merit-based scholarships to students matching a wide spectrum of criteria. While the majority of private financial aid sources are directed at traditional students fresh out of high school, some scholarships are available only for nontraditional students.
Finding private scholarships can be difficult. Clubs and fraternal organizations that require scholarship recipients to be members may only publicize in their own publication, and local groups might only provide application material to area high schools even if their contests are open to non-traditional students. Students interested in private scholarships should keep their ears open for opportunities. While there is no national, comprehensive database of private scholarships, there are several websites where students can search for funds without paying a fee.
For the lucky students that win them, private scholarships can decrease the financial burden of returning to school. Even a small award can help with expense books or commuting expenses, and earning a merit-based award is a great resume and confidence-builder.
Because winning a scholarship is regarded as such a high achievement, helping students learn about and apply for financial aid has become a thriving business. While there are several legitimate companies that match students with potential scholarships for a fee, there are also enough unscrupulous organizations that the Federal Trade Commission has issued a consumer alert. Be wary of companies that promise guaranteed scholarships in exchange for an advance or holding fee and those that require access to checking or savings accounts or use a high pressure, “buy quick or lose out” sales approach.
Finding the Right Program
When returning to school, adults often chose to attend a specific institution based on two criteria: cost and location. While these are important factors to consider, especially when family resources are involved, they aren’t the only issues to consider. A nearby school may only offer classes on campus at limited times, making it a less convenient choice than college with a longer commute but a wide selection of evening and distance classes. The inexpensive community college might not offer a particular program and the cheap, completely internet-based school that is has extremely flexible scheduling may not be accredited.
New learning institutions are founded constantly. Some hand out undergraduate degrees and even PhD’s that are earned by the “students” writing a check and perhaps completing a vague portfolio of life experiences. Not all diplomas are created equal, however, and choosing an unaccredited school might limit a student’s chances for financial aid, future education and employment.
Accreditation by an agency recognized by the Department of Education helps insure that a school meets certain standards. The lengthy accreditation process includes a detailed evaluation of strengths and weaknesses performed by the school itself, an on-site study by the accrediting organization to learn how close a school adheres to educational standards, constant monitoring and periodic reevaluation by the agency. Because accreditation is insurance that certain criteria have been met, most accredited colleges will only accept transfer credits from other accredited schools.
Just because a school is accredited doesn’t automatically mean a certain program it offers will meet a student’s needs. Certain professions – including those in education, health care, theology and law – may have require certificates or degrees earned through specialized accrediting bodies such as the American Bar Association, American Dental Association and the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that a program will provide the necessary credentials to enter his chosen field.
A mortgage, the spouse’s job and a network of family and friends usually make it unreasonable, if not impossible, to move across country so the at-home parent can attend a specific school. Because of financial and personal responsibilities many non-traditional students, especially those with families, find themselves in something of an academic monopoly. New distance education technologies are helping to break this barrier, but the reality is that a parent’s education choices are probably going to be limited in some way – either geographically or financially. A student who desires at least some traditional classes in a bricks-and-mortar classroom will have to depend on the institutions within driving distance. Even if a completely internet-based curriculum is desired, raising a family on one income might make only in-state, public schools an option.
For the parent who is lucky enough to have two or more schools to choose from, there are several factors to consider. The two obvious ones are price and convenience. When evaluating the cost of schools, be sure that you are comparing like to like. Schools can be on a semester, trimester or quarter system. A semester is generally sixteen weeks long, a trimester is fifteen and a quarter may range from ten to fifteen. In order to compare the cost of attending schools on different schedules, simply estimate the total cost per year. For students planning on attending classes only during the traditional school year and not during the summer, this usually translates to three quarters and two semester or trimesters.
The cost of education includes more that tuition. Books, supplies and commuting all add to the expense. Commuting costs include the price of gas, oil changes and maintenance needs incurred by traveling back and forth to classes. Ultimately, the cost of commuting depends on how many miles are traveled, which is determined by the distance of the school from the student’s home and how often the class meets. It may be more cost effective to commute once a week to a school that is further away than to travel every night to a closer institution.
Cost is a concrete way to compare schools, but it is important not to underestimate the importance of other details when deciding between schools. It may be worth traveling a little further or paying a bit more in tuition to attend a school that goes out of its way to help the full-time parent and better meets the family’s needs.
Returning to school really requires support and encouragement from the entire family. For a family of sport aficionados, choosing a college with an exciting basketball or football program might provide a way for the whole family to be involved and enthusiastic. Enjoying the games, either in the stadium or on television, will help make the children and the spouse feel a part of the experience.
Some schools offer fun Saturday or evening classes for adults and children. If these coincide with the parent’s academic schedule, they can be excellent ways to expose the family to new ideas as well as encourage a respect for higher education. Bowling Green State University (www.bgsu.edu), for example, offers a range of classes and seminars for all ages on topics including art, crafts, music and fitness. Programs where children and spouses can spend Saturdays learning to play the Appalachian dulcimer, planting flowers or practicing karate might make a longer commute worthwhile.
Most physical, as opposed to online line, colleges have recreational opportunities available for students. West Virginia University (www.wvu.edu), for instance, boasts a bowling alley, arcade, fitness center, swimming pool and movie theater on campus. Some schools offer free or reduced-cost use of recreation facilities for families of full-time students.
Of course, parents don’t return to school to take advantage of the perks. Pursuing higher education is a big investment in time, money and energy and one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a school is whether or not the resources are available to help the nontraditional student succeed academically. Considering both the infrastructure of the institution and the specific services geared toward older students will give a good picture of what life at different schools will be like.
College is more than just attending class and studying at home. There are papers to research and write, questions to discuss with professors and teaching assistants and group projects to complete. For the at-home parent, it may be impossible to attend office hours. Just taking a day to browse the library for the perfect source requires two weeks of planning and coordination when small children need to be cared for and long nights in a dormitory working with a group is seldom feasible. A school that has most of the library stacks and journals available through the website, where the faculty is comfortable conversing by email and that provides ample internet connections has the technological infrastructure to help students who cannot always be on campus.
Because nontraditional students are a growing piece of the academic landscape, some schools are developing special programs designed to make the experience as rewarding as possible. Hofstra University (www.hofstra.edu) in Hempstead, N.Y. is home to the Saturday College, where students can complete a Bachelor’s degree in four years by attending class only on Saturdays. Other schools have special seminars for new technology, refresher mathematics workshops and study skill courses geared toward older students.
The University of North Texas (www.unt.edu) has several services to alleviate common problems faced by parents returning to school. Students who can’t get to campus before most offices close can drop paperwork off at UNT’s Office of Commuter and Nontraditional Student Services. Workers deliver the material the next morning. Telephones are available from which students can place free local and metro calls. Along with an organized carpool service to help decrease commuting costs, the university also encourages students to take advantage of the escort service where police officers walk students to their cars after dark.
Although cost and convenience are important aspects to consider, at-home parents have many factors to weigh when choosing a college. The best buy may just be the school that costs a little more, but offers more recreational and support services.
What to Expect
The idea of going to school might bring back memories of leisurely strolls through campus in the crisp autumn air or late night discussions on the great mysteries of life, but the at-home parent is likely to find that his experience as a non-traditional student is quite different from his previous academic endeavors or preconceived notions.
Whether studying for a vocational certificate or an advanced degree, parents have a different set of challenges than other students. Working around a baby’s schedule may seem straight-forward, but most babies are on “schedules” that change from day to day. Even if a child has taken a two-hour nap after every lunch for the past three months, the day her mother is relying on that time for some last minute research on a big project is sure to be the day the nap is only for fifteen minutes. A fussy, sick or playful infant can throw a wrench in the most carefully coordinated plans.
Although it can be frustrating and nerve-wracking to never be able to set plans in stone, it doesn’t mean that succeeding in school is impossible. The key is to stay well ahead of assignments, to make contingency plans and to get as much work finished as possible when the other parent is on “child-duty”.
With some cooperation from the kids, it may be possible to get some tasks completed no matter what their schedule is on a particular day. On days when an infant is feeling particularly clingy, use a baby carrier or sling to cuddle him in close and browse the library for the perfect resource for an upcoming paper. When a toddler wants to be helpful, add professional touches to a computerized slide show and let her be in charge of clicking the mouse.
Remember to be flexible. Take advantage of any study and work opportunities that are available and never wait until the last minute to complete assignments. While some surprises and setbacks are to be expected, constantly straining to keep up may be a sign of a too heavy course load. If the challenges of returning to school become to frustrating and demanding, consider taking fewer or differently structured classes the next period.
For the parent pursuing a two or four year degree, completing just a few hours or credit each semester might make the progress seem exceedingly slow. While enrolling in only one or two courses at a time makes coordinating the family easy, it also increases the urge to take “just one quarter off”. Although an occasional break from academia may be warranted for financial, time-management or stress-reducing reasons, one quarter off tends to become two and often snowballs into withdrawing from school completely.
Edging slowly toward graduation can be frustrating, so it is important to keep track of progress and realize that anything worth having is worth working for. Keeping a list of required classes and crossing out what has been successfully completed at the end of each grading period gives the student a concrete record of what has been accomplished – and what is still left to do. In the end, with hard work and perseverance, the degree or certificate will be reached.
The experience of a non-traditional student is likely to be quite different some someone straight out of high school. Parents have different priorities, commitments and interests. As stressed and short on time as college students claim to be, between caring for children, spending time with spouses and studying, the older student may find little energy left for socializing and attending school functions. Because any change of plans requires carefully coordinating the entire family, the at-home parent can’t go to a special lecture on a whim or attend every department reception.
Although school spirit probably doesn’t mean as much to the non-traditional student, it is nice to occasionally take advantage of the extra-curricular activities offered by most schools. Attending a presentation from an expert in the student’s field, enjoying a night at the student union’s comedy club or offering moral support when a classmate presents a thesis or appears in a play enhance the college experience.
The importance of family involvement can’t be understated. In order to succeed in his or her academic pursuits, the at-home parent needs encouragement, support and understanding. Preferably, the partner in the traditional workforce will be just as committed towards the cause as the student. Caring for the children during class and study time, cooking a larger share of the family meals and cutting the workday short occasionally may take some getting used to, but in the end the spouse may just find that she is spending more time doing the things that matter than she would have been otherwise.
Marching in a cap and gown and receiving a piece of parchment isn’t the ultimate goal of the at-home parent who goes back to school. The point of structuring academic pursuits around the best interests of the family is to allow each parent the most, best-quality, time with the children and with each other while allowing them to grow professionally. Each time the parent is there to kiss a scraped knee, share carrot sticks and broccoli trees for lunch or read a bedtime story, that goal is being reached as surely as it will be during commencement.
