SURVIVAL STRATEGIES FOR NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS
By Carol Stanton, CGS Career Counselor

Are you over twenty-five (over thirty-five? over forty-five?) and struggling to balance your college classes, work, and your home life?  You are not alone.  The number of students over the age of twenty-five who are going back to college is growing each year.  You can take courage from knowing that many other people are going through the same experience and living to say, "I did it. I finally earned my college degree!"  As with anything, there are always ways of making it a little easier.  Here are some suggestions that have helped other adult students and hopefully, will help you too.

Organize your time.  
There are only so many hours in the day and week, so how you arrange them to fit your needs is paramount when you are trying to do many things at once.  Go to the library and spend an hour perusing a book on time management.  A classic in the field, by Alan Lakein, is titled: How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life.  The principles are simple:  know your priorities and find a way to spend your time on what is most important. 

Organize your money.  
Visit the financial aid office to find out about loans or scholarships that may be available to you.  Or find out if your company offers tuition reimbursement.  Many students work for the university and receive tuition benefits that way.  Be realistic about how many hours you can work and still do justice to your studies.

Explore course options.  
Find out about the various options available for students these days such as on-line courses, courses held at off-campus sites closer to your home, and external studies, where you do much of the course work on your own.  This can also help with your time management.

Ask for the support you need.  
Before returning to school, be sure to talk to your loved ones about what is involved in terms of your time and your attention.  You may not be as available to them as you used to be and it is wise to talk about this up front. Prepare them so that they, in turn, can support you in your goals.  You may also want to delegate certain tasks to other members of the family and designate a certain portion of the home for study space. 

Mingle with your fellow students.  
It's a good idea to form study groups so that you can stay focused and have built in support in your classes.  This is especially helpful to older students who may feel a little out of step with younger classmates at first.  Once you get to know them, you may find that younger students want to learn and benefit from your experiences.  Also, if you miss a class, one of your classmates can catch you up to speed. 

Meet other adult students. 
Attend events or activities where you have an opportunity to meet other non-traditional students.  It's helpful to know that other people are going through similar experiences and it can also be part of your network of new friends and colleagues.  Who knows, maybe you can either car pool or share baby sitters together.

Get to know your professors.  
One of your professors may become a mentor in your field or refer you to professional resources that can be helpful.  At least, you may want to ask them for a reference for a job or graduate school some day.  Professors are often impressed with the experiences and enthusiasm of older students and willing to be part of your professional network.

Take advantage of student services.  
You have an academic consultant and a career counselor in CGS to assist you.  These professionals can help you with your academic and career goals.  Don't wait until you've graduated before you start to think about your future.   There are evening hours in CGS set up for the convenience of adult students who may work during the day.

Don't wait until you graduate to gain experience in your field. 
You can often find a paid internship or entry level job in your major which will be more beneficial than a job that you hate but are staying in just to pay the bills.  See your career counselor for help with exploring job options and finding out about the various resources.

Take time to relax.  
Relaxation is not a luxury.  You need to have a balanced life in order to accomplish your goals without burning out or getting sick.  Going to school and working can be very stressful, so be sure to set aside time to do things that are fun and pleasurable too.

Be clear about your vision.  
It helps your motivation if you are clear about what you are trying to accomplish.  Take time to think about your values, interests, and goals.  It may help to write about them in a journal, talk to a friend, or a professional counselor.

Be prepared to have difficult times.  
It's normal to feel discouraged at times and want to give up.  Remember that these times will pass and have a plan for getting support when you need it.  This may involve a phone call to a friend, a talk with a professor or even just imagining yourself in a cap and gown on graduation day.

Take one day at a time.  
Earning a college degree while working and living your life can be overwhelming if you look at the whole picture at once.  Try to stay in the present and take one step at a time.  As you take one day at a time, you'll find yourself gradually reaching your goal -- graduation day!

There are many ways to deal with the stresses and complexities of earning your degree as an adult student.  Take some time to think about these strategies and see how you can apply them to your own life.