{"id":5104,"date":"2018-02-23T09:50:16","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T14:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/?p=5104"},"modified":"2025-07-09T12:33:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T16:33:59","slug":"theyre-back-coping-as-a-nontraditional-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/2018\/02\/23\/theyre-back-coping-as-a-nontraditional-student\/","title":{"rendered":"They’re Back: Coping as a Nontraditional Student"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Kelli Sturgeon, Surrounded by Her Family, Upon Her Graduation From NMCC<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The past 10 years have seen a growing trend in nontraditional students enrolling in colleges and universities. \u00a0Statistics show a dismal retention rate for nontraditional students, however. \u00a0Who are these students?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Heidi Wright and Kelli Sturgeon are two of the many nontraditional students attending UMPI this year. \u00a0Both woman are over the age of 30. \u00a0Heidi said, “I came back to college after the retail store I worked in closed. \u00a0I had been out of school for 11 years.” \u00a0Kelli had been out of school for 21 years before enrolling in college. \u00a0“When I enrolled, I was working the night shift at TAMC and had two kids active in high school. \u00a0It wasn’t easy juggling it all, but I have managed.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Three-quarters of U.S. college students are nontraditional, according to the U.S. Department of Education. \u00a0Most of these students are older and have been out of school for several years. \u00a0They are juggling families, jobs and school. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many of these students attend college part time. \u00a0Time and money often take a toll adding to the dropout rates. \u00a0Some pursue their degrees through online school for convenience as well as lower costs. \u00a0Online colleges have a higher graduation rate than traditional colleges. \u00a0There are also students who combine online classes with campus classes. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When asked what obstacles they faced, besides becoming students again, both women spoke of trouble relating to classmates who were so much younger. \u00a0They also shared how too many classes in one semester could be overwhelming and that it was important to know your own pace. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Heidi is pursuing a degree in criminal justice with a minor in psychology. \u00a0Kelli said, \u201cI actually enrolled in the nursing program, but decided to change my direction after my second semester.” \u00a0She is now working toward a degree in English. \u00a0Heidi and Kelli have both transferred from NMCC after earning their associate degrees.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Both women said that they have no regrets about returning to school after so long. \u00a0As Kelli said, “Earning a college degree so late in life is not easy. \u00a0It takes far more dedication to go back and succeed, but that’s what makes it worth it.” \u00a0Heidi believes, “It really was the best choice for me.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many colleges have worked to improve the experience for nontraditional students. \u00a0With the growing number of older applicants, it is important to improve the retention rate for this population. \u00a0Colleges and universities rely on the millions of dollars that come from enrollment of nontraditional students.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Some colleges have offered activities geared toward those who may not feel they are a part of the younger student body. \u00a0A 40-something single mom may not feel comfortable at a campus activity geared mostly toward the younger student, but might enjoy attending an over 30s fun night.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Heidi and Kelli are excited to continue their education at UMPI. \u00a0Their advice to other nontraditional students? \u00a0Take advantage of tutoring resources. \u00a0Don’t be embarrassed to ask questions. \u00a0Try to be involved in some campus activity. Most of all, know your pace and don’t take on more than you can handle. \u00a0Kelli said, “It may take longer to get there, but the reward is well worth it.”<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The past 10 years have seen a growing trend in nontraditional students enrolling in colleges and universities. \u00a0Statistics show a dismal retention rate for nontraditional students, however. \u00a0Who are these students?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7381],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5104"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8743,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5104\/revisions\/8743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}