Despite the similarities between traditional and non-traditional students, differences in adult students’ experience of and perceptions about education make their transition to college unique. In order to be successful in recruiting and retaining non-traditional students, universities need to provide resources and incentives to this sector of students. In American in the mid 1970’s, only 30% of all jobs required higher education (Gonzalez). Today, the reality is that 63% now require post-secondary education (Gonzalez). The immense number of job losses in the last few years due to the declining economy has had a large impact on the non-traditional student population. With this growing trend in education, universities need to compete for this type of student. Many schools offer enticing packages for non-traditional students; however, others fall short in their offerings to make their university “adult friendly.” To attract this type of student, new policies, procedures and programs need to be put into place by administration in consultation with the faculty who teach these students. Attracting adult students to public universities means an investment in child care services, health care plans and financial aid along with additional privileges extending to course release and selection and admission requirements.
A majority of the non-traditional students have children and providing child care on campus would be of the utmost convince for them. University of Berkeley has an outstanding program in place to help adult students return to earn their degree (Once Upon a University, A Handbook for Student Parents). UC Berkeley offers child care on campus. In addition to offering (for a fee) child care, a student unable to affo...
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...Focuses on Preparing Adult Learners for Careers." 27 February 2011. The Chronicle of Higher Education . 1 November 2011. .
National Center for Education Statistics. 1 October 2009. 10 November 2011. .
"Once Upon a University, A Handbook for Student Parents." n.d. Web. 4 November 2011. .
UMass Amhurst, University Without Walls. 2009. Web. 12 November 2011. .
Weidman, John C. "Retentition on Non-Traditional Students in Post Secondary Education ." Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Chicago, 1985. 16.
Education comes at a high price for this generation and not just financially. Going to college can give students plenty of debt with no promise of a job in return, which can set a student father back on their course of life. Young adults trying to start their lives by going to college encounter many setbacks. Today the average cost for a private university is $25...
After a few weeks, I received a response from UTC stating that I was accepted and could start fall semester. I was so excited about finishing my education. My major was Healthcare Administration. Older women -- those in their mid-20s and older -- returning to college make up better than half of the evening enrollments in area colleges. Nontraditional students are usually in their mid-20s to mid-40s, enrolling part time vs. full time. They generally attend evening classes and have jobs and family obligations to balance with their studies (Richards, 1999).
The author, Julia Brookshire Everett commenced the article, “Public Community Colleges: Creating Access and Opportunities for First Generation College Students”, by first characterizing first- generation college students and also expounding on the difficulties first-generation students encountered when acquiring post-secondary degrees. According to Everett (2015), the term ‘first- generation college student’ was first coined in the 1960s in order to regulate student eligibility for federally financed programs to aid students from low-income households.
How imperative is it that one pursues a traditional college experience? Although it might appear that Charles Murray and Liz Addison are in agreement that the traditional college experience is not necessary for everyone, Addison provides a more convincing argument that higher education is necessary in some form. This is seen through Addison’s arguments that college is essential to growing up, that education is proportional to the life one lives, and that community college reinvents the traditional college experience. Not only does Addison have her own opinions about college, but Murray does as well.
In Jennine Crucet’s story, “Taking My Parents to College” she really explains to the reader how challenging it was leaving home and starting a new chapter in her life. When the author and her family first arrived to Cornell University, they were sitting there when the dean ended his speech with: “Now, parents, please: Go!” Being a first generation college student Crucet nor her family had any idea that they were not supposed to stay for orientation and had to leave her as soon as they got her settled in. They did not even have all the right materials and supplies that she needed to begin with by stating, “Every afternoon that week, we had to go back to the only department store we could find, the now-defunct Ames, for some stupid thing we hadn’t known was a necessity, something not in our budget: shower shoes, extra-long twin sheets, mesh laundry bags.” Both Crucet and I suffered from similar issues during our first few weeks on our new journey in college and we both had no idea what was ahead of us.
Single moms are the most affected and providing childcare on campus is very beneficial to them. More than 4 million women attend two-year public institutions or community colleges, and more than 1 million of them are mothers. Many student mothers struggle to stay enrolled all the way through graduation. Most of them are more likely to drop out of school, and the reason is because most often there is no affordable or available childcare and the students have limited financial resources. The average daycare center cost for an infant is higher than a year’s tuition and fees at a public college. It makes affordable on-campus child care a necessary provision for students. Childcare on campus helps to contribute to the learning
According to current estimates approximately 75 percent of college students are now nontraditional students – older than 25, attending school part time, and having delayed entry or reentry into college for a variety of personal reasons. Post secondary education is needed by such students to develop their careers and to acquire new skills and knowledge in a global society where they are likely to have longer life spans than did workers in the past. This trend is not restricted to North America; it is a worldwide phenomenon.
As the high school chapter is coming to a close, many students have to make a decision that will affect the rest of their lives. Hopefully, for many that decision is to enroll in a college and attain a higher education. However, as tuition costs rise, students have to take a second look at their options for a better future. A community college is that second look for many because it is the less expensive option. From 2007-2009, enrollment for community colleges has increased by 24 percent (“College costs and the CPI”). Students aren’t choosing a college for educational purposes because they are overwhelmed by financial issues. They are attending community colleges so they will be able to graduate with a lower debt. Some seniors have wanted to attend a certain university all their life and they work toward that goal through grade school; however, they are hindered by soaring tuition for that college. Students should be able to attend a private university if they mee...
In higher education, traditional students are characterized as 18-22 in age, majority Caucasian, full-time and interested extra-curricular activities (Falk & Blaylock, 2010). Today’s undergraduate students are classified as “digital natives,” because of their advanced exposure to the Internet, social media and other technology since birth (Liang 2010). The digital natives who started their undergraduate education in fall 2013 grew up when PCs, email, text messages, DVDs, smartphones, and the Internet already existed (Levine & Dean, 2013). Google, file sharing, Skype, YouTube, and Facebook existed by the time digital natives entered middle school, they were introduced to the iPhone before high school, and they in college they expect to communicate
A high school diploma is not enough to pursue most careers in a difficult economy and job market. Without a college education there are fewer chances for career advancement or high earning potential.This is enough for anyone to rethink a college education. Nontraditional undergraduate students include a large portion of college enrollments. Between 2000 and 2013, enrollment rates for twenty five to twenty nine year olds increased from eleven to thirteen percent and thirty to thirty four year old students stayed steady at a seven percent increase. “The Condition of Education” 2015 Being slightly I tell myself regardless of what my children think I am not too ancient to attend college or start on a new
The term non-traditional student has been redefined as the baby boomers flood colleges across the nation. “The very phrase lifelong learning speaks volumes about the integration of education across the life course. A variety of lifelong learning opportunities have emerged over the last two decades,” (Morgan, Kunkel, & Morgan, 2011, p. 289). Cincinnati State offers adult learner...
In the 21st century, if an individual decides to make a major commitment or resolution, they have the utmost support from their peers and family members. However, when a first-generation college student decides on furthering their education, the dearest people close to the student seem to disappear. Linda Banks-Santilli (2015) claims that first-generation students apply to a single college and without the help of a parent (para. 13). Although Banks-Santilli does not say so directly, she assumes that the students can not afford multiple application fees and the students are unsure on how to determine which college is a good fit, as their parents have not taken them on a college tour. I agree that first-generation students have far less help
I am a perfect example of how a parent going back to school creates a healthy and nourishing learning environment for their children. My first day back in college, I have my books and my laptop; get the light right and sit at the table and I start doing my homework and discussions. My ten year old comes up to me and asks me “Daddy, what are you doing”, I look at her with a smile and tel...
Much has changed in the years since the Colleges were established. Student demographics alone show a very different student profile today than that of yesteryear. A typical student is anything but typical - presenting with diverse and complex needs. This is confirmed by information contained in the 2009 Applicant Survey conducted by Academica Group and the MTCU Student Satisfaction Survey “60% of college students have high school or less, 17% report neither French nor English as their first language and 12% use “Special Needs/Disability Services” (Summers, 2012).
Nelson, Bethany, Meghan Froehner, and Barbara Gault. College Students with Children Are Common and Face Many Challenges in Completing Higher Education. Mar: Institute For Women's Policy Research, Mar. 2013. PDF.