Being a non-traditional college student is difficult.
But what is a non-traditional college student?
According to Kansas State University's University Life Cafe, non-traditional students:
- "Delays enrollment (does not enter post-secondary education in the same calendar year that he or she finished high school);
- Attends part time for at least part of the academic year;
- Works full time (35 hours or more per week) while enrolled;
- Is considered financially independent for purposes of determining eligibility for financial aid;
- Has dependents other than a spouse (usually children, but sometimes others);
- Is a single parent (either not married or married but separated and has dependents); or
- Does not have a high school diploma (completed high school with a GED or other high school completion certificate or did not finish high school)."
These are the guidelines cited by The National Center for Educational Statistics.
So, do you fit one of these categories? Chances are, if you do, you know that you need coping strategies to get through your degree program.
What are some helpful tips? Are you a parent?
As a parent myself, I have definitely had my struggle at making sure I get my homework done, my kids get their homework done and getting dinner on the table and showers done before bedtime.
One way to do this is to take advantage of the time the kids are in school. When I was working on my bachelor's in English, I spent a lot of time at the library or at home with the TV off and my computer on. When the kids came home from school, I had to stop working on my homework or set the alarm clock on my phone to make sure I had enough time to get dinner on the table.
Of course, my husband had a running joke about having five alarms to get me up out of bed, and on my way somewhere, but whatever it takes, right?
When you have kids, though, life isn't all about homework and schoolwork or work in general. Sometimes, you have to go do things for school, whether it's choir programs or Title I reading nights or parent-teacher conferences (where you hope like all get-out that you aren't failing your kids miserably). Other times, you can take your kids along for some really fun stuff like going to the Renaissance Festival because you have to write about an experience.
I had to do this in 2015 for an advanced non-fiction writing class. As a part of our experience, I helped the girls shoot arrows at targets and become ladies-in-waiting for the festival queen. We also took part in the evening dance performance of Cinderella. At the end of it all, we went home with crowns and feathers and rings and recordings of bagpipes and contemporary music. Yeah, the kids got to have more fun than I did, but it was fun anyway.
By the time I graduated with my degree, I thought I had the balance of school and home managed pretty well.
Something that I've heard a lot of non-traditional students is that there aren't a lot of activities on campus for them.
In October, Deanne Woodard Assistant Dean of Student Life said non-traditional students are eligible for many services offered to traditional students. She also said students are able to bring their children on campus with them and there are discussions about providing spaces for students to study while their children are engaged in constructive activities.
However, the barriers to providing those spaces are issues of liability to the university and the ability to follow guidelines set by the Department of Children and Families and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Remember those services that students are eligible for? One of them is a food pantry for students. The Cat's Cupboard, found in 009 Fairchild Hall, offering students a way of fighting food insecurity. What's food insecurity? Well, remember all of those jokes about only being able to afford ramen noodles on a college student's budget? According to an article on the Cupboard's Facebook page called "Poverty Is Largely Invisible Among College Students," an estimated 50 percent of college students are experiencing food insecurity and housing issues.
Here in Manhattan, there are many resources for non-traditional students, such as The Flint Hills Breadbasket, and the USD 383 Fit Closet.
Each year, the community hosts an event called Everybody Counts, which is a Harvesters Food distribution (one of those community resources), a clothing bank, and a back-to-school fair all rolled into one. It's usually held before school starts, but people are linked to so many resources like the Breadbasket, the Fit Closet, the Douglas Center, etc.
Like I said, there are so many resources available to non-traditional students. Just remember, you've got this. That degree you're earning is worth it!