My Irish Vacation in Pictures

Okay, so this doesn't have a lot to do with non-trad issues, but I promised many of you that I'd share pics from my recent vacation to Ireland--which, for the record, was incredible. Long journey short: my wife and I landed in Dublin, grabbed a rental car and immediately headed off to Belfast. From there, Bushmills and the Giants Causeway, Letterkenny, Galway, then Cork, and finally back to Dublin. Lots of sheep, castle and church ruins, green, rain, and beauty at every turn. Give it a look, won't you?
https://picasaweb.google.com/113358986221883206829/IrelandSeptember2011

Check out the Non-Traditional Student Site [Link]

I've added this link to our permanent list in the rigthhand column, but I thought I'd mention the "Non-Traditional Student Site" in a separate post to let readers know about it. It's a little old-school in its design (think of the old web-ring sites from the late '90s), but it's full of useful state-specific  resources for non-traditional students. Here's the link to the Ohio resources (which includes a link to the OSUM page listing our own club): http://www.nontradstudents.com/ohio.html.

Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Budget

My family and I have to live on an extremely tight budget. With my husband and I both going to school part-time and we now have a pre-schooler on our hands, money needs to stretch in our house more than it would in a few other homes. We have to be constantly thinking about bills, tuition, supplies, books, car maintenance, Pre-school fees, baby sitting, grocery bill and household needs. It is enough to send most people to a padded room, but not this tough tightwad! I am a self proclaimed stingy student. I have found a few ways to wade through all the money issues we have and come out semi-unharmed on the other side.
I even started teaching a few power couponing classes and started a blog to share some of the things that worked with others. (www.the-stingy-student.blogspot.com)

Some tips I love to share with other college students is:

1. Shop around for your books. Our campus bookstore is great! and the staff is always wonderful and helpful when I go in there but, I shop around because I need to. Don't be afraid to use a used book they don't bite! Check a few website to see who will give you the best deal, sometimes you can get free shipping for finding most of your books from the same seller. Renting books works too. How many books are you really going to keep from your GEC courses. Check out e-readers too. One quarter it was cheaper for us to get a nook and get our books then it was to buy all used!

2. You DO NOT have to eat Ramen and Spam to get your grocery bill lower. Couponing and shopping the sales helps out tons. Stores have their sales in cycles and it always helps to stock up when thing are their cheapest.

3. Generics are ok, it is not poor quality. Nine times out of ten it is the same food just packaged differently.

Canuck Approved, Eh!

Looks like we are getting some international attention already! Ashley Scorpio, Executive Assistant to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and for the Atlantic Gateway, recently tweeted and gave a thumbs up to us!!

Great blog post about interning for @GeraldKeddy is.gd/900qr6 #cdnpoli #hoc #parl #ParliamentHill #Canada

23 hours ago via web

Thnx Ashley!

My Study Abroad Experience

When I first heard of the study abroad program, I thought to myself, wow, those young students are so fortunate to be able to have that opportunity in their life. I had forgotten about that until last November when a student told me he was considering going to Canada on a study abroad trip to learn more about the political system of that country. I travel to Canada for my son's hockey quite a bit and I thought to myself, how cool would that be to go to Canada for an internship and learn more about that great country. That was the begining of a once in a lifetime experience for me. This can happen for you as well. There are study abroad opportunities out there for you, they are not just for the traditional students, they are absolutely for the non-traditional students as well!

My Member of Parliament's Office told me that had not had a non-traditional intern before but they welcomed the opportunity when Dr. Baker presented it to them. Mr. Keddy, Member of Parliament for South Shore--St. Margarets, is a sincere politician for his riding, a man who understands the business side of politics along with the gravity of the importance in his position as well as being a great individual. His Executive Assitant, Ashley Scorpio, is one of the most energetic and intelligent young women I have met so far in my life, if not the most intelligent and energetic young woman who is a beautiful person as well. She was literally a walking encyclopedia and History Channel all encompassed in one human being. Being a NT in this internship created a wonderful opportunity for myself and Mr. Keddy's office, as I have the business and professional experience to take charge and complete the project he alloted to me: researching the Atlantic Gateway and other world wide deep water shipping ports. Alicia Swinamer, Assistant to the Parliamentary Secretary for the Office of the Minister of International Trade, thank you for all of your assistance and information from the Minister's side of international gateway trade along with the tour of Ottawa.

Stay tuned as I will recount my Canadian Parliamentary Internship experiences in upcoming posts along with great pictures.

I thank Dr. Randall Ripley, Political Science Department of OSU, Leslie Anderson, Office of International Affairs of OSU, and James T. Baker, Ph.D., WKU, for having faith in this non-traditional student and accepting me to participate in this rewarding program.

More info here: http://oia.osu.edu/study-abroad.html

Val Walton, OSU-M, senior rank

I don't know what happened..

You know I really don't know what happened, one day I became old-ish, was married, produced the most awesome offspring ever and to top it all off I was a college student. Yes I am one of these things we refer to as a Non-Trad. No I am not a creeper from under the stairs, I am a living breathing college student. I just happen to have a few more labels than others. I mentioned being married and having a child because it helps out a little when being a college student. Now before you reach over and scroll past my post, I am not promoting getting married and having kids as a means to do better at college. I am merely suggesting I am playing the cards I have been dealt and doing mighty fine job (if I do say so myself).

My husband and I have been together for six very exciting love filled years, we have been married for a year and half and have a four year old little girl. For those of you doing the math yes we did things a little different in our personal life so why should college be any different.

I started school back in 2009 after I had lost my job. While scared I made it through my first year with his support. I later talked him into coming back to school. We both found a place in college and love it, I know who would have thought college would be great! We have now accomplished talking his siblings into coming as well as a few friends. So watch our traditional students the Non-Trads are taking over! Being a college student definitely puts your life into hyper drive at times but it is having this support from each other that makes it easier to handle.

We have to schedule classes like everyone else but we just have to juggle two work schedules, babysitters, preschool, my classes, your classes and through in a dash of social life. Most nights we are in our living room eating dinner, juggling homework and entertaining our little one. We have found she does not like Plato's Symposium but she loves History 152 books. It is not unheard of one of us reading while cooking, folding laundry or while having a few short moments of solitude in the bathroom. We have to take a tag team approach to studying. I do the house stuff and entertain our munchkin while he works and then we switch, or we call reinforcements from other Non-Trads.

Finances are always tough when going to college but, my OCD and being a heck of a tightwad gets us through. Yes I am one of those crazy couponers! I search for the best deals on books and supplies, because I am a tightwad. We picked OSU at Marion because it was close to home, so we don't have to pay as much for gas or a sitter, because I am a tightwad. We also get a main campus education at a regional price. Did I mention I am a tightwad? We work on campus which helps us immensely on finding a work schedule that will work around our class schedule.

Going to school with my husband and his family and friends gives us an understanding of what each other is going through and the stresses we deal with. We help each other out when we stress to much about class or a paper. We vent on each other to get rid of frustration and work it through together. With the support we give each other we are able to do things on campus or get away for a few moments.

Internships for Non-Traditional Students (Link)

Will Smith, Career Services Coordinator

 

Hey all you non-trads out there…here's some potentially useful information I found at AccountingSmartPros.com about the unique challenges non-trad students may face if they undertake an internship... Remember, internships are great professional opportunities, but think about how it'll fit into your overall academic schedule:

Internships for Non-Traditional Students

Q: I'm a non-traditional student with work experience in bookkeeping and accounting. Should I be considering an internship?

A: One of the main reasons college students are advised to pursue internships is they have little work experience and few contacts. Since you have bookkeeping and accounting experience you may already be one step ahead of those students who either have no work experience, or who passed up the internship opportunities.

You have benefited from your work experience if you have made contacts that will serve as excellent references, and if you're fairly certain what accounting designation you want to work in. You want to consider an internship if you feel you need more experience and strong references, or if you don't know what career path to pursue. Of course, experience can't hurt you, so if your goal is to get as much experience as possible, an internship is the right way to go.

As a non-traditional student, however, squeezing in an internship may be tough. A full-time, non-paid internship may be impossible, and finding flexible internships will require more effort on your part. So consider the alternatives. Tutor accounting students once a week through your college. Shadow professionals in the field whenever you have a free day. In short, volunteer your time however and whenever you can to meet people in the field.

More here:

http://accounting.smartpros.com/x14429.xml

Who Knew There Was A Label For Me?

Hi, Deb Noll here. I am beginning my 4th year at OSU Marion this fall. Little did I know three years ago when I walked into the admissions office and registered at the age of 54 that there was a label for me: non-traditional student. It was after my second year on campus when I actually heard the term for the first time. That was when I was invited to participate in discussions as to how to develop a Non-Traditional Blog. I didn't know anything about Blogging, but thought if it would help other non-trads to be comfortable on our small campus I was all for it. So here I am posting my first blog--EVER! So what is my advice to the non-trad student?

1. Don't waist time getting involved in community life on campus. Ask your advisor what student organizations are active on campus; and get connected early. Pay attention to the posters around campus and if something appeals to you GO! Never say "I'M TOO OLD! THEY WOULDN'T WANT ME THERE...this campus is not about age, and ALL ARE WELCOME!

2. Visit your Advisor often -- at least once a quarter. When you get complacent about this, that's when you'll end up taking classes that will prolong your stay here because you'll miss a class you should have taken, or taken a class unecessarily--but remember no class is a waste of your time!

3. Get to know the faculty. Engage in conversations that allow them to get to know who youare, your interests, major, etc. They can suggest the right courses academically, as well as connect you with others like yourself with shared interests. These connections make for good study partners, good resources, and good friends.

4. Do not freak out because you have set your standards higher than the grade you're receiving in a class. As non-trads we tend to think that what we've experienced in life shoud automatically transfer into book smarts and good grades. It is true that non-trads are coming to college either for the fist time since high school, or returning after an extended leave after experiencing a lot of life. We think that we have learned much during that time --WE HAVE! But math, physics, English, foreign languages, stats and more can be hard for us--as for any student. As parents, which many non-trads are, we tell our children: don't give up, try again, it's okay, try harder next time--listen to your own words of advice. I've learned this one the hard way.

5. Do you enjoy singing? Join University Choir. It is a great way to meet other students, especially in your first few quarters on campus. It also relieves tension as you try to get back into the realm of studying.

There are more tidbits that I could pass on to you and probably will as this blog continues, but that's enough for today, except to say: Enjoy your time on campus, it goes by all to quicky.

Love, Hope, Peace,
Deb

Still Serving

Howdy, my name is Gary Cox Jr. about a year ago at this time I was facing a very big question. What do I do now? I was separating from the Marine Corps after 8 years and will say I was scared and fearful of school. I had no doubt that school was definitely in my family’s best interest, but what to do? I started to attend Winter Quarter and was welcomed with open arms, my fear turned to excite with every new day of class. Being an older student you take what you have learned from your service and apply it to your classes, you run into old friends and make new ones with the students. I really enjoy meeting older veterans and younger students who are interested in the Military. The military is not broken into five parts, Army, Marine, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. We all serve in some capacity; we all fight for 1 common goal, keep this country free, “Freedom isn’t Free, Never Was!” Next time you’re in class and you know there is a service member in your class, do more than just say thank you, pick his/her brain. I will never turn away questions about my service, so the question is “What can you tell me about your service?” It leaves us time to think and focus on specifics, or certain time frame. Please do not ask “Tell me about your time in the War?” Some memories are hard to re-live. To my fellow service members, thank you for your service, Semper Fi, I look forward to serving with you in the classroom just as I served with you in the military! To the students, thank you for your support, nothing warms a Veterans heart better then knowing you have a nation backing you for your service.

“The Marines have seen around this world…Have the cleanest bodies, filthiest minds, highest morale, and lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. THANK GOD FOR THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS!” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Mission Statement Draft: Soliciting Comments

Hi everyone...
I've set up a static page for the OSUM Non-Trad Club's Mission Statement in the blog's header, and Val has taken the step of drafting said document, which I'm also copying below. We're looking for feedback on the statement so that we can revise/refine/edit/amend/etc. the document so that it's ready for prime-time. Please read it over and comment to this post with any suggestions that you might have.

Non-Traditional Mission Statement [DRAFT]

May 28, 2011

Our goal at The Ohio State University-Marion is to advocate for non-traditional students as they begin and continue to completion their educational goals, through undergraduate, graduate and professional education. Our Non-Traditional Student Organization Is to support and network all needs of our non-traditional students while they are at OSU-M as well as to help them transition to the main campus if that is where there educational goals lead them. Through our Non-Traditional Student Blog and organization we will help our non-traditional students discover and spread their knowledge in life and through education to help our non-traditional student population grow on our campus. We will support each other through the first start of classes here onto the paths of artistic and scholarly endeavours, into research, writing, or agricultural education, as their path becomes clearer, we will help each other along the way.

The non-traditional student at The Ohio State University Marion is welcomed to a campus that is totally accommodating for non-traditional students. The Marion Campus sits upon serene acreage, just shortly remotely off a main highway in the City of Marion. The campus is easily accessible from all contiguous counties. The buildings on campus are situated closely making the walking distance easy between classes in different buildings. The buildings on our campus are newer in architecture design and they are patterned around the campus in a manner that makes a person feel they are in a “small” main campus environment. Our campus is beautifully landscaped keeping a quiet serene atmosphere at times unless there is a volleyball game, corn hole tournament, or other athletic game going on. There are many quiet places for the non-traditional student to study. Our media lab is technically up to date with equipment for any class project. Our media lab manger is always happy to help a student who needs technical assistance.

The Ohio State University, Marion’s staff welcomes all students when they first walk into Maynard Hall seeking financial aid or advising information. After the first hello from any of the staff, the non-traditional student’s apprehension will be eliminated. Our campus is fortunate to have staff that are keenly in-tune with the apprehension of a non-traditional student when there first visit to discuss financial aid information and advising advice. Some of our financial aid and advising staff were non-traditional students on our campus just a short time ago, and there they are living their academic goal at OSU-M.

As our non-traditional students ease into classes again and become familiar with a “student” routine in their lives they will feel comfortable and accepted on our campus. As they seek out their educational goals they can learn valuable advice from our Career Services Office. Our Career Services Coordinator is also keenly in-tune with each student’s conversation with him which will help guide the coordinator in steering the student to learn more about the educational path they are taking towards their career options.

As our non-traditional students attend their classes they will find our professors very accommodating to all students, not more towards traditional students or non-traditional students needs BUT all students needs. Either in educational tutoring, research or one’s life’s bumps in the road, so each and every student that wants to finish their class can do so.

There are many student organizations on our campus the non-traditional student can get involved in that will not only look good on a resume but will give the non-traditional student a feeling of helping or giving back to other students.

We're in the BOOK!

The organization is finally off the ground and running.

You can find this statement in the “Student Resource Guide” for OSU-M:

Non-Traditional Student Organization – The trend for non-traditional student population continues to grow every quarter on the Marion OSU Campus and whether you are 26, 36,or 46, you are an integral part of campus life here at the OSU Marion Campus. As the non-traditional student population continues to their degree completion, they do so with life skills which are transferrable to the learning process on campus. The Non-Traditional Student Organization encourages social organization to promote and support the non-traditional students on campus. The organization has plans to participate in fundraisers, campus activities as well as guide non-traditional students as they begin their education here. Advisor: Penny Eyster (740-725-6246 eyster.9@osu.edu).

WELCOME

Welcome to The Non-Traditional Student Blog for The Ohio State University at Marion. Whether you are 26, 36 or 46, YOU are an instrumental student on this campus. The non-traditional student population is growing every quarter at The Ohio State University Marion Campus. As each non-traditional student begins classes at OSU-M and continues their academic endeavor through to their degree completion, they are doing so with life skills, knowledge, and education. That same skill and knowledge that each student brings with him or her are valuable learning tools in their education experience here. With this experience, you are teaching to the traditional students here on campus. Whether you are viewing this website as a non-traditional or traditional student, know that we all come together as one seeking a higher education. Learning while working together on five campuses, we are one university, The Ohio State University.

Val Walton
March 2011