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