Why is it that more and more people of ages 25 and up are returning to school? This group called, nontraditional students make up 43 percent of the student body at FCC, and other colleges and universities all over the U.S.
There are many reasons why they are returning to school. They are returning to sharpen their skills and start a career. One other reason they are returning is due to technology, jobs are being automated, eliminated or altered. So those who want to keep up with the pace need to return to school to improve their skills or learn something completely new. The more education the person has the more diverse their job opportunities will be.
Many are returning because education has become more accessible and more convenient. The economy is another factor why there returning to school, more people are realizing that without a college education very little can be accomplished. People with college degrees make a lot more income.
Usually these students worry when starting school again, because they think that they won’t be willing to learn, but they just have to get back in track. There is a lot of help available at FCC for all students. “You got to ask for the help, this is your education not mine” Says Mrs. Glenn a counselor at FCC. Mrs., Glenn has a lot of experience with nontraditional students, she use to work with the Re-entry program when it was still available.
“You got to have a balanced life”, Mrs. Glenn tells the students. This is true because most nontraditional students have Families and jobs. They have to find time to spend with the family, go to work and get their home work done, so balance plays a big role in these students. One program Mrs. Glenn would like to see at FCC is Childcare, but she doesn’t know if FCC is even considering in starting one.
One thing that really stands out about this group of students is there success rates. Nontraditional students seem to do quite a bit better than the younger students. These students do better because they are more focused, mature, they know they need to move forward and for those who have families, and they want to set a good example.
Instructors like to have this group of students in their classes, because nontraditional students participate more in class, also they would question their instructors which is something younger students don’t really do. I remember when I went to college the instructors were like gods, you couldn’t question them”.
FCC does its best to help out these students by offering tutoring in the tutorial center and there are a lot of classes available at night for those who have families and work during the day. There are short-term programs to so they can get started on a new career really quick.
There are also scholarships available especially for nontraditional students. The website is (http://www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/non-traditional.htm). This scholarship is worth up to $2,500.
Millions of Americans are going back to school to gain new skills, start a career, and have a better life.