Four Crossed Logs: Non-traditional students: Are we the new normal?

Seventy-three percent of college students in the U.S. fall under the non-traditional college student umbrella, according to an article on GetEducated.com. If you’re over 24 years old, have family and work responsibilities that might interfere with your academia, or are enrolled in non-degree occupational programs, you are considered a non-traditional student.

When I first heard the term non-traditional, it made me feel so dated. I felt like I didn’t fit in (Hello middle school all over again!) and as I sat in classrooms filled with 30 other students under the age of 24, I was right to feel that way. So, instead of wallowing in my own self-pity, I decided to make my own list of all of the attributes that a non-traditional student may offer the person sitting beside them in class:

We are disciplined. We know how to manage our time between a job, a family, friends and school. We typically are exceptional multi-taskers and have convinced everyone around us into thinking we must have a cloned version of ourselves hiding in a closet.
We are great listeners. We are not distracted by the conversations in class or the kegger that’s happening this weekend. Dear professor, we are listening to everything you say (which might not benefit you if you just happen to be younger than we are). We know the truth about “the real world,” and some of the things you are saying just aren’t true.
We understand what deadlines are. We’ve experienced life’s deadlines, such as mortgage payments and work expectations. There are no extensions, the syllabus is not negotiable, and nobody gets that better than we do.
We are the people you want in your group project. For every reason listed before, but also because we need to succeed, you will too. As an older (not by much!) generation, we want to push you to be better and not look like a fool on the day of the presentation or deadline. We won’t fade into the sunset and leave you hanging; we have your back!
We value our education. When you’re just out of high school the future is up to you, but sometimes it’s up to your parents. Non-traditional students have decided after all of this time of being in “the real world” that this is where we want to spend our time and money (cringe). There’s no better student or employee than the one who really wants and enjoys the experience.

As a returning student, I never take school for granted because I have experienced the world without this experience. Our campus makes it easier to fit in and feel welcomed back with open arms. So if you are a 20-year-old undergrad reading this article, make tomorrow Befriend a Non-traditional Student Day and have us tell you our story. It’s sure to make you look at the next 10 years through a different lens.