Monday, April 20, 2009

To Be (a nontrad) or Not To Be (a nontrad)

I have talked to so many people lately who are either thinking about going back to school or who are newly back in school. I think it must be the economy (see?? I told you so!!). My little brother and my little sister's husband are also nontrads, so it runs in the family. :)

One guy I talked to said he was encouraged by my return to school and that it gave him renewed enthusiasm to pursue his goal of returning to school. That's what the blogs, the forums, the connections are all about - encouraging one another. I want to take this opportunity to thank Deb and Elizabeth who are relentless in their pursuit of information, encouragement, and high fives for all the other nontrads. Two big "Atta Girls!" for you, ladies! Thank you so much for your dedication!

Whether we are online or on campus, we all face the same fear, "Can I do this? Should I really be doing this?" Yes and yes. I figure I birthed three children, moved halfway across the country to follow my husband for a job, and homeschooled for seven years. Getting my degree ought to be a walk in the park, yes? Sort of. At least I'm done with my Math requirement - thank God! Did I ever mention I am not a Math person?

Finals start in a week. To be, yes. Definitely, to be. Stay tuned . . . .

5 comments:

flit said...

There are hardly any nontrads at the U I am doing my graduate studies in ... that is one thing I sorely miss about my undergrad school ... there were a lot more of us.

Blogging and online forums are all the more important when you're in the minority, I think.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you, Flit...we've gotta stick together and if blogging and online forums helps to form the type of cohesion that we need to solidify our nontraditional learning environment, then so beit. We've gotta take the lead, right?!?!

~Ray~

Anonymous said...

There are quite a few 'non trads' where I go, although it's hard to connect because our schedules can be so different. I am looking forward to my MA because I gather that most post grads are 'mature' there.

Anonymous said...

Talking about running in the family, my brother (younger than me by 18 months) did his BA in History of Art followed by an MA in Urban History a couple of years ago. We didn't tell each other but enrolled the same month! (He has no kids so managed it full time.

Betsyanne (E Sheppard) said...

I am so glad that the blog has been helpful. Thank you! About your math requirement, I also had to take a math class my first year and was SO glad when it was done. I felt like I could handle ANY class after that.