Are you a non-traditional student? College can be challenging enough before non-traditional student characteristics such as a long commute, familial status, full-time employment, and late college enrollment come into play. This being the case, at MyEducator we affirm that non-traditional students can achieve success. If you are struggling to meet the demands of post-secondary education, or just looking to learn about how non-traditional students can be more successful, here are three applicable pieces of advice.
1. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
Overlooking communication can be easy, especially when your schedule is hectic. But consistent communication with professors, peers, and academic advisors can be game-changing. A review of multiple academic studies highlighted non-traditional students’ loneliness while discussing the benefit of academic counseling (1). The review noted that in addition to addressing loneliness, communication with academic advisors also increased retention of non-traditional students by higher educational institutions. So, communicate needs and questions with your advisors and professors. Set up communication channels with group-work team members. And be sure to enable relevant notifications about your courses to be aware of those changing due dates, assignments, and policies.
2. Plan to Use Every Tool Available to You
Finding relevant tools can break down a sense of academic overwhelm. Dreading that research project? Round up research tools to knock the assignment out of the park. Struggling to study? There are (five) apps for that! Not sure where to start? Return to step one: communicate and ask for guidance.
3. Find Flexibility and Balance
As you keep track of course requirements and study plans, build in approaches that fit your schedule. MyEducator recently released an AI Teaching-Assistant Bot that is available 24 hours a day to help provide summaries, translations, and answer explanations. Other electronic tools can also help you balance unconventional schedules. E-texts can require some adjustment, but help you take learning on the go. If you are still feeling overwhelmed, consider finding service opportunities to unwind.
Conclusion
Wherever you are in your education journey, you can use communication, academic resources, and flexibility to achieve your goals. What advice do you find useful for non-traditional students? We’d love to hear about it or share your success story here at MyEducator.
Sources Cited
1. Ren, Xinyue. “Investigating the Experiences of Online Instructors while engaging and empowering non-traditional learners in eCampus.” Education and Information Technologies 28, no. 1 (2023): 237+.
