Staff Editorial: Nontraditional students offer inspiration to 'typical' students
Issue date: 11/3/09 Section: Opinions
And to compound the matter, many nontraditional students out-succeed traditional students in the classroom.
Perhaps it is the wisdom of age many of them bring to the classroom or maybe they simply know how to buckle down and work harder than many of their younger counterparts.
It is more likely, however, that nontraditional students simply appreciate the opportunity that is attending a university.
Our generation has become somewhat jaded with the notion of attending college. It is almost a foregone conclusion that, upon graduating high school, college must be the next logical step.
But for those who grew up in a country where attending a university isn't so easy or those who had children at a young age or could not afford to attend school, college is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is an opportunity they must seize.
And it is that type of thinking that more traditional students need to get behind.
Nontraditional students are not weird or out of place. Every person from every background or age or situation should have the right to pursue an education.
And as you sit in your classroom and notice the older woman furiously taking notes faster than anyone around her, you should follow that lead and realize attending a university is an opportunity many people in this world would die for and one we should not take lightly.
Perhaps it is the wisdom of age many of them bring to the classroom or maybe they simply know how to buckle down and work harder than many of their younger counterparts.
It is more likely, however, that nontraditional students simply appreciate the opportunity that is attending a university.
Our generation has become somewhat jaded with the notion of attending college. It is almost a foregone conclusion that, upon graduating high school, college must be the next logical step.
But for those who grew up in a country where attending a university isn't so easy or those who had children at a young age or could not afford to attend school, college is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is an opportunity they must seize.
And it is that type of thinking that more traditional students need to get behind.
Nontraditional students are not weird or out of place. Every person from every background or age or situation should have the right to pursue an education.
And as you sit in your classroom and notice the older woman furiously taking notes faster than anyone around her, you should follow that lead and realize attending a university is an opportunity many people in this world would die for and one we should not take lightly.
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