The number of nontraditional students enrolling in community colleges is rising.
I have found that attending community college has been a wonderful experience for me. I have learned a lot and I feel the staff encourages all traditional and nontraditional students alike. I had originally applied at a university because I wanted to complete all educational requirements related to my field of study at one school.
After being denied acceptance due to grades in high school, which was well over 20 years ago, I was devastated. Not giving up, I registered at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, took a placement test and then was able to register for classes. I am pleased with the outcome because I feel that if I was accepted at the university I may not had been able to keep up with the large classroom environment and being recognized as a number and not by my name. I feel I wouldn’t have the opportunity to develop a relationship with my professors as I have at this college and may not had received the additional instruction when I may be uncertain on a particular assignment. I feel community college is the best place to start if you are an older returning student. I am very comfortable completing my general education requirements here and I will also obtain an Associates’ Degree with guaranteed acceptance to VCU. Being enrolled in community college for me is preparing me for the university setting.
When I was not accepted at VCU, it bothered me that the reason was because of my grades. I had written a polished essay on why I was interested in the university and my desire to study nuclear medicine. At the time it did not occur to me that college programs are set up primarily with the traditional student in mind. That is a newly high school graduate. For someone like me, a university as a first choice would most likely not happen. No one told me that a community college may be the best place for me to further my education. I went to VCU’s open house, went to the radiation sciences orientation, and toured all departments within this program. Matter of fact everyone encouraged me to apply at VCU, even after I described my situation of not attending school for years and my high school transcripts were not exactly what a college of VCU’s caliber may want to accept as a student.
Through research I found starting at the end of the 20th century higher education has evolved to accommodate both traditional and nontraditional students. Traditional students are students that enroll into a college program directly out of high school and generally have their parents financing their students. Nontraditional students however are defined as students that hold full time jobs, having family and financial responsibilities and having to financially support their studies. United States Department of Education reported of all undergraduate students, 73% were considered in some way nontraditional.
I found it interesting that with the rise of nontraditional students enrollment into college, most academic programs are still structured around the traditional student models. The admissions and progressions for the success of the learning process are based primarily on grades. That would explain why I wasn’t accepted at VCU because they were looking at my past grades and not on current life experiences and my desire to further my education. It is more common for the nontraditional student to attend a community college. It may be due to furthering education to obtain a promotion for a current job or like in my situation to obtain a degree to obtain a job in my field of study.
Donaldson and Graham, educational researchers have investigated adult experience and outcome in higher education. They came up with a model that examines six major elements relating to adults undergraduate experiences: 1) Prior Experience and Personal Biographies, 2) Psychosocial and Value Orientations, 3) Adult’s Cognition, 4) the Connecting Classroom, 5) the Life-World Environment, and 6) the Outcomes. (See Chart Below)
Here I would like to briefly explain each of the 6 elements (as noted in the chart below). Prior experience and personal biographies relates to structures of adult cognition relating to self, education and classroom. Also relates to how adults will evaluate and use their surroundings to help encourage their experiences in college. Psychosocial and value orientations regards to motivation, self confidence and values. These are in relation to the motivations that influence adults’ abilities to learn and stay in college. Adult cognition includes the knowledge structures and learning process that adults bring to college. Pertaining to which adults are successful in accomplishing the value of their college experiences. Connecting the classroom defines the college experience for the adult student. These students use academic knowledge to transform real life and academic knowledge into new meaning. Life world environment couples current family and work situations that either enhance or detract the elements the psychosocial and value orientations component when adults attend college. The outcomes from the educational process vary in adults. They distinguish between learning that can be functional at work, family or everyday life experiences. Refer to chart below for further understanding.
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| (Philibert, 2008) |
The chart states that all six elements listed are involved in the successful outcome of a nontraditional students college experience. The findings also show that nontraditional students needs differ from some of the programs provided by educational institutions. Some institutions design programs that are based on assumption that the student can fully participate in the academic and social aspects of the college. This is quite impossible for the nontraditional student. I believe that community colleges are nontraditional student “friendly” in regards to the flexibility of the combination of education and outside responsibilities.
Due to the fact that the majority of students today have other responsibilities that may interfere with the traditional college requirements, further research needs to be conducted to determine the type of student and their needs to fulfill their educational goals.
Works Cited
Philibert, N.,et. al. (2008). Nontraditional students in community colleges and the model of college outcomes for adults. Community College Journal of Research & Practice, 32(8), 582. Retrieved October 22, 2010 from MasterFILE Premier database.
Image retrieved November, 2010 from Google images, WWW. http://www.braintrack.com/college-transfer-guide/articles/returning-to-college
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