Well, hello there! If you are reading this it is either because I know you personally and forced you to do so or, hopefully, you're a nontraditional (Non-Trad for short) college student like me. This is my first real attempt at blogging, as the one past attempt was sad and only included one entry. Allow me to start by introducing myself. My name is Erika, but I also answer to "Queen E" and other Queenly titles, and I am a 30-year-old wife and mother of one son, one step-daughter, and one furry St. Bernard. As already mentioned, I am a nontraditional student at Butler University and I am, hopefully, one semester away from entering pharmacy school. I studied at a community college for 2 years before attending Butler in order to complete an array of classes that I either missed in high school or, because it had been a few years since then, had to retake. This is my first semester at a legit university and I'm starting the school year with a ton of optimism and hope. I'm currently enrolled in 18 credit hours, but I will do my best to devote time to this endeavor.
The main reason I wanted to start this blog was to reach out to the Non-Trad community. I have seen a few other blogs geared toward people like us, but I felt it was worth sharing my unique experience in hopes of helping others realize that it is possible to return to school and thrive in a classroom setting. Not only do I plan to share my own personal observations of university/college life, but I will try to include study tips as well as organization and time management, as my own time allows.
Okay, so let's "talk" about my first week. I am quite surprised to learn that, at the present time, there are no organizations at Butler specifically for Non-Trad students. Last week was Welcome Week and involved a few orientation activities that were "mandatory" or "required" for all students and some just for transfer students, which I am. I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed to find that I was the only person my age (or even close for that matter) at all of the events I attended. I certainly felt out of place and when the president of the university addressed us, the incoming students, as "young people on the cusp of adulthood," I couldn't help but chuckle and I thought, "no, all of these 'kids' are young people while I'm the old lady in the room." Yep, that was me, the old lady in the room in each event I attended. Although, I must say that most people didn't realize I was a Non-Trad until it was brought up. So, it's not as if any of the freshman thought I was 80 or anything, but it was still a bit uncomfortable. This is something I plan to discuss with the appropriate people at the university.
Part of the Welcome Week "stuff" included attending a performance about sex and a lecture, of sorts, about student life, both of which I respectfully declined and did not attend for the obvious reasons. Another part of my orientation to the school was an online set of courses regarding sex, drugs, and alcohol. There was no getting out of that one and I had to complete the courses in order to move forward. Again, these are things I plan to discuss with the school. I felt very awkward and I really feel that Non-Trads need to be treated in a slightly different manner given their unique situations. I mean, come on, I'm old enough to buy my own booze and I'm married, with an 11-year-old son. Pretty sure I've got the sex thing figured out...at least I certainly hope so!
The first day of class was Wednesday and I felt a little trepidation leading up to that day. Mostly because of being in a new environment, etc. I confess to obsessing a bit over what I would wear. Let's face facts, people! I'm a girl and I don't want to stick out any more than I already do. I'm not going to dress like I'm 18, but I'm not going to wear my grandmother's clothes, either. So I took to Pinterest! I must say that I was wholly unimpressed by the fashion, or lack-there-of, I witnessed during orientation while surrounded by freshman or "first year" students. Holy baggy t-shirt and too short shorts, people! It's like these "kids" needed their parents to dress them, really. I was pleasantly surprised to see a vast change in attire come Wednesday. I should note here that I come from the "old school." I don't "do" sweat pants or pajama pants in public unless there's a darn good reason for them, and it had better be an amazing reason, really. And, honestly, I just expected that the girls would be a bit more dressed up for each other, if for no other reason.
Okay, so the first day of class was really quite nice. I enjoyed most of the people and professors that I met and the fashion was stepped-up significantly. I was happy to see that there really were other students beyond their first year and I fit in a bit better with that crowd. That's not to say that I have a problem meeting first-year students and talking with them. I don't mean that at all. There's really nothing wrong with being young and I'm not trying to put anyone down simply for the year in which they were born. The issue I have with the younger crowd has more to do with how many of them conduct themselves in public. For example, many groups of younger girls (18-19 years old) cluster around the halls of school and often engage in conversations that involve one word: like. I'm not sure how many times one can say "like" in a sentence, but there should be a legal limit. I just want to tell them, "ladies, you had to be intelligent to get here so please speak in a manner that reflects that. Thank you." Anyway, the first day of classes consisted of reviewing the syllabus and getting to know the instructor and other students. So, not a bad day at all. The second and third days proved to be much the same. I am, so far, the only Non-Trad I have seen on campus. I'm hoping to encounter more as time goes by. Conversation becomes a bit awkward when the other people are talking about the lack of air conditioning in their dorm rooms or the size of the tiny refrigerators while I am sitting there thinking, "hmm, my air conditioner at the home my husband and I own works just fine and I have a full-size fridge..."
Well, I'm going to wrap this up as it's getting a bit lengthy and it's getting late here. I will be posting more soon, so please come back and visit.
Yours Truly,
Queen E
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