There was a time when the image of the typical college student was
of someone 18 years old who was as likely to go to parties as to
class. Today, people like Mary Ballard, 43, a mother of three who
went back to school to advance her career, are increasingly common
on college campuses.
The so-called nontraditional student isn't so unusual anymore as
older people head back to school to further their careers or launch
new ones. A recent Senate report said that 39 percent of students
in higher education are 25 years or older, compared with about 28
percent of the college population in 1970. About 40 percent of undergraduates
today also work at least 40 hours a week in an outside job, up from
about 25 percent 15 years ago. Plus, about 30 percent of college
students are parents. Ballard went back to college in Quincy when
she was 40.
"I had always wanted to do it," she said. "I had
started nursing school many years ago, but I dropped out to marry
and raise a family. I'm very goal-oriented, so I knew I would go
back, but the time had to be right." Ballard is now an assistant
vice president of corporate information security for State Street
South in Quincy. She decided to attend Eastern Nazarene College's
Leadership Education for Adults (LEAD) program. "I was hesitant
at first," she said. "I didn't know if I'd be able to
get it all done, but they really made it easy for me. My biggest
problem in going back was that I used to really stress out about
taking tests. It was something I had to learn to overcome."
Overcome she did, earning both a bachelor's degree in management
and a master's degree.
"For me," Ballard recalled, "being an adult student
was much more enriching. I got much more out of it than I did when
I was a kid." Joe Capozzi, director of adult and graduate studies
at Eastern Nazarene, said older and returning students need specific
support. "Some don't think they can keep up with the new technology.
So we show them how. We have a department that provides help with
writing. We encourage our students. We walk them through whatever
they don't know how to do," Capozzi said.
Because so many college students are also holding down full-time
jobs, schools are adjusting their schedules accordingly.
"We offer our students flexible hours. We go to a lot of corporate
sites and bring the classes to them. If students want a course at
7 a.m., we can do that," Capozzi said. Most courses offered
through the LEAD program are five or six weeks and meet once a week.
Some students prefer attending class at night, but classes are also
offered during the day and on Saturdays. It usually takes returning
students about two years to complete a bachelor's degree. The online
University of Phoenix specializes
in nontraditional students at its Braintree campus and all over
the country.
Jacqueline Armitage, vice president and director of Massachusetts
campuses for the school, said people who return to school after
being out in the work world usually know exactly what they want
- either to make themselves more attractive to potential employers
or advance in their current jobs. Jessica Miller decided to return
to college when it became obvious that she would not be promoted
without a degree.
"I thought I could make it without an education, and for a
while I did, but I soon realized that in order to get a top-paying
job in the "real world," in order to get ahead in life
instead of just getting by, I needed an education," she said.
She is studying business management and chose the University of
Phoenix because it offered her both a convenient location for classes
and the option of on-line education. "I am especially impressed
with the on-line program. The classes are available 24 hours a day.
I just simply log into the class I am attending and participate
in the discussions whenever it's convenient for my schedule, and
I am talking to students from all over the United States,"
she said.
Richard Kim, 27, of Weymouth went back to school at the University
of Phoenix to work on his management skills. He is studying
health care finance while he continues to work two jobs, at Harvard
Vanguard Medical Associates in Somerville and his own videography
business. Going to school in Braintree allows him to keep making
money while he sharpens his skills.
"I thought it would be tough returning to school, but honestly,
the flexibility of the program is excellent," he said.
Massasoit Community College, which has campuses in Brockton and
Canton, offers students certificate programs and courses leading
to an associate's degree. Rebecca Shipman Hurst is chairwoman of
the school's human services program. "It is a joy to teach
someone who is older, and who has life experience," she said.
"They have a frame of reference that allows them to relate
to and identify with the subject matter. Education is about life,
and older students are smack dab in the middle of life."
For those who think they are too old to go back to school, Ballard
has some advice: "You'll have more regrets for not doing it
than for giving it a try."
