This is an important topic because it has several moving parts to it…one the one hand you have the person who never went to college and they don’t even know the terminology to go to their local campus and get the information they need to begin setting appointments and do paperwork.
On the other hand there is the returning student who knows a little bit about college life but is confused by how much has changed since they have been away…as well as all the attendant emotions associated with giving up previously and regrets about abandoning their dreams…a common refrain is “what if I stuck with it, I would be so much further along by now” True…but there is no time like the present to get in gear and start digging the foundation of a successful future.
The first time student is typically a younger person that has eager campus representatives ushering them from one department to another and frequently there is a parent ready to chaperone them throughout the process. Any under 25 year old student looks like they are there to attend classes and they experience welcoming gestures that further reinforce their decision to go to school.
What about the older student?
The one that doesn’t even know which questions to ask?
And doesn’t know any of the terminology?
And is met with blank stares whenever he is asking about where to register, get enrollment information, etc?
And…my personal favorite….the staff member at the college that doesn’t hear a word you say because they are too busy guessing they think they know what you want…or, they are disoriented that you are not a parent asking on behalf of your child…
In life..it is always best to have a thick skin because it is the only way to survive and get your needs met…To be thrown off course by a less than delicate comment or tone of voice is a sure way to lose every battle.
School provides an education, there is no guarantee that as a paying customer…that you will get what you paid for…paying for a class entitles you to a seat in the classroom and access to the professor…nothing more and nothing less.
Sometimes an older student will be dismayed at what work is involved in successfully completing a semester…points toward your grade are frequently given for meaningful participation…but, just as frequently…be taken away for meaningless chatter.
Older students at times want to share their wisdom and life experience…at the expense of air time for other students…a troubling trend for sure..given the fact that older students may make it uncomfortable for their instructor to enforce the rules of engagement…particularly difficult if the student is older than the professor.
Decorum in the classroom is crucial for the successful student and those that get caught up in a popularity contest or confusing tolerance for socializing are bound to have a very difficult and frustrating time indeed.
Arrive prepared to study and check all of your misconceptions about being a consumer and you are apt to be quite fulfilled …but go with an attitude of “what does math have to do with my career in…”you will be doomed to be a “one and done” you will find excuses and loopholes and start to question the sincerity of the teachers…and before you know it your academic career will be an expensive and demoralizing experienced…it was designed for those that want it…not for those that need it!
