What is the difference between Traditional College students and Non-Traditional College Students?
Traditional students
*Just finished high school.
* Between 18-24 years old.
*Dependent on parents.
* Enroll full time
*Live in dorms
*Have time to party.
*Have time to play sports.
*Date and meet their future spouse in college.
*Goes on Spring Break to socialize and have fun.
*Mostly single
*Do not work during school year
When I was a college student, I was a traditional college student. I went to college right after high school when I was 18 years old. I enrolled full time, and I lived in dorms while I was an undergraduate. I could not party all the time since I needed to study for my exams. However, I had friends who had photographic memories and only had to look at the textbook one time, and they were able to remember everything, so they were able to party and still get good grades. I was single during my college years and I worked part time in a library. I considered myself the traditional college student.
Non-Traditional Students
*Working full time.
*Older than 30.
*Delayed enrollment to college after decades of not attending school.
*Married with children or Single parent with children.
*Have a part time job.
*Have several jobs to make a full time job (gig economy)
*Have bills to pay like a mortgage and health insurance
*Going to college for career advancement or switch to a new career.
*Wants to be role model for his kids.
However, when I started teaching online, I was teaching primarily non-traditional students. When I went to the University of Phoenix graduation, most of the undergraduates had grey hair. The valedictorian was a single mother of three children. I remember I had an entire family going to college. The parents were in UOP and so were their college age children. They would all compete to see who had the highest grade. It was the father who ended up with the highest grade in my class!
When I taught at AMU, most of my students were also non-traditional military students stationed around the world in multiple time zones. It was a pleasure teaching these students because they had great professional tone. I learned about their travels, and I learned about their different interests. I had no student with no arm because he had been injured in battle, but he now participated in Special Olympics.
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