Being A Non-Traditional Student Makes You Feel Like An Outsider, But Not For Long

I was 36 when I went to university for the first time! It was Dr. Mary, my psychologist, who suggested it, because when we talked about my unhappiness and feelings of uselessness because of a divorce, she said the words that changed my life. She told me, “Go to college! Your brain is going to waste! Don’t come to the next appointment until you have an application to go to college!” I looked at her like she was a madwoman, questioned her credentials and abilities, and was sure I wouldn’t be back.

Later in the week, I told my supervisor at work about the crazy advice from my psychologist, expecting her to laugh with me. Instead, she offered to bring me an application from Georgia State University the next day, as she was attending the university in the evenings. I told her that I had graduated 18 years earlier, was still raising children, and was a grandmother of two. I never took the SAT exam because my mother couldn’t afford it, so no college would accept me! But she brought me the application, and I applied that week. And to my amazement, I was admitted after taking an entrance exam!

I started in January of 1988! As I sat with other students during orientation, I was uncomfortable. However, I scored so high on the entrance exam that I didn’t need remedial classes! All the reading I did over the years, helping children with homework, especially math, and my life experiences, helped me achieve one of the highest scores ever on the exam. I could take any level classes.

Those first days in classes with young people from18 to 22 made me feel out of place. My classmates called me Ms, Regina, out of respect for someone old enough to be their mother. But as I added insights I had gleaned over my lifetime to the discussions, and I encouraged them to dream big and believe in themselves, I started to let go of the mothering and become just a student. I loved learning so much! I earned many awards, like the President’s Scholars, and was the oldest member of the Honors College.

I believe that when you believe in a dream, the Lord will work behind the scenes, opening doors for you at just the right time. Dr. Mary was one of the first people I called when I became Dr. Regina, earned a doctorate in Sociology at age 54, and became the college professor I had dreamed of being since I was nine years old.

I was also an excellent resource for my non-traditional students, sharing my story of taking nine years to complete my bachelor’s, so they would be encouraged to keep going when the challenges became too hard. Non-traditional students are among the best because they are working so hard to overcome their past and build a better future for their children. They sometimes struggle with jobs and children, but they keep moving forward, with encouragement and a little faith from their professors.

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