“Adult students are the ones who sit in the front row of the class, take notes, are most likely to succeed and sometimes have the most to say due to the real world experiences. They are usually dressed like every other student but some non-traditional students stick out like a sore thumb with gray hair and a child in tow.”
“

Adult students are the ones who sit in the front row of the class, take notes, are most likely to succeed and sometimes have the most to say due to the real world experiences.

They are usually dressed like every other student but some non-traditional students stick out like a sore thumb with gray hair and a child in tow.

Adults are coming back to college in droves.

Most would say it is due to our economy.

Many people have lost their jobs in the last year and haven’t been able to find work.

President Obama has urged Americans to go back to school.

They are taking heed of his advice.

The adult freshman enrollment at The University of Akron is up over seven percent according to Laura Conley the director of Adult Focus located in Shrank Hall North room 260 on the 2nd floor.

Adult Focus is an academic support service for adult learners.

These learners are defined as anyone 25 years old or older, assumes multiple life roles such as parent, spouse, employee, caregiver and student, a returning student after four years of employment or homemaking or a Veteran of the armed services.

There are over 4,200 non-traditional students over the age of 25 and 580 veterans, Conley said.

She is not only an adviser but she also instructs a one credit class called Focus on Success.

This class helps the non-traditional adult student to get back into the swing of things.

They cover reading, memory and test taking strategies.

This class also covers critical thinking and cognitive styles to really help adult students.

Sitting in class next to an adult student may have some advantages.

They are here at the university to succeed and they are a shinning example to all students how to do it.

To traditional students please understand that it isn’t always easy to fit in to a generation that is 20 years your junior and childcare can sometimes be an issue but non-traditional students are a great source of real world experiences and friendship.

“