When I worked on a college campus, eyes often rolled when the brass brought in consultants. These high-price experts commonly came up with the same conclusions that staff secretaries had already told the administrators countless times … and for free.
Likewise, my eyes rolled a bit, too, when I read this Chronicle of Higher Education article this morning: [8</a> Strategies for Recruiting Adult Students to 4-Year Colleges - Admissions & Student Aid - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/8-Strategies-for-Recruiting/48624/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en]8”>http://chronicle.com/article/8-Strategies-for-Recruiting/48624/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en)
I thought that this consultant missed the four biggies. If I ran a college, heres what I would do to attract more adult students to my campus:
1) Offer and advertise financial aid options, flexible payment plans, and low-interest loans that are geared to working adults who will probably be cutting back work hours to matriculate.
2) Provide and publicize on-campus child care and after-school transportation to this child care center from area elementary schools. Provide tuition reductions for adult parents who work a given number of hours at this center. Offer on-campus family housing at residential colleges.
3) Allow life-experience course credit beyond what is available through [CLEP[/url</a>] (The University of Massachustts University Without Walls is an example of how this can work. See [url=<a href=“http://www.umass.edu/uww/about/index.html]About”>http://www.umass.edu/uww/about/index.html]About</a> UMass Amherst UWW - Earning College Credit for Life & Work Experience](<a href=“http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html]CLEP[/url”>http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html). )
4) Provide and promote an on-campus center for adult students as well as other ways that non-traditional students can find each other and join forces to support each other, as needed.
What would YOU do to make a college or university more attractive to non-traditional applicants?
Treat them like adults. Last college I checked out, Adams State College in Alamosa Colorado, I was treated like a kindergartner, mis-directed TWICE for ONE form, and by then time it was straitened out, I missed out on the campus tour. Man, that was awful, because I drove several hundred miles for that.
More evening and/or online classes are always good. I’m going to a CC right now, and a bunch of classes I need to take only have 1 time, and always during the day only. It would be nice to have a morning and evening option for all required classes.
A couple of the UC’s I’ve looked at here in California have re-entry student assistance programs where they help guide you through the confusing process, as well as offer tutoring, social activities with other older students, etc. I thought that was really helpful.
<h1>1 would be my first thought. Cutting back hours at work + Adding Tuition & other school expenses = hardest part of the decision to go back to school.</h1>
Also I agree with KTbird on the scheduling options being important.<br>
- I would like evening or 8AM and 9AM classes - the middle of the day 2-3 days/wk makes it nearly impossible to enroll in some classes.<br>
- Also it’d be nice if I could “stack” classes; classes that are typically taken in the same semester for a particular major being scheduled back-to-back.<br>
- Or have 1 longer day of classes - if I could take 3, 3-hour classes on a Friday or Saturday, would be great.
- And flexible online options are nice as a supplement - for making up any core classes I may be missing, but wouldn’t want it for my major courses.
- Not having to compete with traditional students for spots in evening classes would be nice. I wish non-traditional students would have the option to enroll a day earlier than traditional students for the evening, weekend and 8AM/9AM classes. My first undergrad experience, when I was a full-time student, I would enroll for these classes out of my own want and not necessity; now as a working adult, I see how selfish that was and how I could be taking that spot from someone who NEEDS to be taking at class at that time of day.
As far as the other suggestions made:
2. I don’t have kids, so I can’t relate.
3. Not a large incentive for me. Classroom Theory vs Life Experience are different. As a non-traditional student I look forward to learning the theory and understand/analyze the why’s behind the things I’ve been doing every day. And as a traditional student my favorite classes were the ones with lots of non-traditional students to give some perspective involving real life experience.<br>
4. Again not a large incentive for me, I’m going to be busy. I want my schedule to be efficient and to be able to get in - do what I need to do and be ablt to get back to work.
Topolover’s - I haven’t encountered this, but the process was much nicer at the school’s that had forms that were adaptive to adult students and didn’t ask for all of my parent’s info and so forth.
Provide distance learning. It seems like a lot of online degrees are not highly respected, which is a shame. It’d be a lot easier for working adults to get a degree if they didn’t have to show up at various hours throughout the day.
I agree with the other posters, more early morning classes! The 7 and 8am classes are what make it possible for me to work full time at a demanding office job while attending school. Many times there are classes that I’d love to take but because they are at 1 in the afternoon it is impossible.
Also, counseling hours that are not just during the normal work day, with priority given to nontraditional students for the pre-9am and post 5pm appointment times.
Perfect idea: you use reverse psychology on them by saying, “oh, well we don’t want any of YOUR type around here,” to which they will almost certainly respond by applying to and attending your school, simply out of spite and a desire to teach you a little lesson about respect
boom, problem solved
I just signed up for a course where I thought I’d have to decide between a weekend morning or weekday evening. To my delight, the prof just wrote back that the same material is presented twice each week, in discussion/seminar format. On any given week I can choose to attend either day. I care more about the subject matter than consistency with other seminar-mates. Above all, my adult responsibilities make each week different, and it’s mostly out of my control, depending on what happens to others in my family. I never know until I’m in the midst of the week which day will work better for me. Not having to declare which day, ever, is just ducky.
I like idea number 1 because working adults don’t always qualify for subsidized loans, Pell Grants, and other grants due to their higher personal EFCs.
The UC system expects students to take a full load during traditional hours. I knew going in that I would have to greatly reduce my hours and maybe quit my day job. It has been hard to maintain a job with hours that are typically 9-5, but at least my boss is understanding and my work hours are very flexible. Still, there are reasons why I chose to attend UC over CSU as a non-traditional student:
~UC advisers and peer advisers (usually younger than me) have never treated me like anything other than THE student. I felt (and still feel) respected for my decision to finish my degree at my age.
~CSU repeatedly asked me “who is the student?” and implied that I was the parent of the student. Maybe it was because everyone on campus looked 16?
~UC Berkeley (and maybe others?) has a Transfer, Student Parent, Re-entry advising and support center. I haven’t used them since starting at Cal, but they were so helpful in getting me up and running. They offered weekly evening workshops in the summer to help us get our bearings on campus. Topics included appealing financial aid offers, balancing work and/or family and school, getting started in research, choosing a major, navigating bureaucracy, etc.
~CSU (or at least SDSU) didn’t seem to have any kind of support, not even for traditionally aged transfer students.
I also had a good experience in applying to Mills College. 25% of their student body is 25 and older. I felt like they had a very supportive community for non-traditional students. They even have a lounge and lockers for commuters.
My #1 wish: a career center counselor dedicated to students who have already worked in the real world, especially one who understands career changes. I am completely unsure of my next step and feel like I have too much experience (albeit not in the field I want to go into) to undertake an unpaid internship for the summer. I’d like to be able to meet with a career counselor who can help me re-structure my resume and find entry level or better jobs that recognize both my current skills and my new knowledge.
Kick all of the kids out.
After being highly motivated and excited about finally making the decision to go back to school- I met with my counselor last night which nearly popped my hope-filled balloon.
I wish more colleges had counselors and programs specifically catered to adult learners. I feel like I am making a large effort to get my questions answered and to find out what credits I need-- Which is fine, but at the same rate, I’m paying you to educate me. Throw me a bone here. Pretend you want me to choose this school. The lack of passion and information in some of these admissions offices are surprising.
I’m also finding that a lot of schools in suburban Illinois aren’t on board with adult programming yet. Very few weekend or evening courses, and some only accept adult students on a case by case basis. Illinois colleges: Design an adult program, and we will be there!
hey tiger I’m an Illinois student… drop me a line… Northwestern SCS sounds like a good fit for you… great financial aide, reduced tuition, and a Northwestern education at night or on the weekend specifically for older adults…!!!
Day care was the first thing I thought of. Do you know how hard it is to find a babysitter in the middle of the day???
For prior college work (undergrad or grad) and for work experience.
Drop the “the customer is always wrong” attitude. The opportunity to condescend seems to be what drew a lot of people into the teaching profession, particularly on the humanities side of the fence.
8-week accelerated classes are a big hit around here, but the most difficult requirement for non-traditionals seems to be math.
I’ll tend to agree with that based on what I’ve seen in community college classes. People tend to forget all their math skills when they’re out of school for a while. There’s not much call for rigorous reasoning in daily life.
Have an on-site daycare for adult students that can be combined with childcare classes for those majoring in childcare related subjects. More night classes and either 100% on-line classes or more combination classes (both on-line and in the classroom).
Hmm…
If I ran a College I would have everything be fair and equal with the students all across the board and just would not give a darn about ages period.
But…
I would keep the tutoring labs as well as the computer labs open 24/7 in order to best accommodate the schedules of those who are adults at University as well as those who are working their way through University (regardless of age).
That is it.
A lot of these comments remind me of what my mom (Penn State class of 1950) had to say about the former G.I.s who enrolled there immediately after the end of WWII. The campus culture had previously been dominated by the 17 to 22 age set. Most of the faculty and administrators were as startled as the typical undergrads by the arrival of so many grown-ups who just didn’t have the patience for nonsense (and rightly so). A long-standing tradition of requiring freshman to wear “beanie” hats was among the first to go.
The revolution is slow, but it is happening. Good luck to each and every one of you!