Baby, come back (to school)

How did these non-traditional students get back in the classroom? With commitment and flexibility

Among higher ed students, there are recent high school graduates who complete their degree in four to five years — and then there’s everyone else. That last category — “non-traditional students,” they’re called — encompasses such a broad swath of Southern Nevada’s population, it’s impossible to prescribe a single approach for their re-entry to college. Plus, to the usual ways life can block a person’s plans, like getting married or having a baby, life in Las Vegas adds a whole poker deck of special needs. More folks work nights or require financial assistance, for instance.

How do you overcome these obstacles and finally get fitted for a mortarboard? People who’ve done it (or are about to) swear that golden ring is within everyone’s reach – provided you ask yourself the right questions going in.

1. What do you want to be when you grow up? Nothing brings what you want to do with your life into sharper focus than doing something you hate. That was the case for Kenny Stoneman. After six loathsome years in the U.S. Navy, the former slacker who almost flunked out of high school couldn’t wait to start college.

Now 26, Stoneman’s plan is crystal clear. In 2013, after completing his bachelor’s of fine arts in creative writing at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village, Nev., he will move overseas to do his master’s. He wants to be a college poetry and writing professor in Ireland or the U.K.

Stoneman believes such a well-defined vision is the first step toward successfully completing college. “Just sit down and ask yourself what you want and what’s realistic,” he says.

That’s not the only path. Thirty-two-year-old Heidi Manlove didn’t find her calling until after she’d pecked away at college for several years. She took a couple classes right out of high school in Carson City, dropped out, worked, moved to Las Vegas, got disillusioned with casino work, moved back home, re-enrolled in Western Nevada College, took classes part-time, worked again — until she took her first class in anthropology. Then, she says, it was like the lights came on.

Madly in love with anthropology, Manlove quickly completed her associate’s degree and transferred to UNLV, where she snagged a master’s degree in the subject this past spring. She now teaches anthropology 101 at the College of Southern Nevada while looking for a full-time research position.

“Just start taking classes, even if you don’t know what you want to do,” Manlove advises. “Start slow; you don’t have to do it all at once.”

2. Which school is the best one for you?

When you’re ready to make a serious commitment to college, research programs in your chosen field, Manlove and Stoneman suggest. Get a feel for whether you’d like them by looking at course offerings, talking to graduates and reading faculty publications.

Your location may be limited by family or work, but there are options beyond the obvious large universities and community colleges. Look for smaller public schools such as Nevada State College and private nonprofits such as Touro University Nevada.

And don’t forget online schooling, says Annette Miller. A 39-year-old senior in sociology at UNLV, Miller’s husband is also a returning student — at Penn State University, via its distance education program.

Miller picked her school not only because of its academic program, but also to be close to family. She knew she’d need a support group to help her juggle finishing her degree, raising two teenagers and being a housewife.

3. Who will pay for it?

The biggest and most common concern non-traditional students have is how they’ll fund their studies.

“Scholarships, scholarships, scholarships,” creative writing student Stoneman says. “There are craploads of them out there. Yes, everyone’s applying for them, but if you apply for 100, there’s a good chance you’re going to get something.”

He recommends using one of the many websites where you can search scholarships by your individual criteria, then applying to all for which you qualify. Miller adds that most schools have an adviser who can help you, like UNLV’s Division of Educational Outreach did for her.

“There’s a lot of funding out there for people like me who want to go back to school, particularly for their first degree,” she says. “Be patient with yourself. The application, figuring out how to finance it, gathering the documentation — you can get it done.”

4. Can you make it work?

UNLV sociology major Miller understands patience. Having left her studies at age 25 to raise her then-tiny children, she’s just now— 14 years later — finishing her bachelor’s degree. She expects to graduate next May, only one year after going back to school.

“For people who are working full-time, trying to raise a family, there are so many pieces to the puzzle. Find people in the right places to help you start piecing it together,” she says.

Stoneman also says that many schools are now flexible with those who have to work while going to school, offering evening and online classes, as well as independent studies, for up to a third of the credits in some degree programs.

Will it be easy? No, but it’s possible, he says. “If you have to take away your movie night, do that. Aside from family, college is the most important thing you can do in life… You’ll just have to grin and bear it for a couple years.”

Anthropology teacher Manlove adds, “Don’t worry about how old you are, or how old you’ll be when you’re done with school. Just keep your eyes on the prize."