Characteristics Of Nontraditional Student

Managing my time has always been somewhat of a challenge to me, but my goal is to perfect using time management skills in my day to day life. As a recent college enrollee, I now fit into a group of people called the “nontraditional student”. In this paper, I will share why I have chosen this topic, the term “nontraditional student” will be defined and characteristics of them will be given. We will briefly look at challenges the nontraditional student may face, and we will explore how nontraditional students use time management to balance family, life, work and school. It will also be shared as to how I may use the time management skills listed in the article personally. Managing my time has always been challenging. It seems as though, the older I get, the more I must accomplish in a day. Now that I have become a full-time student (hence, the reason I chose this topic), the challenge is even greater. It is my opinion, that in these days more adults are returning to college than at any other time in history. It seems as though everywhere I turn, someone mentions they have returned to school.

This topic was chosen because I, myself, have recently enrolled in school and not fit into this category. Characteristics of the nontraditional student may include having a spouse and dependents to care for, and working a full-time job. Because of their added responsibilities, nontraditional student must often manage their time efficiently. To do so, they use time management skills by prioritizing, being tasked oriented, being organized, planning their day and obtaining help when needed. Personally, I use the above time management skills to help balance my family, school, and life. Finding ways to use task oriented strategies which have a direct impact on the established goal, helps keep me focused and relieves