Any duration of time away from school leads to a change in mindset from student to adult. The mindset to change from an adult back to a student is more complicated. Entrance into adulthood includes full-time employment, owning or renting a home, marriage, and children. These items once acquired, takes energy and time to maintain.
#1 Other responsibilities and time
Most adults need to keep a job or some source of income to maintain their home or family. I paid off several credit cards, a car loan, and downgraded what I could; I was able to live with family and work part-time. I came out of nursing school with more student loans and credit card debt. Several other students had either a spouse that took on the monetary responsibility or they worked a part-time or full-time job. Now consider the time obligation. A family at any stage requires a time investment, whether with only a spouse or with children. The same time investment goes for a job and maintenance for a home. In nursing school, the time and monetary care of these responsibilities add to the stress and time of studying.
#2 Relearn how to study
The act of studying from high school until the present has been a learning progression. High school, my first undergraduate degree, and my nursing undergraduate new approach to my study technique allowed me to go into a nursing program with a 3.7 GPA. My journey to the nursing program began with the prerequisites. The few years between one primary and the next allowed me to initiate a new study schedule. The challenge of find time to study and absorb the information is familiar to a student who hasn’t been in school for five or more years. Different topics and subjects take a different strategy to achieve the needed grade. The initial learning curve of even basic classes quickly turned into discouraging, expensive, time wasters.
#3 Priorities change
Developmentally as a child becomes adult, priorities change. Young adults can be more selfish; this is not a dig of anyone at that age range, I say take advantage of it while you can. What I mean by selfishness is that are your highest priority. During my freshman year of college, I lived in a dorm, my shelter, and food included in my tuition. I didn’t have credit cards yet, no car loans, and my phone bill was from a sidekick or flip phone (at this time, smartphones weren’t a thing, blackberries were out but not “affordable” to me at that time. I had a flip phone. MY phone bill was reasonable as long as I watched the number of text messages, made the majority of calls after 7 pm, and paid for extended distant fees). I worked every other weekend for gas money, cellphone bill, extra food for the dorm, and the occasional trips to Walmart. Minimal worries for me, my priority was school and grades. As an adult in nursing school, I had bills, rent, gas, food, and car upkeep. As an adult, I had to work to keep paying rent, eating, and necessary car maintenance. These responsibilities bring out a certain added level of stress that’s not found with those with less responsibility.
#4 Another anxiety
The anxiety, the more responsibilities, adds more stress—the day to day routine of family, work, and home. School is one more thing to add to the mind of the student. It is essential to learn to de-stress and find a balance between all the chaos.
#5 Feeling out of touch
Now let us talk age. In nursing school, I started when I was 29 years old and finished at 31. Several classmates who had recently graduated high school finished their prerequisites, beginning the program at 20. There was a little bit of the age difference that leaked in and made it blatantly obvious. Life events, decisions, pop culture references, and study habits are just a few of the many variations. My fellow students ask who’s that or what’s that made me feel old. Students of any age have something to add to any situation; this is the chance to share and listen to others.
There are both pros and cons to being an adult student. Have you encountered an of these? Have you encountered anything else?