The Realities of Being A Non-Traditional Student

#StudentLife 

Morning Routine - Just Saying Hello 

Studying abroad, I feel, can be a different experience when you are a non-traditional student. At 17, 18 years old, one can tend to think studying abroad is something that you can do again if you feel like it. As an older student, you tend to appreciate the experiences as unique opportunities knowing that even if you did come back to the exact same country, it provides a much larger sense of appreciation and responsibility to the experience. That is NOT to say that younger people don't appreciate traveling, just that I have come to realize how unique and awesome being awarded this scholarship is.

There are patterns that immediately emerge when viewing the students I shared my time with here in Scotland. For one, realizing studying abroad can be an intimidating process is real is important to note. It's fun, in theory to think about until you actually arrive in a new country, unaware of customs, being transported and dumped on massive campus with people you don't know, no friends, no family, and alone. The first thing all students naturally do is look for something that adds a sense of familiarity that they can gravitate to - maybe something like identifying someone from your state, someone close your age, someone with the same interests - to quickly to form friendships and find a sense of belonging.  Over time, these friendships will become salient as people form different identities from from group to another group. In one group Sally may be friends with Sue, but because Sue doesn't hike, she isn't included in another group of friends Sally hangs with. So, as a non-traditional student where do you "fit"? What exactly do you do at a welcome ceremony that has 200+ students, all awkwardly gathered, feeling their way through trying to find a comfort zone where they all fit in? On the surface, there is no one intentionally seeking to identify with another African-American face or someone my age or someone or another person that could possibly be a parent - and that's because, short of me, there weren't any. 

Realizing your uniqueness in this situation can make or break how you experience being a non-traditional student studying abroad. It is a matter of perspective. I realized the following. 

First, your classmates are not your only outlet. Both of my classes are filled with a much younger crowd - late teens and early 20's. Other than sharing a class, I had no other commonalities with the students I interacted with. It was evident in class who had passions for learning, contributing, and relating to the subjects being taught. That introduced lively conversations before and after class with certain people but, unless I had a group assignment outside of class, there was very little exchange outside the classroom with other students. That did not, however, prevent me from establishing a rapport with others on campus - from casual conversation with staff (and by staff I mean EVERYONE from other teachers to the janitor). My favorite people on campus served at a registry desk (names with held on purpose). It was evident that they enjoyed helping people acclimate to the Scotland and the culture. Through them I had several conversations, often in the company of a great glass of wine, with stories, suggestions of places, and inside scoops on many things most students would absolutely not be aware of had they not got to know these people personally. Additionally, both of them had fantastically sarcastic sense of humor which made it simplistic and fluid in making great acquaintances.  

Second, realize reaching out to students on campus is not asking to hang out 24/7. Though I did not go out with my flatmates, they were still awesome. My interactions with them were brief and intermittent, but really fun when I could catch them. There are 6 (including me 7) people on my floor and most often we often bumped into each other in the kitchen. The conversations were lively, saturated with story telling of experiences, meeting boyfriends that flew in for the weekend, moms and dads, sisters, and best friends. Every once in a while, someone would make an additional plate or offer a glass of wine or beer to continue the conversation - like planning a last minute party. Afterwards, we would part ways until we next saw each other. 

My flatmates extended invitations to me to do a lot of things they did and once or twice I accepted - finding it was not my calling to be in a group who deserved to have the experiences of  pub crawls and nightlife. My attention span and liver could not handle back to back nights like that. Perhaps when I was younger, but not as an OCD student who wanted to be able to make it to class on time. So, I often cut my nights short so I could be to class on time and able to fully participate. This, however, did not segregate me from enjoying being in their company. 

Third, don't assume you're alone as a non-traditional student. 
Truthfully, I assumed I would be the only middle aged student on campus. Surprisingly there were others and at first we all began to gravitate toward each other, only to find that that we all had the same views about being visitors in Scotland. Our down time was was spent either doing homework, or being an explorer of unseen and unfamiliar places. My weekends stories did not consist of being excited to shop familiar stores like Nike-town, or Old Navy, but rather purchasing a train ticket and getting off at a stop in a city never heard of and go camping for the weekend. Thus, the other students my age kept in touch only to pass on information about suggestions of spots to explore, hidden secrets we knew as older students that we assumed wouldn't be appreciated by younger students, and connecting on off-site trip bus rides to trade stories. These little diamonds of information paid off hugely. As I connected with the culture and the locals, I had many doors open to many adventures that I was not expecting that I will talk about in stories to come. :-) If you aren't sure about other non-traditional students, use the resources such as registration to pass on your contact information for other students that may be looking to reach out and find someone like you. 

Fourth, be true to who you are. If you know it's important to find someone who enjoys your hobby of knitting while you're studying abroad, do some research before you arrive so you have that outlet. 


I have learned being an older student that studying abroad is not so much about being with people who make your comfortable but rather being part of the experience. 

Happy traveling!!