The culture of the college campus has become not only diverse in terms of ethnicity, but in terms of age dynamics. As a 49-1/2 year old it doesn't feel odd to walk around a college campus with a book bag, lunch bag and attend classes with the peers of my daughter's former high school students. There are elements of returning to college as a non-traditional student that are beneficial. Namely, the life balance, work experience, priorities, focus and maturity of the nontraditional student are a given. This article will focus on the life balance of the nontraditional student.
In the timeline of one’s life there are numerous events (good and bad) that take’s root and become growing factors. There are events such as a death of a child that puts the brakes on life as you know it, and causes one to think outside of their self-imposed box.
The non-traditional student has established a balance system in life. That system would consist of preconceived factors in life that helps to keep an adult grounded. That balance could consist of a mix of such factors as:
• Companionship,
• Eating Healthy/Exercise,
• Emotional Health,
• Family,
• Love,
• Social Life, and
• Spirituality.
This article will reflect on just a few aspects of maintaining balance in one’s life. A new component in my mix factor is transportation. It is clearly affecting my balance. My mode of transportation is through the public transit system called METRA in Columbus, Georgia. My scheduled route’s last run is at 6:30 pm, but the dilemma is my last class doesn’t end on Tuesday and Thursday until 7:10 pm. That scenario presents a transportation issue. Unfortunately, the campus shuttle service does not travel to the off-campus apartment complex I reside in, which is only 2.7 miles away from campus.
I discovered that my complex is not a university-owned apartment complex. The apartment complex I live in bears the name of the university’s mascot. Students seeking housing from out-of-town would be mislead by such a name for an apartment complex as was I. The building and signage even pictures the mascot shown on campus literature. Fortunately for me I am physically fit, but the lack of sidewalks and lighting in the State of Georgia is a cause of concern.
Emotional aspect was touched on in an earlier blog entitled “A Mother’s Lost.” I believe there is a need to perform a self-check of one’s emotions. Your emotion is a factor associated with draining one of much needed energy. Keeping your emotions in check helps control an important aspect of life balance. See blog’s URL links to emotional intelligence.
Eating healthy and exercising speaks for itself. The topic has become a major concern in television talk shows, magazines (news, sports and health), news shows, etc. When your exercise and begin to eat healthier, there is a direct association with feeling better and a boost in one’s energy level. Oprah has an entire section on her website that is dedicated to health, wellness, exercise and so forth on her webpage: http://www.oprah.com/topics/health
On the www.Georgia.gov website there is an article entitled: “Nontraditional Students Enrich U.S. College Campuses: Older students value challenging courses with real-world applications” that are uniquely resourceful to nontraditional students. Also, there are numerous other resourceful and enlightening articles that are beneficial if you are considering a return to college after so many years of merely living life. A few of those links are available through this blog article.
When one focuses on maintaining life balance, harmony in virtually every aspect of one’s life is within reach.
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