Lorena Cortes wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to study for her classes at the University of Oregon.
By 7 a.m., Cortes gets herself and her 3-year-old daughter ready for the day. She kisses her husband goodbye and heads to school.
Cortes is a non-traditional student finding it difficult to adjust to life at UO. After taking three years off from school, she returned to her education.
“It was a very hard decision — taking a break and then coming back,” said Cortes.
According to Brian McBeth, co-director of the Non-Traditional Student Union, a non-traditional student is defined as a college student who doesn’t fit in to the concept of a high school graduate immediately seeking higher education.
A non-traditional student can be someone who is a military veteran, is married, has children or has a full-time job.
McBeth said that 12 percent of students receive the UO’s Nontrad newsletter. Justine Carpenter, the director of non-traditional student engagement, explains that this number doesn’t accurately represent how many non-traditional students attend the UO because not all non-traditional students subscribe to the newsletter and several GTF’s also subscribe to it, so that number doesn’t accurately represent how many non-traditional students attend UO.
Carpenter said that the UO does not have an accurate number to represent non-traditional students attending the UO because it doesn’t track this data.
The number of students attending college is on the rise, especially those above 25 years old, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics.
From 2000 to 2011, students who enrolled in higher educational programs increased by 35 percent for those under the age of 25, and 41 percent for those above the age of 25.
In fact, the number of students above the age of 25 attending college is increasing at a faster rate than those below the age bracket. By 2021, the NCES expects enrollment of students under 25 to rise 13 percent, and increase to 14 percent for those over 25.
The average age of college students is on the rise all across the country said Carpenter.
McBeth explained that the reason for the increase is due to individuals having a hard time finding a permanent position without a college degree.
“We’re moving away from the blue-collar industry to white-collar work,” said McBeth.
The UO offers resources specific to non-traditional students, such as three childcare centers on campus and various scholarships.
According to Cortes, the UO isn’t doing enough to promote these outlets. For Cortes personally, it took seven months to get access to the resources she needed.
After connecting with the woman’s center, Cortes explained that it opened doors for her, such as child care subsidiary.
“As a parent,” Cortes explained, “it’s hard to get access to them, even if you know where they are.”
While she has been able to manage her academic life proficiently, Cortes finds it hard to study and socialize with traditional students who have different schedules.
“One of the things that’s challenging for non-traditional students is to socialize and find each other,” Carpenter said.
When having class with a non-traditional student, it is important to reach out to them and make sure they feel included. They are dedicated and here to work hard to get a good education, McBeth said.
“Non-traditional students should never be dismissed as uninterested, or not wanting to be involved or not wanting to participate,” said McBeth. “It’s just we have so many things to take care of.”
Non-traditional students seeking more information on resources available to them are encouraged to visit either the Men’s Center, Woman’s Center or Non-Traditional Student Union located at MacArthur Court.
Follow Eric Schucht on Twitter @EricSchucht