absent.canadian

In an earlier post I alluded to the idea of “mature” students.  In case you don’t know, “mature student” and “non-traditional student” are the polite monikers for college and university students who aren’t fresh out of high school.  It’s been 15 years since I was fresh out of high school (and many would argue that I’m long past my freshness date), so I most certainly fall in this category.

There are some obvious challenges for “mature” students.  Many of us work full-time jobs–a considerable time constraint that governs almost everything we do at school.  Accessibility is another factor; many “mature” students have established homes and don’t want to relocate to go to school.  And then there’s the expense.  I’m blessed with a career that affords me the disposable income to go to school; this same career also means I won’t qualify for virtually every need-based scholarship and bursary out there.  And that’s fine; I’d be a crass middle-class whiner if I actually had the gall to complain about this.  But the investment in education is still substantial, and affording it doesn’t mean that there aren’t accommodations and adjustments I’ve had to make.

Being a “mature” student also means that my time management and organizational skills are substantially better than they were when I was 18.  For instance: this blog post talked about my economical approach to textbooks that has probably saved me a thousand dollars over the past three years.  Having that bit of foresight and initiative certainly helps make the investment more affordable.

But “maturity” is a lot more than that.  Early this semester I organized a study group.  Open to the entire class at first, I started whittling down the list of invitees when it became obvious who was interested in studying and who was looking for a “free ride”.  This group has paid many dividends, not the least of which is some great new friends.

I’ve also learned to be fastidious about my notes.  This became really useful when I had to refer back to notes from a world history class I took two years ago; it didn’t take me more than a minute to locate the information I needed.  My English teacher this semester has an “open-book” test policy, making organized notes a life-saver.

Best of all, I’m a lot more relaxed than I was when I stumbled into university for the first time.  Sure, I’m still prone to procrastination, and I sometimes ask myself if it’s really necessary to read every chapter in the book.  And sometimes I give in to those bad habits … we all do.  Maturity has simply taught me to keep everything in moderation, and to make sure I understand the consequences of the decisions I make.

Like–for instance–typing up this blog post instead of studying for an exam I’m going to be writing in 24 hours.  So you’ll forgive me if I end this abruptly and get back to those chapters I never bothered to read in the first place!