5 Tips for Improving Your Motivation as a Nontraditional Student

Whether you are going back to school as part of a career change, seeking further credits to enhance your present career or you are simply taking classes for knowledge and personal development, it can sometimes be tough to stay motivated as a nontraditional student. When you were younger, you were surrounded by peers who were at the same stage of life as you. You may have felt as though you were exactly where you were supposed to be at that point.

You probably also had fewer responsibilities and obligations to distract you. As a nontraditional student, you may be juggling school with family and a job, and even if you have neither of things, it’s likely that life is just a lot more complicated than it was when you were 18. The tips below can help you keep your focus.

Write Down Your Reasons

It may sound almost too simple to do any good, but writing down the reason or reasons you’re going back to school when you’re feeling good about them can help you out when you’re feeling not so good. It can be easy to lose sight of those reasons when you’re under a lot of stress, and pulling out what you wrote and looking at it can help you regain resolve and remember why you’re doing this in the first place.

Take Care of Your Finances

Going to school is expensive, and it’s easy to lose your motivation if you’re struggling financially. However, it’s important to keep in mind that there are a lot of ways to fund your education, including private student loans. In fact, those loans are a lot more accessible to you as an adult who has presumably built up a credit history and who may be offered more options and a better interest rate than you would have been fresh out of high school. Beyond this, make a budget, look to scholarship opportunities, and cut your course load for a semester if you’re feeling really overwhelmed.

Remember Your Strengths

Going back to college as an adult can feel disorienting when you suddenly aren’t the expert that you used to be. Whether you were parenting full time or working outside the home, you probably felt reasonably sure of your role and what you needed to be doing. Now that you’re a student again, it can seem as though you’re starting over again at square one. Not only are you having to learn a lot of new subject matter but you’re in an entirely different position.

If you held a lot of authority in your previous job, this can be especially difficult. In addition, you may feel out of place if you’re surrounded by people younger than you. It’s important to remember what your strengths are. In fact, you can even write them down just as you wrote down your motivation for returning to school in the first place. At minimum, you are likely bringing maturity and life experience to your classes, but there’s probably a lot more besides that.

Connect With Others

Your school probably has some kind of resources or organization for other nontraditional students like you. Get to know some others who are in the same situation that you are. It can help to know others are juggling some of the same challenges that you are, from childcare to job worries to the unique stresses of returning to college in your late 20s, your 30s, your 40s, or beyond. You may learn strategies from others that can help you as well.

Talk to Your Professors

Forming a more personal connection with your professors can help boost your motivation. You have maturity and life experience, and many professors will appreciate this. In fact, you should take the time to visit your professors at least once during their office hours and attempt to get to know them a little better. Professors often appreciate having nontraditional students in their classroom, and if you get to know them, they may be able to provide a valuable reference for you in the future and perhaps even some important connections. At the very least, chatting with them outside of the formal classroom is likely to enhance your understanding of the course material.