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Home > Resources > Inclusive Classroom > Students Introduction > Age

Comments from panel of UO Non-Traditional students (Winter, 2002)

• I was very scared to come here from PCC--had nothing in common with younger students; wasn't connected; felt stressed, judged, isolated, and lacked confidence; couldn't relate to the campus culture; and didn't feel welcomed. I didn't want to call attention to myself.
  
• Faculty need to understand--I'm not asking for any lowering of standards, I'm just asking them to be more flexible.
  
• Sometimes I felt they were being talked down to--I have a lot of experience.
  
• Sometimes I had to bring a child to class--it felt very weird. I was made to feel that being a good parent wasn't valued.
  
• I don't want special treatment because I have a kid; I just want some more flexibility.
  
• I don't have a problem doing the work, just don't make it impossible.
  
• Sometimes students have to leave class early. The assignments get put on the board during the last five minutes so they are missed. Put everything on the web or Blackboard and make the information available before class.
  
• If faculty could build study skills work into the class, that would be helpful.
  
• Please don't overwhelm us at the start.
  
• What does support mean? Any kind of positive support. Any kind of service information. Just saying hi--it's the simple stuff.
  
• I had problems with GTFs. My child was throwing up at Finals time and got little help from the GTF. Sometimes GTFs provide sympathy, which is not what students want.
  
• It's difficult to adjust to a different set of expectations from the community college.
  
• Anything that faculty can do to connect the class to the major to goals of the students would help.
  
• Try to check your assumptions at the door--some stereotype students. Many students have little in common with faculty.
  
• Faculty seem to have trouble relating to people different from themselves.
  
• It would help if you had me fill out some sort of information sheet on which I could write my obligations.
  
• It would help me if faculty could identify services and resources that might be of help.

Link to Non-Traditional Students--Web Resources