Re-Entry Students

Every year, more adults return to college. For many re-entry students, adjusting to college life can be stressful. Many of them have commitments to careers and families as well as school. Balancing competing demands among these major life roles can be a daunting challenge. Other common sources of stress may include:

1. Feeling isolated from classmates (most of whom are younger)
2. Awkward relationships with instructors (who may be younger or the same age)
3. Not getting the expected support from friends and family
4. Feeling too overwhelmed most of the time to enjoy either school or home activities
5. Pressure to succeed

As one re-entering woman described her predicament, "I go to school, study hard, raise a recalcitrant teenager, hold down a full-time job, juggle money, clean the house and more. I know I'm doing too much, but how can I stop?"

Role Changes Can Upset Feelings, Family and Friends

The extreme changes in roles that most re-entry students face can affect them in a number of ways:

1. Their confidence may be shaken, causing feelings of insecurity and doubt about their abilities.
2. They may tell themselves they can't do what's expected of them or can't do it well enough (usually meaning perfectly).
3. They may tell themselves they don't have the right skills for college or the talent to compete with classmates who are younger and presumed to be smarter.
4. Their relationships with family and friends may require a period of adjustment to the re-entry student's demanding schedule.

Reducing Re-Entry Stress

Re-entry students have lots of options for reducing and avoiding school-related stress. Perhaps the most important is establishing a social support network at school. Social support includes interpersonal relationships that range from tangible assistance to emotional support and understanding.

Many students may respond to this suggestion by saying, "That's a great theory, but I don't have time." The fact is that research and experience demonstrate repeatedly that social support can protect individuals from stress-related illnesses-which saves time in the long run. More time is saved when friends or colleagues help with schoolwork, transportation, childcare and so forth. Re-entry students can also alleviate stress by taking advantage of various sources of academic support on campus, such as tutors, advisors and workshops.

A key factor associated with success in college for re-entry students is an optimistic attitude about the future. If all other situations are equal, re-entry students who believe their investment in college will lead to an improved quality life generally experience lower stress levels than students who are unsure about the benefits of their college education.

Inherent Advantages of Returning Students

There is actually strong evidence that re-entry students do better than their younger counterparts after an initial period of adjustment.

1. Returning students often have more clearly defined goals that motivated their return to school and continue to motivate them through years of classes.
2. They are usually more mature, which may allow them to handle greater stress.
3. Based on a wider variety of life experiences, they're likely to have a broader perspective that enriches their studies.
4. They are not generally distracted by campus influences that can easily distract younger students.