It’s impossible to be an adult student and not feel nervous about being in classrooms with 18-and 19-year olds. Perhaps for that reason, some colleges offer orientation workshops aimed at easing such worries.
Grossmont College, for instance, has an adult re-entry program that pays close attention to students who are older than the average first-time student. Many are working adults who want to upgrade their skills so they don't become obsolete.
Still, many are at risk of dropping out initially because of the difficult adjustments they have to make to fit school into their lives.
They have all these fears, some don’t feel they're going to make it."
Statewide, more than half of the 1.6 million students enrolled in community colleges last fall were 25 or older. One-fifth were 40 or older, according to the Chancellor's Office with the California Community College system.
Community colleges tend to see a rise in working adults during slowdowns in the economy. But older adults enroll for many different reasons, including changing careers.
Many of these older students are high school or college dropouts who want to resume their educations. Many are also college graduates. Some were recently widowed or divorced and needed to supplement their earnings.
Among the concerns of these older adult students is competing with younger students for shrinking space in the classroom.
Last year, 90 thousand students were turned away from community colleges because of budget reductions. It's unclear how many were older students, but vocational classes, the ones they are most likely to take, were cut more than academic classes.
Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges have added more than 40 classes at each campus. Space remains a concern, however.
Community colleges remain challenged by the increase in the number of younger students going to community colleges.
More students are enrolling to community colleges after high school because it's more affordable and the (University of California) and (California State University) have not been able to accommodate their growth. Older students need not be afraid that their needs are being ignored, however. Community colleges are responsible for helping them keep up with the changing economy.
The number of first-time adult students dropped last year, possibly because of the budget cutbacks.
Prospective adult students are brief about tutoring, financial aid, job placement, educational and vocational programs and registration. Most meet individually with counselors. Some take math and English assessment tests to better identify the classes they needed.
Es imposible ser adulta (o) y no sentir nervios al estar en un salón de clases con adolescentes. Tal vez por esta razón algunas universidades ofrecen cursos de orientación dirigidos a suavizar esas preocupaciones.
Grossmont Collage por ejemplo tiene un programa dirigido a estudiantes que reingresan y que pasan de la edad promedio de estudiantes. Muchos son estudiantes que trabajan y quiere mejorar sus facultades para no volverse obsoletos.
Aún así muchos corren el riesgo de abandonar sus estudios por la dificultad que implican los ajustes que tiene que hacer para que la escuela encaje en sus horarios.
Tiene todos esos miedos piensan que no van a hacerla.
A nivel estatal más de 1.6 millones de estudiantes de colegio comunitarios que se inscribieron el otoño pasado tenían más de 25 años. Uno de cada cinco estudiantes tenía 40 años o más, de acuerdo a la oficina del rector de los colegios comunitarios de California
Los colegios comunitarios tienden a ver un incremento de estudiantes adultos durante épocas en que la economía se estanca, pero también se inscriben por otras razones, incluyendo cambios de carreras.
Muchos de esos estudiantes adultos abandonaron la preparatoria o la universidad y quieren terminar su educación. Muchos, también, son graduados de universidad. Algunos han enviudado recientemente o se han divorciado y necesitan suplementar sus entradas económicas.
El año pasado 90 mil estudiantes fueron rechazados por colegios comunitarios porque los presupuestos se redujeron. No hay datos de cuantos fueron estudiantes adultos, pero clases vocacionales o técnicas son las que se cortan primero.
Los colegios Grossmont y Cuyamaca han incluído más de 40 clases en cada plantel, aunque los lugares son limitados. Los colegios comunitarios se enfrentan al reto del aumento de estudiantes que deciden iniciar sus estudios universitarios en colegios comunitarios para luego transferirse a universidades porque es más económico que las universidades que además no han podido dar cabida a todos los solicitantes.
El número de estudiantes adultos bajó el año pasado posiblemente debido a los cortes presupuestales.
A los estudiantes adultos potenciales se les explica sobre la ayuda que ofrecen en los colegios, muchos de ellos individualmente. Algunos toman exámenes de colocación de matemática e inglés para identificar cuales clases necesitan tomar.
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