What does it mean to be a non-traditional student at CU Boulder?
Being non-traditional could mean听being older than one's peers in class.听It may mean commuting from outside of Boulder.听It could mean having a spouse and kids at home, or maybe family is a few hundred miles away.听Whatever being a non-traditional student means to you, it certainly means having a different college experience than students coming straight from high school.
The Non-Traditional Student Organization (NTSO) formed last spring as a way to help these students with the transition to CU Boulder.听Whether someone is transferring from a community college or has been out of school for several years, there are special challenges faced when entering a four-year institution, and making that transition might not be easy.
Two of the most common themes to surface since this group began are:
- Non-traditional students study and learn a little differently than their more-traditional student counterparts.
- It鈥檚 difficult to meet others and make friends, which is especially true for commuter students who may not spend as much extracurricular time on campus to meet other students听or participate in on-campus activities.
Changes are happening.
One of the most important aspects related to student success听is having a sense of community, and finding one's听place early on can help alleviate the stress and anxiety of听trying to听start over somewhere new or unusual. In order to give transfer students a chance to find their place in this community and others with whom听to connect, CU has听been coordinating events specifically with non-traditional students in mind. This year听during Fall Welcome Week, a breakfast sponsored by the Off-Campus Housing and Neighborhood Relations Office was held听for commuter and transfer students, and some departments are holding meet-and-greets听for their transfer students.
The Off-Campus Housing and Neighborhood Relations Office has also hired new team members听to assist this growing population, the newest of which is the transfer student liaison. In conjunction with the NTSO, the transfer student liaison's听goal is to make non-traditional and transfer students' transition to academia as seamless听补苍诲 stress-free as possible.
We want to hear your voice.
Every transfer and non-traditional student鈥檚 experience is different and important. Below are a number of ways to join in and make sure your voice is heard.
- In order to help determine the best way to serve this growing community, we have created a survey. This 听补苍诲 see what we can do to make CU a better place for all.听Please consider submitting your thoughts.
- Come say hello in the Off-Campus Housing and听Neighborhood Relations Office in the UMC.听Ask about getting involved with NTSO and join in monthly meetings, where you will get to meet other non-traditional students, make special connections听补苍诲 learn how to apply your unique skills to make the most of your time at CU Boulder.
- You can also contact the new Transfer Student Liaison Kristyn Sample at听Kristyn.Sample@colorado.edu.
- Join NTSO at their next meet-up Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m.听at Dark Horse in Boulder.听Take a break, meet some new people听补苍诲 share your experience.
- Send NTSO an email at NonTradStudents@colorado.edu听to join the mailing list and stay updated on current events. Or听听补苍诲 .
