Author: The Pebble

A majority of college students will suffer from academic stress such as homework, exams, projects and graduating on time. However, my biggest academic stressor are the irrelevant classes that I am required to take that are nowhere near relevant to my major. I say this because I am only focused on software engineering and cybersecurity. This is a stressor for me because I am not interested, nor do I care about other classes such as art or even medieval history. This becomes a problem for me because I am more likely to skip or increasingly become ignorant to those classes as they do not hold the same interest level compared to computer science classes. 

Under normal circumstances, disliking an irrelevant class isn’t a huge issue. In fact, every college student will dislike an irrelevant class or any class at some point in their college career. Disliking an irrelevant class becomes an issue when the student fails to show up or disregard their performance in that class. It becomes an even bigger issue when that said class is a Gen Ed which is required to graduate. Failing this one class could jeopardize you graduating on time and in extreme cases prevent you from graduating at all. That is why irrelevant classes like art are a huge academic stressor for me. 

 

 

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Returning to school as an adult is an extreme challenge for someone to consider. Unlike traditional students fresh out of high school, returning adults have more responsibilities such as taking care of their families, financial obligations or even their mental health. It takes more discipline and reasonable time management skills to successfully return to school. With all of these responsibilities and being older than your peers, it may be very difficult to make friends or even fit in. The worst part about being a returning adult is adjusting to being a student on top of your already busy life.

Where there are negatives, there are also positives. Returning adults have experienced the real world and know how to function under extreme stress and prioritize their time efficiently which makes them more likely to succeed. Another benefit of being a returning adult are the skills that you have already developed that can be used to help your peers. Leading groups, classes and even school functions will be motivating and encouraging to younger peers as not only will they see you as an older student but possibly a mentor who could help them succeed and progress in life. Returning to school is an extreme challenge, but it is also a very rewarding challenge for the determined. 

 

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