Lady T, an introduction: Hello, all! I'm the “T” in this equation. So you want to know a little bit about me, you say. Of course I'll share!
I'm 25, finally finishing my undergraduate degree, and am working on being something/someone awesome. Those are usually the three details I choose to share with people when they ask. However, according to my school (and most schools) they only describe me one way, non-traditional. I cannot explain what it is about this label that irks me. It's not necessarily a mean label. It may just be the fact that in an effort to include me in one group, I've been completely excluded from another. I don't want to be singled out as different from the “traditional” students. I want to go to school and hope everybody thinks I'm in my early 20s. This way I won't have to field questions about what caused me to delay furthering my education or what made me want to come back and finish. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret taking a break in my education (well, sometimes I don't). I've learned things that being in college can't teach you, but I also learned I needed to go back. And it was this brief hiatus that earned me the label of non-traditional student.
So how can I become non-traditional student you ask. It's easy! (yeah, you can add sarcastic to my list as well)
First you have to quit your FULL TIME job and decide to return back to school. I won't lie to you, with this transition will come a lot of soul searching. At 24 years old I had to deal with homesickness just like the next college student and on top that I was second guessing myself every minute of the day. What the heck was I thinking quitting my job?!?!
But don't stress. It does get better. You become a little bit more comfortable with the decision that you made, you man up, and find funny little things that you can get enjoyment out of, like being glad you're not the oldest person staying the school's student apartments. You find courage you never knew you had and of course learn problems follow you to what ever city you move to (you didn't think it would be all sunshine did you?).
But I won't keep going on and on about my life. We'll have plenty of time to get acquainted. As for now, I'm just trying to figure out where my dream falls in the spectrum of the American dream, oh and embracing my oh so lovely label :)
Lady T
LABELS, they make me nervous. It's almost like you have to live up to the name. But how does one go about being "nontraditional"? I guess when you think of it in that light, nontraditional can be a good thing. I mean, think of the things you know now, you didn't know at 20...
ReplyDeleteLady A
Perhaps semantics can come to your aid. Traditions are conventions, agreed upon by some group or faction and not absolute.
ReplyDeleteIn the world are many traditions/conventions, depending on a culture, so it's almost like "one man's meat is another man's poison".
Many traditions/conventions are not even based on reason, but because some sovereign or influential person either set a trend or decreed something, all who follow either hold to it or disregard it.
Here's a perfect example of how a tradition was changed.
ReplyDeleteWhen JFK was inaugurated. He was the first president to attend the ceremony hatless.
Up to that event most men in the US wore hats, but afterward the whole "tradition" was history.
Most traditions are established by heads of state.
In other lands, the practice of men wearing hats has remained.
That's a great example!
ReplyDeleteEven now,students that are considered non-traditional are becoming the norm on campuses. I'm not sure if we'll ever be considered "traditional", but it would be interesting to see the shift that happens in your example above.