Jewish News Back-to-School Supplement Students mix with faculty during an informal lunch. being in a situation — the returning students and their academic setting — where_ families. hard work led to immediate, I coordinated 45 people tangible success — good who interviewed 100 reentry grades. students across the country, The dreaded child care along with their children, turned out to be a special husbands or companions. fringe benefit of my reentry Armed with a year's worth of experience. Rebekah learned research and the increased at the toddler center about self-confidence I mentioned whales and dinosaurs and all earlier, I approached the sorts of subjects but also- book publisher E.P. Dutton about making friends and about the idea. how exciting school could be. They agreed. Three days Nowadays, one out of ev- after I graduated, I started ery three college students in writing what became my the U.S. is over the age of 25. • book, Happier By Degrees, A women reentering college published in 1980, a resource will not feel alone on campus. and support book for women I made lots of friends, not who are thinking about re- only women my own age but turning to school. younger students, faculty - Since then, I have held a members and administrative variety of interesting jobs. I staff. started a reentry program at Moreover, several dis- the College of the Redwoods counts and freebies were in Eureka, coordinated available to me'as a student. marking efforts and de- Somehow, reentry students veloped programing for the tend not to think of them- Office of Continuing Educa- selves as being eligible for tion at Humboldt State Uni- student discounts on plays, versity, and helped to create movies, sports events, travel an adoption agency that packages and more. It took a works specifically to place year before I realized I could children with special needs. use the student health cen- Now, at age 39 and remar- ter. Families of returning ried, I have achieved a ba- students are always delight- lance of work and family that ed with the fringe benefits feels comfortable. Crossroads Mom can produce with her are still everywhere but, in- student card. stead of feeling like barriers, During the second year of they appear to be options. my master's program, I com- There's an old saying that bined class work with re- makes me smile: "You have search for my master's pro- to take life as it happens, but gram, I combined class work you should try to make it with research for my mas- happen the way you want to ter's project. The project ex- take it." Going back to school amined both the poSitive and if W:ef at s'AY t4 inoN1 OtilteNifredA br return* toils to help make p blikl litci tq steak, wii.Pertehed by the , , - Av.,amworevaull.: ,; Happier By Degrees A College Re-entry Guide Editor's note: In 1980, New older female students. The If there is a women's center York publisher EP. Dutton private colleges have been a in your town, it will be able to published Pam bit slower, but things are direct you to the on-campus Mendelsohn's book, "Happier changing there, too. office that is most involved By Degrees". Based on her For example, at California with returning students. own experiences in returning State University in Sac- Asking the first older-looking to school after several years, ramento, the aims of student you see on campus Ms. Mendelsohn ranged P.A.S.A.R. (Programs for should also get you immedi- from the personal – Adult Students' Admission ate results. a4justment in family life – and Reentry) include the fol- What kinds of specific ser- to the practical – how, to pick io • vices do reentry offices Offer to a college, how to get stablish an under- help facilitate this kind of financial aid. The following of and confidence in growth•rocess for you? Even chapter details services now yourself, unique abili- if the reentry "office" consists available on campuses for ties, needs ; and interests of only one receptive person reentry students. The chapter • Gain new information to who does not have reentry as has been excerpted with Ms. provide greater options re- his or her only responsibility, Mendelsohn's permission. garding education and em- some of the following oncam- ployment pus services may be available • Reenter . . . with a mini- to you. As recently as 1971, according to a survey by the mum of difficulty • Learn new skills and up- Women's Bureau of the U.S. COUNSELING Department of Labor, 376 col- date others If these aims sound at all eges and universities offered special centers for women relevant to you, and you de- Individual counseling may who were reentering the edu- cide to track down an office be available on a drop-in cational process. This was an involved with reentry stu- basis, or by appointment, or 80 percent increase since dents, remember that it may both. Group-counseling and 1968 — though it still meant be housed under a completely "rap" sessions are often part that only about one in five different name from the one of the program. campuses had such facilities. you are expecting. Try Reen- Informal group discussions Thanks, to the rapid increase try, Continuing Education, at lunchtime have become in the number, of older stu- Adult Services, Special Stu- popular at some colleges. dents, all this has changed . dent Services, The Women's Even if there isn't a center for dramatically. • Center, or any combination of reentering students, the cam- Today there is hardly: a letters you see that look pus counseling office will public- eollege lop •university I:41 301 W* resKinigibilitY Aus,Ilieidtu4164ich tlt , ,dtif0, not 'AZ at , least' E CORE, WIN, ' ACE, ' 1 foil* organizang "brown bag" 'some degree of support for • ABLE, WREP. - ift.oupror, rap modals! INFORMATION/RE- FERRAL SERVICES The staff at a reentry office should be able to provide you with answers to all major. questions about registration, academic programs, financial aid, career development, and " child care, or they will direct. you to the person who can. Some reentry offices are working toward having the entire admissions/regiStra- tion/fmancial aid process all happen in their own office. Even if this is not the case at schools near you, being refer- red to the right person oifthe first try will be very reassur- ing to you. Since policies concerning • returning students are changing so rapidly, informa- tion that you find in the cur- rent catalog may already be obsolete. Check with the reentry office about anything major — a campus child-care center may be about to open, CLEP (college credit for life. experience) tests may not he , etc.' , see if there is an edu- cational brokerage agency in your area. Educational brok- ers can serve as the important' go-between for adultlearnettl Intad thita'Sett - " .. " 7"