Recommended Citation Bovinette, Susan M., "The Non-traditional Student Experience " (1996). Honors Theses. Paper 75. I

I What Sparked the Interest? Being a non-traditional student myself, I am curious as to what has made other non-traditional students return to the educational environment. My original focus was to I I be non-traditional students at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, but I have determined this would not accurately represent the non-traditional students that have returned to obtain higher education as I believe that most non-traditional students re I enter the system through Junior Colleges, I chose to use students at John A. Logan I College at Carterville, IIinios for this study. The purpose of this research is to identify determining factors that brought about their return, the problems they encountered, and I how this experience affects their expectations for their future. I Non-traditional students are generally defined as: a) undergraduates twenty-four and over or undergraduates under 25 I but are married or divorced and I b) all graduate or professional students aged 30 years and older who have returned to school after having experienced some kind ofI disruption in their education (Farabaugh, 1986, p. 4)