§ - ;7')' Photo by Daniel Dubois Older students at Harding prove that you don't have to be Traditional While most students at Harding have made the transition to college straight from high school, several students have taken alternative paths before returning to school. Nontraditional students are defined as those that are attending undergraduate programs and are older than 24 years. .- "You get a chance to see how an education can really help you," senior Marc Willis said. "Now that we're in school, we can see how so much of what you can learn at Harding can be applied to so many parts of your life after you enter the working world. " Many nontraditional students believe that the stresses ofa hectic university life can be more difficult than that of a full-time occupation. "Not only is it physically exhausting on some of us older fo lks to return to school full-time, but it's also just as mentally tough to return to school. When you 're as old as some of us are, you have to stop worrying so much or else you could possibly get ulcers because of so much stress that you go through every semester," freshman John McLain said. Several of the nontraditional students have stresses that the majority of traditional students don't have to deal with, such as additional family responsibilities. "When you have a family to take care of, you are definitely di - vided in more ways than most students," McLain said. "It's hard to find time for everything and everybody. You can't make school more of a priority than your children. You still have to be able to find the time to make sure that both your family is happy and you 're completing your work at school satisfactorily." Despite the stresses, most nontraditional students agreed that it takes someone extraordi - nary to return to school. "Sometimes you can become too comfortable in the situation you're in," senior Hank Bingham said. "So many people who never attend college or never return to college say they' ll get their degree, but few ever take the leap of fa ith that is required of them. It's so easy to see the obstacles that present themselves when you 're trying to return to college and it's easy to get discouraged. " - Philip Murphy Jon and Annette Stoltenberg sit in the Student Center and chat about their day. Siblings who hada long commute to schooloften found that the everyday drive strengthened their relationship. NONT RAD IT I ONAL STUDENTS 37 •
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