HuffPost Noel Harmon: Encouraging Adult College Completion

I recently found myself in the emergency waiting room (back spasms) and overheard a conversation between what I can only assume was a RN administrator and a new nursing student. The conversation focused on the administrator relieving the student’s anxiety about returning to school. The student was concerned about writing papers using “APA” format, mastering Excel, fitting in with the other students, and keeping up with classwork.   I forgot to mention that both women seemed to be in their mid-to-late fifties and since their backs were to me, I couldn’t really tell which one was the student and which was the administrator. The student relayed that it had been thirty-plus years since she’d been in school and she was nervous about not only re-entering school, but also balancing college and the many responsibilities she had to her immediate and extended family. I was eavesdropping on a real-life example of what is now a “typical” college entry conversation.