Being a college student is a taxing job. The amount of time and energy needed to go to class, study and take in all the information to succeed is enormous. Many students also hold down a job and maintain an active social life. While many students feel overwhelmed by everything they are taking on, there are many students who also take on the role of being a parent.
Non-traditional students are becoming more and more common in colleges, with a great number of these students being parents. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, “over a quarter (26 percent) of all undergraduate students, or 4.8 million students, are raising dependent children.” Out of this 4.8 million, the study found that women made up 71 percent.
The reasons why people go back to school after having children can vary. “I chose to go back to do something for myself, to give myself some adult time,” Laura Butler, a 24-year-old mother of two, said. “I also wanted to finish what I started.”
Melissa Humphrey, a 33-year-old mother, said, “I was in food service and had been for years. I didn’t want to do it forever and I needed to figure something else out.”
While personal reasons to return to school can vary from mother to mother, the main reason seems to be the same: to make a better life for themselves and their families. These mothers are trying to better themselves and the lives of their families, but it can come at a big cost.
“The biggest challenge was feeling like I wasn’t there for my kids,” Humphrey said. “I worked and went to school, so we all had to sacrifice a lot for me to graduate.”
A former student recalled, “The biggest challenge was finding time to do homework and not letting them feel that I wasn’t available for them. We had to make sacrifices for me to succeed, and that made me feel selfish.”
Many mothers have a feeling of being selfish when attending school because other people have to help take on the responsibility of raising their child. From children coming down with a sudden illness that requires medical attention to child care falling through 10 minutes before class starts, having children and being a responsible and reliable student is an extremely difficult job.
While these things all make attending classes on a regular basis difficult, one of the largest motivators for non-traditional students seems to be their families. Many mothers say that they feel more motivated to do well in school and not take the opportunity for granted now that their responsibility is not only to themselves.
