Adult learners make the grade at PSU

Editor's note: This is the first story in a three-part series focusing on adult learners at the University. This article explores some reasons adult learners enroll at the University.

Penny London decided to begin her college education a few years ago. Although it's an experience that altered her lifestyle, it is also a choice she is happy with, she explained while reclining on the orange couch in the lounge of the Center for Adult Learner Services.

London (sophomore-historical renovation and design) said both she and her husband Mike are taking classes at the University, while London also works full-time at Lowe's of State College, 249 Lowe's Blvd.

When she arrives home around 9 o'clock in the evening, London goes to bed early, which sometimes leaves her only half an hour to spend with her husband.

But London's hectic lifestyle does not disturb her, she said.

"It doesn't bother me because I'm a real independent person," London said.

London made the decision to enroll in classes because she realized she could pay for her education after she completed her studies, she said.

"Ever since high school, I wanted to go to college, but I didn't know how attainable it was," London said. "I didn't think about it because I thought I couldn't afford it."

As an adult student, London said she faces some of the same challenges many of her younger classmates encounter, but with less guidance.

Problems such as beginning a college education can be solved with aid from the center, 323 Boucke, but adult students must find their niche at the University and learn to balance studies and personal life.

Although she knew it would be difficult, London said she wanted not only to try to increase her salary through education, but to follow her dreams.

"I've been out there and had really good jobs, but with a college education, they could have been that much better," London said.

One of the reasons she decided to major in historical design and renovation was because Victorian houses haunt her dreams, London said as she described the mysterious passageways and cubbyholes to other students seated in the lounge.

There are many career-related reasons adults may resume their college study, said Charlene Harrison, director of the center.

Some adult students, like Jeff Himes (senior-agricultural science), decided to return because they lost their retirement plan.

Himes was a coal miner in Cambria County before he began his studies in agriculture in the Altoona Campus' two-year program. Because his retirement plan was cut, he said, he decided to return to school under the Job Training Partnership Act.

The transition to University Park was difficult, Himes said. Every aspect of the University, from scheduling classes to buying books, was a challenge.

"I wasn't raised to go to school," he said. "I was raised to be a coal miner."

When he transferred from the Altoona Campus, Himes said, he entered a new world.

"I really don't think that the traditional student could come close to knowing what it's like to work for 14 years in an industry and then be dropped here," he said. "I was not paying attention in high school, so when I came here I was pretty much lost."

Although the new environment was startling to him, he said he adjusted and is planning to attend graduate school for rural sociology at Ohio State University.

The center, he said, is an important part of his school life.

Some other adult students, such as Vince Lasota (sophomore-biobehavioral health), said they found the center almost by accident.

The center sent Lasota information through the mail; he found the lounge and study area during his first semester at the University.

Lasota said he enjoys spending time in the center because he finds more students who are like him -- married with children, sharing similar experiences.

Many adult students feel as if the University is geared toward younger students.

"The University is just like a business," Lasota said. "The profits are in the age group of 18 to 21."

Sometimes classes seem to be geared toward younger students and adult students have to relearn things they have already been taught in the workplace, said Tamara Smith (senior-philosophy and religious studies).

"Walking into a classroom where you're 10 years older than the rest of the class and sometimes the instructor, is very intimidating," Smith said.

Beginning a college education is a scary thing, many adult students said, but for adult students who have been absent from an academic setting for a long time, such as Galen Baney (sophomore-forestry), who returned to school after 30 years, the motivation to succeed is great.

In his basement, Baney said he has a room set up where he studies, something his wife complains consumes all of his time.

"I'm paying my own bill. I want everything out of it I can get," Baney said. The cost of his education will exceed $100,000, including the lost job income and cost of schooling, he said.

Adult students bring much experience to the classroom, Harrison said. They have work experience and concerns many younger students are not aware of, she said, adding they also generate enthusiasm.

"Just think how exciting that is," she said. "A way to change, to reinvent yourself."