Jeramy Poulin (junior-media studies and philosophy) has a family to care for, a business to run and homework to do.

Unlike many undergraduates, Poulin is an adult learner.

Penn State defines an "adult learner" as a student who is at least 24 years old, has served in the armed services, has been out of school for four or more years or a student that has assumed other adult roles such as parent, spouse or partner, or employee.

In Poulin's case, three years in the army caused him to put a hold on his educational career after one year of college.

He has now resumed his studies at age 25.

Charlene Harrison, director of the Center for Adult Learner Services, said life for an adult learner often means balancing a number of responsibilities on top of schoolwork.

"People have families and work, commutes and other life roles to worry about," she said."

Poulin said time management is an issue for him.

"My time is budgeted between my business, homework and family," he said.

Poulin also said he felt his attitude toward school was different from other undergraduates.

"I came back to learn rather than just to earn a degree," he said.

Harrison said adult learners differ in many ways from traditional undergraduates, including their age, employment background and types of experiences they bring into the classroom.

Many adult learners have questions and reservations about starting college, Harrison said.

Harrison said many students question their ability to fit in on campus, to learn after spending a large amount of time away from school and to compete with the younger population of students.

She also said adults face the difficulty of prioritizing costs because many see paying for their education as taking money away from other family responsibilities.

Ultimately, she said, an education for adult students is more costly than for a traditional-aged student because they not only worry about books and tuition, but also travel cost, time spent away from work and, for some, the everyday costs of raising a family.

Adult students are eligible for the same federal aid as traditional undergraduates, Harrison said. However, there are not many grants and scholarships available through the government or university specifically for adult students, she added.

The Center for Adult Learner Services Web site http://www.sa.psu. edu/cals/ lists the scholarships available to adult learners at all Penn State campuses.

Childcare is another important cost that some adult students need to consider.

Stephanie Zezzo, programs specialist for Work/Life Programs in the Office of Human Resources said there is both part-time and full-time care available for children of students.

The costs for child care and hours vary depending on the institution, she said.

There is also a Work/Life grant available to some students.

The grant is part of a federal program called "Child Care Access Means Parents in School," which allows $280,000 a year in grants to be distributed among students with families.

Work/Life Programs also has a limited amount of childcare funding made available by the University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC).

Harrison said many adults fail to realize the positive attributes they bring to the classroom.

Adults who have been out in the world have been learning in other ways, she said.

However, they sometimes fail to equate their real life experiences with formal learning.

"Learning does not always happen in classrooms," she said.