The pressures of returning to school

By Blake Wilson

 

Many adults are returning to school and feeling the pressures that come along with such a major change.

The process can be fraught with feelings of anxiety fear and apprehension. There are many reasons for wanting to return to school. Marvel Beauty School student Jayme Ouellette decided to return because of her passion for the field.

“The reason I decided to go back was because I wanted to be a hairdresser for a long time and I believe that it’s never too late to return to school,” said Ouellette.

“It’s a struggle sometimes, but if you do decide to go back just make sure it’s what you want and plan ahead.”

In fields where techniques, technologies and new developments change rapidly, students are under pressure to keep up. If the student is a parent and has been out of school for long periods, juggling home life and learning to re-adjust to a new and unfamiliar learning environment can be even trickier. 

“It’s a little hard to keep up because there are a lot of new things you have to learn about in this kind of work,” said Ouellette.

Having assistance from family and friends can help ease the pressure. 

 “I’m not working right now, but I do have my son. So luckily I have a good support system,” said Jessica Sove, also a student at Marvel’s School of Beauty. “I have my family and friends that help push me towards my goals.” 

Absence from school for extended periods can make it hard to get back into a routine. The stress of worrying about not fitting in is another issue that returning students said they must deal with, sometimes with students who might be half their age.

“I went through a period of not socializing, so getting back into the social environment was another anxiety for me personally,” Sove said. “But keep your head up and just keep pushing through because it’ll be worth it in the end.”

For some students for example, the last time they attended school was decades before the onset of the digital technology wave. There was no such thing as the Internet, personal computers were in their infancy and social media was non-existent. 

Deb LaSelva, co-ordinator of the travel and tourism program at St. Clair College MediaPlex in Windsor said she likes the idea of having mature students in her program. 

“Mature students are the best students you can have in a program. In my program, anybody returning to school after age of twenty-five, “said LaSelva. “They take their programs more seriously than kids coming out of high school. They put 100 per cent effort into their projects and assignments. I think that mature students are ideal students.”