Nontraditional Students Changing the Norm

Nontraditional students are changing the perception of a “normal” college student.  

When most people hear that a student is in college, they have a certain idea of who they are. They picture them to be between the ages of 18-22, not married, and with no kids. 

Jesse Rickman, an English literature major, is one of the many nontraditional students at USCA that is helping to change that picture. What makes Rickman break those characteristics of a “normal” student is their age, which is 28 years old.  

Rickman strongly advocates for students, primarily freshmen, that it’s okay if college isn’t for them at that moment in time. That it is okay for them to leave for however long, they need to figure out what they want to do in life.  

“I did a few years of college right out of high school at 18. I did very poorly, so I ended up just working…But I decided to come back to school at USCA in the spring of 2019.” 

Most students have the mindset that they must go to college right out of high school, but there is more to offer in the world. This includes trade schools, cosmetology, or even just working to gain experience.  

However, Rickman decided to come back after facing trouble looking for a full-time job. The jobs they were interested in wouldn’t hire anyone without a degree.  

“I was originally a chemistry person because I wanted to work in a lab. But then I had to take some English courses, and then I was reminded that I really like this, and I am really good at it… It took me coming back here as a student, and doing well again, to make me start dreaming big again.”