Posted by Melanie Perry

The Non-Traditional Billiken blog was started two years ago, if you’d like to take a trip back in time and relive part of this SLU journey with me:

• Getting Started – what derailed my education and what got me back on track… despite a little surprise
• Eureka! – when I discovered I no longer ‘hated’ school, reviewing my first few ‘core studies’ classes at SLU
• Climbing the Mountain – picking up steam and enjoying being on the downward slope of my educational journey
• Let’s talk turkey – A quality education comes with a price, here’s how I dealt with it
• Burnout – I feel my success is primarily due to keeping a positive attitude, but even I have felt the overwhelming agony of burnout during my time at SLU

So, here I am, fresh after a welcome holiday break, which snuck up on me while I was hustling to finish up final projects at the end of my last semester. I am still basking in the glow of the midyear commencement, which occurred on December 16th. I keep fighting the urge to pinch myself and see if it’s really really real, if I have honestly reached the goal held in my heart since graduating high school in 1998: the completion of a bachelor’s degree.

It meant a lot to have my husband and sons share that day with me, since they are the ones I did this for, and since they are the ones who have eaten way too much pizza and canned pasta sauce over the past three years. Hearing the inspirational speeches during the ceremony, and watching hundreds of driven and successful adults walk across the stage with pride while the names of their degrees were read out to a stadium full of family and friends, really touched my heart.

So, what’s next?

Right now, I am enjoying the break after having been a full-time student since 2009. The downtime has been really refreshing over the past two days. Having no homework to do during this lunch hour makes me want to grin with pleasure.

But, there is something about being busy and having a goal that drives you to make the most productive use of the little time you have. Something tells me this feeling of relief at being finished after finals will wear off within a couple of weeks…

You know what? I don’t think I’m finished yet. SPS has taught me how much I still have yet to learn. A year ago, I signed up for the Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Program and am looking forward to more classes in the Organizational Informatics program.

The two classes I have taken so far were extremely interesting, and I do not mind all of the writing that is required at this level. I am hungry to see what the Informatics classes have in store.

Good luck to you all, as you read the stories of your fellow (or future) students here on this blog. We may not be ‘traditional’, but, we are willing to work hard to achieve our dreams, so, just be sure to dream big.

Posted by Hadley Kombrink

With the recent release of the newest Twilight movie, as well as an evening spent at a Demi Lovato concert, I found myself thinking about the concept of the role model. Growing up, I spent half the time wanting to be “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and the other half wanting to be a prosecuting attorney. One of my best friends, however, wanted to be just like her sixth grade teacher, Ms. Atlas.

This memory got me thinking: How many of us ever viewed our instructors or teachers as our role models? Looking back, I had several influential teachers who encouraged me to continue in subjects I thought I would give up on and to take my thoughts and ideas farther and apply to conferences.

I also had those professors whose courses were so challenging that I remember their assignments like it was yesterday. Those were the classes and experiences that I recall, not the “Easy A’s.” And ultimately, those were the professors I went back to again and again for advice, critiques, and to learn more about their past studies.

I think we need to look at our instructors as the people to aspire to resemble, more so than the women swooning over sparkly vampires, or pro-basketball players earning millions to sit on a bench. Those celebrities deserve their success, but I believe we need to be investing in our instructors and faculty the way they are investing in us.

Teaching is not a 9 to 5 job, nor is it one taken on lightly. As I sit across from one of my instructors every Monday, I know that I have learned more from his experience than I ever would from a textbook. Not every teacher, coach, or administrator is perfect, but 99% are out there to encourage, challenge, and ultimately, effect lives.

So the next time your son or daughter tells you they want to be like LeBron or Barbie, ask them what they think of their school teacher. And as non-traditional students, ask how is that instructor challenging you, and making you a better critical thinker? They are here to help you to become the best version of you that you can be.

Every few years, one of my brother’s teachers would contact my mother to ask her how my brother was doing in school, what he was up to, etc. My brother is now 22, and this woman had him in her sixth grade class, at age 11. Throughout those eleven years, she was still looking out for her student. I’m not sure we can ask for better influences or role models for our children or ourselves.

Keep this in mind when you find yourself discouraged in your courses, and never hesitate to reach out to your instructors for help, guidance, or just to learn from them. After my experience working with the School for Professional Studies for the last year and a half, I can tell you these instructors and faculty members are just those people, they are here for you.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14876275@N05/5694610243/

Posted by Melanie Perry

As positive as I may be about my experiences here at SLU, and as grateful as I have been for the opportunity to study and grow here, I would be completely kidding anyone if I claimed it was not stressful.

I’ve experienced burnout!

During my first year in the School for Professional Studies, I took one class at a time. I was nervous going into it, but I felt my confidence grow with each project and course successfully completed. I admit I resented the late nights and the homework. I woke up at 5:45 AM to go to work. After work, I would grab a rushed bite to eat and spend 5:30 to 9:30 in class, then drive back home to Jefferson County, where I would be lucky to catch my husband still awake, unwind and fall asleep by midnight.

Not wanting to disturb my family’s routine more than I already did, I tried to do all of my homework and studying during my lunch breaks. As an introvert, my lunch breaks have always been a time to recharge. Having to give up my quiet relaxation time, the occasional walks and leisurely meals in favor of intense concentration and online discussions got old.

This can lead to what we commonly call ‘burnout.’ According to Handbook of Occupational Psychology, burnout is actually “a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job,” which can lead to a decreased ability to function.

In 2009, I began taking two classes at a time because I was unable to stand the idea of going through this new routine for eight years. I was determined to do it in four instead. Of course, it got worse after that. The first semester I took two classes while simultaneously questioning the decision. But, like I had been doing from the beginning, I repeated to myself, “I can do anything for nine weeks.”

There have been some late nights and some missed social opportunities. I will also confess that there have been some conflicts with my husband. Although seldom, he has occasionally become resentful of my lack of availability when I closet myself away to take a test or finish a paper. Although the biggest supporter throughout my schooling, he has had to work hard at some odd hours in order to keep our house running smoothly.

The point of this blog is not to scare anybody, but to be realistic. My hard drive failed when a paper for school and a major magazine article were due. I cried, and then I redid the work.

There are certain coping mechanisms available. My family eats packaged foods so we do not spend our weekday evenings cooking. I take time to read recreationally every night right before bed to relax myself. Every now and again, I have scheduled a day off work and spent it in the library, which brings me home a little early, giving my husband a break. We laugh often and take time out to give thanks. And those are just a few of the ways we stay sane.

Photo Credit: Shine.com

Posted by Martino Britt

I would like to offer a small piece of advice to anyone who is willing to listen. The advice is small, but the results can be immeasurable. While technology has grown tremendously over the past few years, there is still only so much for which we can rely on technology. That being said, let me tell you how important it is to save your work in more than one place.

With flash drives and portable hard drives at our disposal, we might think that we have all of our work backed up safely. That could not be further from the truth. I have had two incidents involving missing or corrupted jump drives that have caused me to lose work.

The first incident occurred back in January. I was leaving the library in a hurry, and I forgot to extract my jump drive and take it with me. That was catastrophic because it was about a week before my final project was due for a class. It is very hard to redo an assignment you have lost when you do not have the hard copies of the work you have already put into it.

My second incident with jump drives occurred just recently during Fall I, when my laptop was diagnosed with a fried motherboard. Luckily, after the first incident, I decided to save all of my work on my laptop and on a jump drive, so I thought I had a fail-proof plan. In the final few days before my final paper was due, I started having issues with my jump drive. Whenever I plugged it into a PC, it would not connect, and I no longer had access to any of the files on the jump drive. I ended up rushing through a final paper that I was not completely satisfied with – but some grade beats no grade, if you ask me. I took the jump drive to a store, and they wanted $249.00 just to see if they could recover anything, with no guarantees. I think that is a lot of money to spend without a 100% guarantee.

So, now I have come up with a new plan. I save my work on my laptop, I save my work on a portable hard drive, I save my work on a jump drive, and I email it to myself. I offer this piece of advice so that people do not have to experience what I did. I ended up losing a lot of work that, in my opinion, was priceless because it was the details of my journey through school. Now that I have had two bad experiences with jump drives, I will be taking more extreme measures to safeguard my work. I wanted to share my experience with others so that they do not have to experience the same disappointment that I have experienced twice.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/3666786469/

Posted by Martino Britt

One of my favorite things about St. Louis is the fall weather, especially the scenery. I like the changing colors of the leaves. However, I do not care to clean them up much. It seems to me this people are more hospitable this time of year as well. Maybe it is due to the temperatures being mild and not having anything to complain about. This year there is the added bonus of the Cardinals making their trip to the postseason.

I have the pleasure this term of taking two of the most memorable classes I have taken so far in my two years at Saint Louis University. I am really enjoying these classes because they keep my mind working. The instructors made it clear from the beginning what their expectations were, and they are available to their students. I really like it when the instructors are responsive to student needs. I think it says a lot about instructors when they understand that their students at the School for Professional Studies are not the traditional student, and they take that into consideration when setting up their class. I also like feedback from instructors. For me, this is very important because it gives you the opportunity to tweak your performance before it is too late. These instructors also acknowledge good performance and offer assistance if your performance requires improvement. I think these are vital actions to a student’s success in a class, making the student more comfortable approaching the instructor with questions.

Another aspect I like about my classes is that they are deepening my desire to want to give back to my community. One of my favorite things about Saint Louis University is the fact that service to the community is a part of the culture. As my time has progressed here at SLU, I have grown intellectually, but my desire to give back to my community has also grown. I often talk to friends of mine who attend other higher learning institutions in the area, and I must say that they are really missing out on a quality education. I try not to be braggadocios, but the truth is what it is. One essential thing I have improved while at SLU is critical thinking. This is not only important in academia, but also in everyday life. The classes I am taking now are really forcing me to use critical thinking in assignments and discussions.

It is a beautiful time of year in St. Louis, and it is a beautiful time to be a Billiken.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/doortoriver/3016375635/

Posted by Martino Britt

Okay, summer is barely here, and I have taken on two new endeavors at SLU. I enrolled in my first two Summer Courses – EVER! I also took my First Intersession Class. Let me just say that it was quite the experience. It is summer, and there are a lot more things going on, so the challenge of focusing can be greatly exacerbated. If you have children, there are all sorts of things going on. Even if you do not have children or a family, there are so many things to take in during the warmer months. There are free concerts in several parks throughout the area, the zoo is free—and is definitely world class. You have Cardinals baseball, work functions, and lots of other possibilities.

Needless to say my point is that it took a great deal of extra focus and self-discipline to get through the four-week Intersession Course. I took Biology, and for some reason I registered for the class not realizing that it was a four-week course. We covered five to six chapters each week, and there were quizzes, assignments, and discussions each week as well. This sounds pretty scary, but I think the class was led by a wonderful instructor who communicated effectively and understood the demands of her students. I was sick the first week of class, and when I finally felt better it was the last day the assignment and quiz for that week were due. So I ended up in a coffee shop until a quarter after midnight that week. I vowed to step my game up since I was feeling better.

The next week came, and I was up until about 1130pm. So it happened again, though I’m not sure how. By the third week I was ready to go and finish this class off strong, and I feel like I did pretty well. It took a lot of adjusting and hard work, but I actually learned a lot in the accelerated format, and I would consider taking an intersession course again if needed. It was a really good class, and I was really happy I took it.

I am still completing the eight-week course I registered for – Ethics. This class is introducing me to some very interesting information, and I am really happy that I am taking it. More importantly, I only have one class for the next four-five weeks so my schedule should be a lot less busy. I am very pleased with my summer courses and the intersession course, but it really took a lot for me to stay focused. I think the topics and the format of the courses are really the reasons why things have gone pretty well so far. I am just looking forward to finishing off this Ethics class strong because of the extra time I have and moving 6 credits closer to obtaining my degree from Saint Louis University.

Photo Credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/wimox/5208799623/

Posted by Sherry Wright-Gully

The English (North America) dictionary defines a juggler as a professional entertainer who juggles. It defines juggling as an act to keep several objects in motion in the air at the same time by throwing and catching them in quick succession. If you are a student at the School for Professional Studies (SPS), then consider yourself a juggler.

As an SPS student, I juggle my career, school, and family life on a day-to-day basis. I have two lovely daughters. The youngest is going into her senior year in high school. I also have two adorable grandchildren (Chance & Jasmine) from my oldest daughter who is a married, Registered Nurse. As a family-oriented mother and grandmother, I am involved in a lot of family activities.

Our most recent activity took place at the Renaissance Airport Hotel this past weekend. My youngest daughter was a Missouri State Finalist in the American Coed Pageant for Saint Louis. If you know anything about pageants, you know and understand that a lot of preparation goes into them. Each day was filled with a full day of activities that involved a pajama party, rehearsals, curling irons, make-up, introductions, interviews, talent competitions, sportswear competitions, evening gown competitions, a Gala, and much more.

As a pageant mom, I work very hard to help my daughter become all that she can be in terms of building self-esteem and confidence to carry her a long way in life. This is no easy task when this is added to class studies that include reading chapters, writing papers, group activities, and testing. Additionally, I am the president of the parent association at my daughter’s school where I organize field trips, serve at Baccalaureate Receptions and Graduations, spearhead meetings, serve as an advocate for a trouble teen, and the list goes on.

Nevertheless, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel as I am fast approaching graduation in 2012. SPS advisors are helpful in every way. They assist me with registration in terms of getting me registered for the entire year. They respond quickly to all of my needs and are very sensitive to my educational experience. Each advisor is very competent in what she does. They also do their jobs with kindness. I feel that my education is in good hands with them. They always make me feel that they are happy to help me and want to see me succeed and do everything in their power to help me achieve my goals.

As a future graduate of the SPS program, I can attest that without their willingness to assist me with all that I need to do to become a SLU graduate I could not be the “professional” juggler that I am. This program has done more than assist me in pursuing my dreams, it’s been a blessing to my life. As I juggle my career, school, and family on a day-to-day basis, know that the smile on my face is an SPS smile founded by the grace of God!

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/manchesterlibrary/4998938473/

Posted by Martino Britt

I took two excellent classes last term. The material was great and required you to be involved. One of my classes required me to complete thirty hours of community service. During that semester, there was inclement weather that forced just about every school in the area to cancel class and other activities so I missed one day of class. I appreciated the fact that our instructor was in touch with us throughout this period and kept us updated with adjustments he had to make to the syllabus. This definitely helped me get through the class.

My other class was an online class. I know a lot of students do not care for online classes—present company included—but, they are very convenient. What made this class really good was the instructor’s willingness to engage the students via the discussion board. The instructor made regular posts and comments throughout the week and she always responded to questions. As a student, I think it is important for instructors to engage and respond to every student inquiry. Taking an online class is not much different than an on-ground class aside from the fact that there is no face-to-face interaction. That is why it is important for instructors to engage the students.

Since I started attending Saint Louis University’s School for Professional Studies in 2009, I have noticed that a lot of schools are placing emphasis on online classes or distance learning. I have mixed opinions about online learning. I know from experience that these classes can be just as effective as their on-ground equivalent. However, I think there is one key thing that instructors must do to make this experience beneficial to their students. They must realize that a lot of adult students have been out of school for years and are quite wary of returning to school. In addition, many of these adult students are returning to school because they are seeking advancement in their career—not because they enjoy school. This poses a great challenge to students and their instructors. In order for this experience to be valuable to students, online instructors need to be as responsive as possible. I am not saying that they need to show favoritism or not hold students accountable, but they must realize that the student body they are dealing with is comprised of students who are as busy, if not more busy, than they are. These students will have lots of questions, and to make this course go smoothly, instructors must be quick to respond. On the other hand, the students who take these online classes need to realize that they must be self-starters and willing to take charge of their own education.

The bottom line is that in order to get the full benefit of any class—online or on-ground—students and instructors need to be accountable and responsive to the needs of one another.

Photo Credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/drb62/2474763910/#/

Posted by Melanie Perry

Since this blog was launched, we’ve been telling you about our experiences, in school and in life, and given some information as to how we’ve coped, or what we’ve given up, and what we’ve gained.

But, one thing we haven’t delved too deeply into is… how we’ve been paying for it.

Compensation

I’ll start first with the value of compensation for a job. I work for a non-profit, and I’ve been faced with the fact many times over the years that I could be earning a higher salary in private industry. Of course, my desire for higher wages has been balanced by job security, a decent amount of vacation and other benefits… such as educational support.

My employer allows all employees (as long as they’ve not received corrective actions in a given calendar year) a certain amount of annual educational support to the institution of their choice, as long as their major is approved as applicable to the organization (so, my degrees in Drafting Technology and Computer Science were quickly approved, whereas a degree in Aeronautical Engineering probably wouldn’t be).

Though my employer is generous, the organization cannot afford to pay for all of my classes. So I’ve had to supplement with other methods.

FAFSA

The free application for federal student aid is your first and foremost help, so start there. You provide information from your tax return and other personal information and – voila – you’ve applied to programs such as the Pell Grant and 8 other federal student aid programs, as well as state and institutional aid.

This will also be your gateway to student loans to cover the rest of your expenses.

Scholarships

Private scholarships are another method to obtain funding for your university education.

There are many resources offered by Saint Louis University.  I will warn you that these scholarship applications can be quite time-consuming. Most of them will also require letters of recommendation from multiple people. I’d suggest lining up a handful of folks who really, really, really like you and would be willing to pound out a ton of these, because each program will be requesting different information.

With that said, there are specialty scholarships that you might qualify for that others do not. I’ve seen scholarships for left-handed people, for single mothers, for women in computer science, those with disabilities… just about anything you can imagine is used as a criterion for some specialty scholarships. It may seem like a lot of work when you look at the applications, but, ask yourself if writing a 500-word essay and filling out a form is worth the chance at a $500 scholarship?

Books

In order to pay for my books, I have worked on Amazon.com’s crowdsourcing program, Mechanical Turk. I can either receive my payments in cash, or use them for purchases on Amazon.com. As students, we’re eligible for a free year of the Amazon Prime program, which gets us free shipping on many orders.

Paying the Piper

I’m sure there are other programs and options out there to help us keep our costs down, and to help us drum up extra support, so we’re not paying so many out-of-pocket costs for our educational expenses. A bit of up-front effort can really pay off, so be sure to do your research and fully utilize the resources your employer and the school provide.

When I graduate, I will have student loans. I’m not thrilled about that. But, they’re only a fraction of my educational expenses at SLU, due to the support I received from my employer and the grants that I have received.

Photo Credit: http://www.123rf.com/photo_2983021_blackboard.html

Posted by Sherry Wright-Gully

Can you feel it, or should I say did you feel it? You know, that end of year hustle and bustle. Well, l can tell you that closing “out” the year for me felt more like the year was closing “in” on me. Work assignments were intense with time-sensitive tasks, and the holidays were fast approaching.

This meant decorating, Christmas shopping, and dinner preparations were waiting to happen and were high on the “To Do” list for holiday entertaining. To add to the list of things to do, I had an important paper to write for my Legal Issues in Organizations class. While I enjoy writing as a hobby, writing papers for a class is something different.

It’s different in a number of ways. First, you have a particular format to follow, such as APA style requirements. Then, you have to research information, cite that information, and include references – being careful to follow a proper format for that too.

Likewise, you have to make sure it flows well and transitions appropriately. With all of the requirements, it can become pretty scary because you have to earn a passing grade. And when it’s worth a large percentage of your grade, it can be very taxing on the mind.

When you combine all of this with your end-of-year work assignments and family, you can get pretty close to pulling your hair out.

But I never have to worry about that with the School for Professional Studies (SPS) because the instructors and academic advisors are there to help every step of the way – offering tips and direction on how to succeed with ease. If I am feeling overwhelmed, I can contact them and be assured they will reply in a timely manner.

The added perk is the convenience of online classes. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, I was able to maintain good grades throughout the course by logging in at times that worked for me.

As the course was culminating, the instructor offered the opportunity for the class to participate in a conference call regarding our final project. I found this to be very helpful because it allowed the class the opportunity to ask questions and get their questions answered on the spot.

I found that to be pretty amazing since I was sitting at my dining room table. Needless to say, I passed the course with honors. Earning a degree with SPS has never been so refreshing, now that’s what I call “home schooling” (smile).

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeontheedge/446580835/