The first day of college offers many challenges to any student, but these challenges are somewhat distinct for those students who are returning adult students. Perhaps the biggest challenge will be finding time to fit school-related studies into the work schedule of an adult male. Working full-time and going to school full-time creates enormous pressure on the individual in terms of keeping performance levels high, time-scheduling, and physical stamina. Further, working full-time reduces the amount of time available for reading, writing papers, studying for tests and other academic requirements.
In addition to this challenge, a returning adult male will more than likely experience some separation in-class between himself and traditional students. This separation will be evident when it comes to life experience, prior learning, and social interests. Most traditional students are not sure about their course of study, have little real-world experience, and spend a good portion of their social time drinking, dating, playing video games and other pursuits. This may create a division between traditional students and the adult male who is more confident about his course of study, has more life experience, and is an individual who has little social time due to the pressures of work, school and family. The adult male student may find social interaction occurs more readily on the professor-adult student level or with other returning students who are older than the traditional college student.
Technology poses another problem for the returning adult student who has little or no computer/technology experience. For this individual keeping up with the “computer” generation may take additional effort and present more of a challenge than for traditional students, most of who have been using computers since they were in grade school. Psychologically, the returning adult male may experience a level of ostracism beca
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