<p>I was thinking about this today, after reading many threads about conflicts, concerns, transferring, CC, working, loans, etc on this site. </p>
<p>How many college age students, live that tradtional, ideal college path, in reality?</p>
<p>We all want our kids to have amazing easy college experiences- the right classes, the dorm, the roommate, paying for it, living on campus etc.</p>
<p>But how many college kids actually live all that- how many are commuters, how many are parttime, how many have to leave, then go back, how many live off campus right from the start, how many have to work ALOT to pay for it.</p>
<p>There is so much emphasis on the perfect school, and the ideal college experience. I am wondering how many people really fit into that arena- and how many more are taking less tradtional paths of gap years, commuting, living off campus or at home, working and doing school at night, doing CC, etc. I would guess that the majority of college students are NOT doing the “ideal” path, etc. </p>
<p>I think that should be honored and celebrated!!! Its hard to commute, its hard to make it work at a less ideal school, its hard to live at home and go to school, its hard to take a gap year and put the puzzle pieces togethers, its are to work parttime and go to school at night, its hard to miss out on the fantasy.</p>
<p>I guess I just want to share that I think its great to go to college, and it shouldn’t matter how it happens- parttime, fulltime, breaks in between, working, commutting, going far from home, going back home, transferring, taking longer, changing paths, changing directions. </p>
<p>I am back in school at night, and I see students who work all day, and go to school at night- its not the classic thing for a college sophmore to be doing, but hey, nothing wrong with it at all and if a person can find a way, any way to get an education or work, and go back, or however it plays out, good job!!!</p>