FOR CREDIT
What You Do: Many adults enroll in college courses to finish a degree they previously started or to earn a new degree to help them with their career, and The University of Akron’s Adult Focus program can assist them during their studies. Adult Focus provides academic support like advising and scholarships to help adult learners navigate a path to completing a degree. For a new degree, an associate in technical studies is a popular choice, as it combines the skills a student has gained through outside employment with general education college courses. “Let’s say I was a cosmetologist. ... I can take that cosmetology license and turn it into coursework,” says Laura Conley, the director of Adult Focus at The University of Akron. “Then all I have to do are the basics. And I can walk out semesters early with an associate degree.”
Benefits: Going back to school and earning a degree can help adults earn more money, receive promotions or get more opportunities at work, Conley says. She gives the example of one adult student who was in danger of getting laid off from his autoworker job. “He could comeback and get a certificate or ...an associate degree, then he had an opportunity to not get laid off or move to a different part of the plant,” she says. “He completed it. ... He moved on to bigger and better things.” Through the Adult Focus program, students also have access to a computer lab, a study lounge and more.
AUDITING
What You Do: The University of Akron’s 60+ Program allows students 60 and over to audit college courses, which entails taking them, doing schoolwork and participating in class without receiving academic credit. They can take up to 11 hours per semester, paying class fees for things like books and parking instead of having to pay tuition. “They tend to go toward history, art, political science, geology or environmental sciences, anything that would be an interest ... or connected to a hobby,” Conley says.
Benefits: For many older adults, auditing classes provides not only new knowledge but also opportunities for socializing and alleviating isolation. Conley says there are groups of friends who audit classes together year after year. “After class, they’re gonna go out to breakfast or lunch, and they’re going to talk about what they heard in class today. And it’s a connection,” she says. “It’s a community connection, and it’s invaluable.” Auditors can also access university facilities like libraries, the student recreation and wellness center, art galleries and more.
Learn more at uakron.edu/uaaf and uakron.edu/60.
