Jessica Buhlman

Professor Onwuzuruoha
English 2010
March 23, 2015
Non-Traditional Student Blog
My blogs rhetorical choices are to show non-traditional students that they may have
different worries and responsibilities but education is still a possibility for them. The blog
addresses many concerns, one of those being work. Many non-traditional student have to hold
down a job and that job can be a make or break point for them. A non-traditional student may
need to hold down a job is that they may have a family (with or without children), or their own
personal obligations and responsibilities. In the description of the image on the blog I explain
that most non-traditional students have waited a year or more to return back to school. During
that time they made the decision to return to school, some may want to improve their career and
others may think its time for a change. No matter the reason, non-traditional students are faced
with many different struggles.
The second post on the blog is Time for Kids... which address the fact that most nontraditional students are parents. The post explains the importance of time a parent has, and how
much of that time they need to give to their child. Most non-traditional students have to be very
organized as well as having a day-to-day plan. Finally, in the last part of this post I included Salt
Lake Community Colleges Child Care and Family Services in the actual post and in the More
Information tab. This is for current and future students to know that SLCC has this program
available to their students with families.

My third post is Time to Pick a College The idea behind this post is to help nontraditional students identify what they want in the college that they choose to attend. The blog
post has a website called Noodles that help students identify what they want it a college as
well as narrowing down the list of schools that are right for that individual.
The fourth photo on the blog is, Time for a Major I do believe that it is important to
return back to school. But it is also very important to know why you are returning. This post
addresses the main questions that a school guidance counselor would ask: What do you want to
study? What career do you want? How long are you going to take to get it? I have also
included a web link in this blog post that has a list of types of work and the types of degrees you
need to get in to that field.
The last blog post is Time for Homework Not only does this post address the many
worries that non-traditional students have, but it also explains how a student can tell how much
homework they will have. When you decide to go back to college you are being expected to do
the work you need to get your degree. Most non-traditional students have to take care of more
than one thing and this post addresses the need for them to plan their time and be organized so
that they can succeed.
The blog not only has the post but also has a More Information page that provides help
in choosing a college, financial aid, and child care that is provided by SLCC. This blog is
designed to help non-traditional students make that final decision to return to school. The More
Information page has different link that are really good pages of information of actual resources
that will help connect the future student to a college.
The format I choose to use was Weebly because I liked how the blog looked using this
media site. I also enjoyed the easy and customizable approach that Weebly offers. I attempted to

use Tumblr to create the blog and did not like the formatting choices that were offered, as well
as the limitations for picture sizes and the possible need to pay for a membership to
accomplish my task.
In conclusion, I want my blog to invite parents and other individuals that have not gone
to college to rethink the possibility of going to school. Being a non-traditional student is not easy,
requires hard work and the ability to stay organized because the reward of returning back to
school to further your education is well worth the work and sacrifice!

Sources
Abella, Darwin, Rob Aronson, and Alex Bargmann. "College Search | Compare Colleges & Get
College Reviews | Noodle." College Search | Compare Colleges & Get College Reviews |
Noodle. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. <https://www.noodle.com/colleges>.
Buhlman, Jessica. Discover Financial Services, Time For Work... Digital image. 16 Mar. 2015.
Web.
Buhlman, Jessica. Murrary Park, Time For Kids... Digital image. 17 Mar. 2015. Web.
Buhlman, Jessica. Salt Lake Community College, Pick Your College... Digital image. 18 Mar.
2015. Web.
Buhlman, Jessica. Salt Lake Community College, Time For a Major... Digital image. 19 Mar.
2015. Web.
Buhlman, Jessica, Salt Lake Community College, Cover Photo. Digital image 16. Mar. 2015.
Web.
Connection, Education. "2014 Music Video Cortney." Landing Pages. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.educationconnection.com/landingpages/tv?trackid=A2C5C631-B49B-45DB-86F791BB330AB765&resetsession=true>.
"FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid." FAFSA on the Web. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
<https://fafsa.ed.gov/>.
Johannesburg, University of the Witwatersrand. "Choosing a Degree." Choosing a Degree. Web.
19 Mar. 2015. <http://www.wits.ac.za/prospective/undergraduate/what-can-i-study-atwits/11663/academicprogrammes.html>.
Kantrowitz, Mark. "FinAid | Other Types of Aid | Financial Aid for Older and Nontraditional
Students." FinAid | Other Types of Aid | Financial Aid for Older and Nontraditional Students.

Web. 22 Mar. 2015. <http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/nontraditional.phtml>.

Sheehy, Kelsey. "FAFSA Tips to Help Nontraditional Students Pay for College." US News.
U.S.News & World Report. Web. 22 Mar. 2015. <http://www.usnews.com/education/bestcolleges/paying-for-college/articles/2013/02/21/fafsa-tips-to-help-nontraditional-students-payfor-college>.
"Welcome to Salt Lake Community College." Welcome to Salt Lake Community College. Web.
22 Mar. 2015. <http://www.slcc.edu/>.
Weigand, Tom. The Winning Image, About Page Photo. Digital image. 16 Feb. 2015. Web.