Stephanie Taylor, a religion major who will graduate in the spring of 2017, is one of Muskingum’s nontraditional undergraduate students making a success of her time on campus. Stephanie is a 34-year-old mother of five who chose to return to Muskingum to complete her bachelor’s degree.
“Transferring into MU was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made as an adult student. Taking classes online has its advantages, however it’s impossible to ask a question and get an immediate response in an online course. It’s also very difficult to have true social relationships with other students in an online class. It’s busy being a mom of five and an avid volunteer so taking classes in the daytime was a natural fit.”
For Stephanie, the courses she’s taking on campus – particularly her religion coursework – are giving her “a foundation for a well-lived life.”
Although she has a busy life off-campus and outside of her classes, Stephanie is active as a volunteer host for a weekly conversation club for international students on campus. She also adds, “Any extra moment that I can spend on campus is a treasure to me. Muskingum’s campus is beautiful and I really enjoy using the library and hearing the musicians in Walter Hall.”
Although she is a religion major, Stephanie has been pleasantly surprised by her chemistry class. She explains, “I just feel alive in that class, like I am using a part of my brain that’s never been used before. …Everywhere I go now, my eyes are keen to chemical reactions, heat and energy transfers, and elements used.”
Stephanie encourages other parents or nontraditional students who are considering returning to school to take the first step to gather more information – “Call the school, ask questions. Walk the campus. Talk to your friends who go there or work there. Attend an event at the school. See what it’s like. Dream bigger!”