Some College No Creditation (SCNC); delayed, if ever, degree completion
Why might Floridians complete their degrees at out-of-state colleges?
As a returning student, part of my educational delay was due to numerous, sometimes unnecessary, barriers to entry. In the end, thanks to other states reducing these obstacles and welcoming us, more opportunities exist for many with SCNC.
I spent a significant portion of my life caring for family members, only to be followed by the COVID-19 shutdown. My degree had been interrupted multiple times, so I wanted to make good use of the unexpected time to complete what I had started so many years ago. Reinventing myself was appealing.
Having lived in Florida for 43 years and raised our children in Tampa and Tallahassee, it made sense to attend a Florida college. As I was 62 at the time, understandably an outlier, and disrupted by the pandemic, I was delighted to read that Florida offered free education to those 62 and older, utilizing the empty seats. I read the fine print–I was shocked–what does this mean? The answer is that you can be in the classroom but receive no credit. Does anyone choose to attend school without earning credit? The law was out of touch with the times as well as other states; I asked several lawyers to review the statute, and they confirmed that I could attend school with other students but receive no credit. This is an almost useless “opportunity”, as there is no such thing as an “audited degree”.
Previously, I had attended five colleges, earned excellent grades, and accumulated a substantial number of credit hours. After meeting with USF, as I had gained lifetime experience that aligned with their program, it was determined that I was a good match for the graduate program in aging sciences. However, first, I had to complete my bachelor’s degree. As a returning student, I had been stressed by the barriers to entry.
Not every state has now deemed outdated requirements, and I had never taken the SAT or the ACT–and, after my school interruption, had no confidence I would have a respectable score. Too often, graduate programs require the GRE, although it is now less stringent. The two sequential classes of one foreign language were another barrier to entry, as, due to the time gap, I would have to take both and start from the beginning, again.
There are many reasons to learn a second language, including strengthening the brain by increasing cognitive reserve. Still, I am not convinced this is the reason Florida requires two language classes, sequentially by necessity, in the same language (before this, I had taken two classes in two different languages and had credit). As I have traveled and currently import goods from foreign countries, my lifetime experience has shown that, for me, understanding the basics of two languages is better than understanding a little more of one.
Additionally, someone can achieve deeper, more accurate communication by hiring grateful local translators and can now use excellent, and far more accurate electronic translators, such as WhatsApp and similar apps.
Learning another language is wise for many reasons. Still, the practicality is debatable; when attempting to communicate in another country, it is more likely that they will be frustrated by my poor accent, which is further confused with their local dialect. In addition, if they speak some English, which has increased due to the proliferation of American TV, they may want to practice communicating in English, with an American accent, and then discuss their favorite sitcoms. The world has changed.
After much debate and number crunching, while living in Tallahassee, I chose an out-of-state college. They were welcoming and removed the barriers to entry mentioned above. Additionally, unlike Florida, they provided me with the opportunity of life experience credit. Writing about my life experiences was the most academically challenging and personally informative experience I have ever had. In the end, I was told that I should receive recognition for my undergraduate work that is equivalent to, or surpasses, that of graduate-level work. Grateful for their interest and the opportunity, I laminated my evaluation for future encouragement and graduated from the "little college that could", Fort Hays University.
I would have liked to complete my bachelor’s degree at a college in Florida. However, I was not always treated as a desired student, as the universities were designed for the “traditional student”, and indeed they often answered the phone. The ageism came through loud and clear, and fairly recently, when I researched changing my graduate degree, I was effectively told to “call back in a month when the real students were settled”.
Why did I go out of state to complete my bachelor’s degree? Fort Hays was not perfect, but they welcomed and respected me, valued my life experience, and encouraged my growth.
Florida can do better for older students who, due to life’s circumstances, have SCNC.
Florida can do better for Older Adults
