The not-so-typical students of UHCL

We’ve all heard the description and seen the images of the stereotypical college students: young party-goers who are eager to leave home, free of responsibilities and living on family money.

However, looking around the UHCL campus we may be hard pressed to find this so-called “typical” student.

The Office of Institutional Research’s Enrollment Management Trends report for fall 2014 shows that 39.5 percent of our students are under the age of 24, while 7.4 percent are above the age of 45.

That means the remaining 53.1 percent of our students are between the ages of 25 and 44, with an average age of 28.9.

“We now have traditional-aged college students adding a new experience for us, but…we [have] a diverse set of adult-learners as well,” said Interim Dean of Students, David Rachita. “Some [students] come to us with completed degrees seeking advanced degrees; some are completing the work they began at the community college level; and some stopped out 20 or 30 years ago and have decided to finish what they started.”

Sophomore Tyler Matejka, 19, enrolled as a freshman student in fall 2014, during UHCL’s first semester as a four-year institution. He appreciates that the campus is local and offers a degree in his desired major, Fitness and Human Performance.

“I enrolled at UHCL so I could be closer to home, saving some money for my parents along the way, and because it is a great place for my degree plan. Plus, my Dad went to UHCL when it was still a two-year university,” Matejka said.

Senior Cheryl Stephens, 44, on the other hand, completed a year and a half of college before dropping out in 1991 to get married and start a family. In 2013 she transferred to UHCL from a local community college to pursue a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies through the School of Education.

“I decided to enroll at UHCL partly because it is close and affordable, but also because the teacher education program is outstanding and very well respected,” Stephens said. “Finishing college was always a dream that I have had, and I’m glad I finally returned. It has been one of the hardest things I have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding.”

So, now that UHCL is a four-year university, as of fall 2014, do we see ourselves as a traditional university or a commuter school?

Here are the facts. In the fall semester of 2014, 83.9 percent of our students were from local counties while 0.6 percent came from out-of-state. UHCL attracted the remaining 15.4 percent of our students from foreign countries. That’s 1,386 students that are from somewhere outside of Texas.

Senior Corie Fairchild, 33, grew up near Seattle and lived in Oregon, Alaska and New Mexico before moving to Texas for a job transfer. She later enrolled at UHCL with hopes of finishing her degree in Graphic Design.

Franco Gaudry, 28, also a senior, is originally from Louisiana and, like Fairchild, opportunity brought him to Texas. He attended two other Houston-area colleges, but felt unwelcomed and out of place. However, he feels at home since enrolling at UHCL where he majors in Management Information Systems.

“UHCL was the school where I felt most comfortable,” Gaudry said. “One day, I sat down with an adviser and from then on I knew I found the right place.”

As of last semester 48.3 percent of our student body was classified as full-time students, with 51.7 percent classified as part-time.

Fairchild works a full-time job, up to 55 hours a week, and also owns her own graphic design company. She explained that she has tried being a full-time student while working both jobs, but it became too much.

“I wasn’t getting the most out of my education,” Fairchild said.

As a result, she’s decided to become a part-time student, taking 6 hours this semester.

Junior Jenna Garza, 22, is currently a full-time student working on a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. In addition, she works approximately 38 hours a week and is raising a family.

“This is my first semester here at UHCL and I was really nervous about taking on 12 hours, but I didn’t take school so seriously right out of high school, so this is my time to do that,” Garza said.

Since UHCL was originally founded as a non-traditional university, much has changed. With the addition of freshmen and sophomores has come even greater sense of diversity. So, are we the “typical” college students?

“I don’t believe we have a typical student; that’s what makes us so special!” Rachita said. “So I guess I’d say that our typical student is a-typical!”

Beyond all the statistics, how do the “typical” UHCL students describe themselves? When students were asked to use one word to do so, it became clear that most of us don’t see ourselves as “typical” college students.

Responses included: Committed. Determined. Driven. Creative. Passionate. Studious. Busy. Dedicated. Ambitious. Resilient. Strategic. Organized. Reliable. Smart.

Ultimately, we are the people of UHCL.