The Adult Student Information Office (ASIO) offers many resources for “non-traditional” students, defined as students over the age of 25.

Non-traditional students make up approximately 12.5 percent of the undergraduate students and approximately 71.6 percent of the graduate students at Iowa State, according to the Office Institutional Development, said Steve Sullivan of ISU News Service.

The ASIO serves as a “pre-admissions” stop for adult students who are thinking about beginning or returning to school, said Stephanie Chervinko, ASIO program assistant.

“Our initial contact is to meet with prospective students and tell them what programs are available,” she said. “We also make referrals for who they can contact.”

For students who decide to attend ISU, ASIO offers special day-long orientations, said Chervinko.

“The day-long orientations are an opportunity to meet others and talk about issues that are relevant to them, such as child care options,” she said.

The ASIO is present throughout the adult student’s college career.

“While moving through [college], we offer supportive contact. If students come in and are lost and confused, we sit down and talk with them and offer suggestions,” she said.

Another program offered by ASIO is one which matches a new adult student with a current adult student for peer contact, Chervinko said.

Adult and off-campus students can both attend Rise and Shine, where coffee and cinnamon rolls are served on Wednesday mornings.

“This is another opportunity for adult students to get to know each other,” she said.

Adult students who have been absent from the academic community for several years may need to brush up on their study skills.

“We work with an academic learning skills program. Writing papers is a big issue for adult students. We offer tips and techniques for writing term papers,” said Chervinko.

Computer skills and working on the Internet are other aspects of the learning skills program, she said.

Adult students return to school for several reasons.

“A lot of [people who come to ASIO] are female — women who find themselves divorced. For other students, it is for a career change or to brush up on skills to get a promotion,” Chervinko said.

And, students don’t always return to get a degree. “It may just be for personal benefit,” she added.

Nationally, there is an increase in the number of adult students returning to school, said Chervinko.

At ISU, the number of adult students is growing and could continue to grow if ISU offers more evening and weekend classes, she said.

“If [the university] would continue to do more market research, they would see how large a population of adult students they could attract,” she said.

“In general, adult students are very persistent in meeting their educational goals. They are focused and very serious, even though they may have a lot going on at home. They add a richness to the campus and the classroom,” said Chervinko.