Bloomsburg University has an ever-growing student population. The campus is filled with many underclassmen. Yet, there are some very nontraditional underclassmen that most students would not suspect to be students in college. Some can be pinpointed right away due to their age that is clearly above the average age of the everyday college student. Others are better hidden
such as nontraditional, 25-year-old, student Lucas Wade.
Wade is a sophomore here at Bloomsburg University. If sitting next to him in class one would not notice that he is a nontraditional student on campus, because fortunately for him, he is blessed with good genetics and does not look a day over 21. Blending in helps him feel more comfortable when walking through the halls of Hartline to his science classes for his environmental science major. Before Wade became enrolled at BU he attended just a couple classes at McCann community college. He withdrew because he did not feel that it would get him to where he would like to be in life. “I want a great degree that is going to land me a good career,” says Wade.
His girlfriend, currently a senior at Bloomsburg, and her mother introduced him to the University in late Fall 2009. He says, “Becoming enrolled here was the best decision I have ever made. My future’s bright and I’m going to study hard.” He fits in well with all the other students doing normal things such as spending time in the library, grabbing a bite to eat at Roongo’s, and spending weekends downtown at the bar. Wade enjoys it here at Bloomsburg and is doing well in all of he classes.
Last year he was just a little shy from making deans list. It is quite the achievement for someone who had been without any strict schooling since 2005. Currently, Wade is juggling Chemistry and Algebra. He has been having some trouble with the two courses, but has been lucky enough to get some tutoring help from a friend. He says, “I figured out that you shouldn’t take two hard classes at once.” He was led astray by his advisor telling him that he could do it and it wouldn’t be that hard. He found out that it is hard and learned like most students that it is often better to use your own discretion rather than the discretion of the advisors in student services. Wade ends on a lighter note smiling when he says, “I really like it here.”
