Author: Hayden Scott

The college experience, or what many people consider the college experience, differs from what people expect. I always knew I would go to college. For me, it was written in the stars; I love learning and have always done well in school. So when my first year at university didn’t go as planned—terrible homesickness, friendship implosions, and, to top it all, COVID-19— I found myself a bit lost.

My college experience was nothing like what I was told it would be. I started at NAU in 2019 at the Flagstaff campus at 18 years old, and I was there for six months before COVID-19 hit and we were sent home. At this point, I just wanted to finish the semester and take a break. I left NAU and worked to get my license in cosmetology and worked in a salon before deciding that I did want to finish my degree. I wanted to know if all the time and work I put toward my education in high school and college was worth it.

I started by finishing my Associate’s Degree. Then, when it was time to decide what my next steps would be, I had a lot to think about. I live in the Arizona Valley, and honestly, I didn’t want to return to the NAU campus. I didn’t want to manage the homesickness again, and I had a job right where I was, so I began looking into other options.

Honestly, I loved the education I had at NAU. I found the instructors cared about my success and worked with me while I was at Flagstaff, and I hoped their other education options were the same. I found NAU had more than just an online option; it had a satellite program as well, where students would have in-person classes and online courses while they worked toward their degrees.

I jumped at this opportunity. I enjoy the classroom setting, but with a job or jobs working, a full in-person class schedule was not feasible for me. But one to two classes in person a semester is much more doable.
I started back at NAU in the spring of 2023, and I have truly enjoyed my time here so far. The instructors have been knowledgeable and generous in sharing their experiences, making the environment rich and inviting for students to be curious.

Additionally, this past year with NAU taught me that I was not the only one who had an adventure with my college experience. People like Annalisa, Khang, Chase, and Jake all spent time at NAU Flagstaff and left and returned for one reason or another.

For Annalisa, her NAU journey began in 2013 for five semesters before she found that, ultimately, it was not the right time for her. Before returning to school, she was concerned about “picking the right degree” and succeeding. However, she realized that many people pursue work and careers outside of their degree and that, for her, finishing a bachelor’s degree was one of the best ways she could educate herself.

She also changed her major three times before deciding on a Business Administration major, which she will graduate with in Spring of 2024. Before she graduates, she wants people to remember that “an idea is nice, and an idea is fun- but a plan is real and actionable. We all have many great ideas, but these ideas only matter when they come out of our heads and into the world as plans. If you can only accomplish your plan one thing at a time, do it that way. Finding a way to work on your plan and keep it alive is what is most important. Keep going. Ask for help when you need it; people want to help students. Most importantly, get to know your classmates and professors as much as possible. It is easy to feel online school is a solo mission, but there are so many great people in the program who are worth getting to know.”

Meanwhile, Khang started at NAU Flagstaff in 2017 and was there for a year because he found his expectations for his experience and himself did not align with reality and moved back. He also had a similar experience with homesickness that I did.

After he moved back, he continued his education through Chandler-Gilbert Community College as a part-time student. For Khang, he stayed in school, so he wasn’t concerned about returning but instead about how he would manage a full-time student workload, a full-time job, and a life outside of it.

However, Khang has succeeded in managing it and will graduate with his bachelor’s degree in business administration in the spring of 2024. He hopes this degree will open up doors for him, and he has set a future goal of getting his master’s degree. He shared advice for people considering returning to NAU after a break in their education: “Keep on going no matter what. Something I always tell myself is no matter how small, doing something is better than doing nothing at all. Even if it’s one class a semester, it’s better than nothing. Future you will thank you is something I always tell myself and others.”

Chase began at NAU in 2016 after graduating high school and attended NAU Flagstaff until 2020, when COVID-19 hit. Then, he paused his education because he preferred in-person classes. Chase spent a few years working, paying off debt, and deciding what he wanted to do. He found that his degree and path at NAU fit his goals. However, he wanted to ensure he could afford his return to schooling.

Chase also attended Chandler-Gilbert Community College to finish pre-requisites and electives before joining the NAU satellite program. But before he decided on his current major, Chase had changed his major a few times while he was at NAU Flagstaff from Engineering with a minor in Business and Spanish to Computer Science before deciding to focus on his minors.

When Chase returned, he chose Business Administration and will graduate in Spring of 2024. After he graduates, he wants to seek employment with a company he respects and intends to continue his education towards a master’s degree.

Furthermore, Jake also had his first year at NAU Flagstaff in the 2019-2020 school year. However, he had a rough time that first year and failed many of his courses, and he pulled himself from NAU as a result. He attended Coconino Community College for two years and excelled.

Jake was motivated to return to NAU because he had already built a life with great friends and memories in Flagstaff and didn’t want to move away. His main concerns with returning to NAU were online courses because he didn’t want to fail himself or his family again.

Jake is graduating from NAU in Spring of 2024 with his degree in Business Management. He advises anyone looking to return to school to ” avoid all the distractions around you until your responsibilities are accounted for and ” surround yourself with friends who take their education seriously, as you will likely develop some of the same values as them.”

NAU has enabled us and so many more to achieve our goals of earning a degree and has many options for returning and first-time students to attain their dreams. They helped us to realize it wasn’t too late if we put in the work, and in the words of Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and take a look around every once in a while, you could miss it.”

In the end, there is always time to go back to school to get your degree (or second degree or advanced degree) if that is what you want to do, and NAU makes it achievable. For many, we have gone to NAU and back again. Will you?