Like many University of Memphis students, Robin Davis is not thetypical college student.
At 62-years-old Davis returned to The University of Memphis as astudent after 20 years as a self-taught desktop publisher.
"I feel like this is my last shot," she said, "I don't thinkI'll return in 20 more years."
Initially, Davis said she felt intimidated about returning tocollege. But once she began taking classes she said she saw theadvantages age and time had given her.
The first time Davis was a U of M student she received herMasters' degree in music, this time she's seeking a Master's inFine Arts.
In addition to her coursework, Davis takes advantage of TheUniversity's Senior Audit program. The program allows people overthe age of 60 to audit classes for free. Davis is using the auditprogram to refine her French by taking additional courses.
Davis, with three children and eight grandchildren, is one ofmore than 8,000 other nontraditional students.
A nontraditional student is defined as any student 25-years-oldor older by the United States Department of Education. There wereapproximately 8,215 nontraditional graduate and undergraduatestudents enrolled at The U of M in the fall of 2003 - the last yearfor which data was available, according to the office ofinstitutional research.
These students, according to DOE statistics, make up more than20 percent of the nation's college students.
