Back to school to conquer fears

Chubski, 51, is a non-traditional Towson student. Towson undergraduate admissions representative Kevin Webb defines a non-traditional student as someone that is 23 years old or older. 

According to Webb, there are currently 308 non-traditional students enrolled as undergraduates. 

Being a non-traditional student has its differences from being a traditional undergraduate, but most of Chubski’s difficulties, anxieties and daily activities mirror those of younger students.

“I’m at a very different place in my life than most of the students but we’re living the same day-to-day lives. It just fits in differently in the scope of things,” she said. 

Chubski went to a small high school in western Pennsylvania. And her mother, a first generation high school graduate, had the mindset that going to college after graduating high school in 1976 was unnecessary for girls. 

As an alternative, Chubski went to a technical school for nine months to work with computers before finding a job at an engineering firm in the facilities computer room. 

After Chubski got married and had her first daughter, Corin, at the age of 21, she decided to quit work and stay at home to raise her. 

Later down the line she had her second daughter, Celeste, which further solidified her decision to be a stay-at-home mom.

Once her daughters got older and were in school she went back to work in various administrative jobs.

When her employer began going through a transition period, it limited the chance for any promotions. 

At the same time Chubski was going through a divorce. 

“What am I supposed to do next? Now that I’m single and my girls are grown up, what am I supposed to do with my life?” she asked.

As part of the healing process after going through a divorce, she decided she would face her biggest fear: college. 

After suggestions from counselors and relying on prayer, Chubski went to enroll in her first college course at Essex Community College in Baltimore. 

“I didn’t know what to sign up for. But I told my friends, I will do this and when I fail you have to leave me alone,” she said. 

“My friends were the ones who encouraged me to enroll.”

Chubski settled on Psychology 101 as her first college course in spring 2003 and didn’t fail. She then decided to enroll in another course.

“I thought maybe the first one was just a fluke but I passed the other one too,” she recalled. 

Chubski said she was serious about taking classes at this point, and she would want to go for the degree. 

Deciding to become a student full-time again was scary, according to Chubski. She still had to pay for a house, bills and food. 

At the time, when she was in her 40s, she thought it would be irresponsible to just quit her job, too.

“But I believe it was what God wanted me to do and what I wanted to do,” she said.  

Chubski enrolled as a junior at Towson for the fall 2007 semester and had a part-time job with Associate Builders and Contractors in Baltimore as a bookkeeper. 

Towson was an ideal institution for her to earn her bachelor’s in psychology because it was recommended to her by professionals in the psychology field and is close to home.  

Chubski also enrolled in the honors psychology program with the help of associate professor Jean Ayers. 

She set a goal to graduate in five semesters by taking four classes each semester. This ambition will put her in a cap and gown this December. 

“It’s been amazing,” she said. 

She loves spending time with friends but finds it difficult because of her workload. If a friend asks her to go out to dinner, she usually finds herself responding with something like, “I can’t, I have to write a paper.”

The age situation isn’t significant either, according to Chubski. 

She’s never felt awkward speaking in front of a class or got the perception that students felt awkward.

“Age is less important than personality, attitude and perspective,” she said. 

While there are the similarities, there are parts of the college experience Chubski is disappointed about. 

As a transfer student, she missed out on the experience of seeing all of campus and going into all of the different buildings. 

Also, she misses not being around peers all day. She has lunch with classmates on some days, but declines most offers to go out with them socially. 

“Would you want to take your mother to the bars with you?” she joked. 

Regardless, Chubski feels accomplished academically and proud to have overcome what was once her worse fear. 

“I feel I made such a sacrifice that I don’t take it for granted and I do enjoy the material,” she said. “I was so afraid of academics for so long so it surprises me that I can do it and I enjoy the process of being a student.”

After graduation, Chubski wants to go to graduate school to earn her master’s degree in social work and become involved with individual counseling in a hospital setting or with young adults. 

“It’s funny how I’m applying for my masters when I didn’t even want to take a [college] class,” she said.