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Kansas State University

Student Stories

General Business

Lori Gilmore

Eighteen years after she entered college, Lori Gilmore is buying her class ring and planning her graduation party. On May 17, 2003, Lori will earn her Bachelor of Science degree in General Business from Kansas State University. It's been a long journey since 1985 when Gilmore first entered the world of higher education at Bethany College, a small private school in Lindsborg, Kansas. “I came from a small high school in Chapman, Kansas, with a graduating class of 104 students. Bethany College was a small school, and only 40 miles away from home, so it wasn't that much of a risk for me,” explained Gilmore.

Lori selected accounting as her major for her first two years of college. But the private institution was expensive, so for her junior year, she transferred to Kansas State University. The environment of the large state institution influenced her in ways she hadn't expected, and she “majored in PARTY 101.” Lori admits, “I wasn't ready to accept the responsibility that comes with attending a major university, so I dropped out and decided to work full time.“

Gilmore worked a series of jobs at Wal-Mart, an insurance agency, a bank, a mental health agency, and at K-State. Lori admitted, “I did a lot of job-jumping in an effort to find a bigger, better deal. But all the jobs to which I aspired required a degree. That's where the determination comes in. You have to have a reason to motivate you — a driving force.” Lori shared, “Deep down, I wanted to return to college, but realistically I didn't know if it would be possible. When you're working full time with house payments, is there time to attend school and do all of that?”

Lori Gilmore

“One day I was surfing the Internet, and found the General Business distance degree program on K-State's Division of Continuing Education website. Something said to me, ‘You can do this — this is feasible.‘” Lori soon applied and was accepted into the Bachelor's Degree Completion Program with a major in General Business.

When she began to immerse herself in her studies, Lori made a number of sacrifices. “You have to change things in your life when you add college classes to it. I gave up a lot of free time spent with my husband, Jay. I have a stack of pleasure books waiting to be read. I don't even have any favorite TV shows anymore.”

“Sometimes you get frustrated and wonder why you started this massive effort, especially when the semester begins,” Lori acknowledged. However, the instructors are helpful in accomidating distance education students. Dr. Brian Niehoff, Professor of Management, was especially memorable. “He was very responsive and helpful in giving guidance throughout the whole course”

Lori noted that pursuing her degree while working produced some unexpected benefits. “When you're working full-time, you can relate to the knowledge you gain from course work. The theories make sense because you can put yourself in a real-life situation.”

Gilmore has advice for other distance students who struggle to get through each semester. “Have goals, both large and small. Reward yourself when you meet them. Have support from your spouse, family, or significant other. Take as many classes as you can handle. Don't overwhelm or underestimate yourself. You can probably fit in at least two courses per semester. But most importantly,” Lori added, “do it for yourself, not for someone else, or to meet someone else's expectations.”

Lori is keeping an open mind about the future. She expects her degree to open doors to a “whole other world to discover.” And after seeing Lori's success, now her husband, Jay, is talking about going back to school himself.