By Michael Thompson, Contributing writer

Baby boomers who return to college, or who enroll for the first time, may fear that they will feel uncomfortable among a bunch of giddy teenagers and young adults.

Section: Baby Boomers

Fear not, for you will not be alone. Odds are that you will discover other boomers in your classes.

A recent article in U.S. News and World Report indicates that among 78 million baby boomers, 2 million are taking courses as we speak. The count is up 20 percent during the past decade, and is expected to grow even more.

Of course, you may want to hang out with the younger crowd, rather than with other boomers. That would simply reflect the "forever young" spirit tied to the post-World War II generation born between 1946 and 1964.

Some boomers may recall the late Rodney Dangerfield in the 1986 flick "Back to School." He stars as an obnoxious but good-hearted business mogul who enrolls in college to escape from his rotten marriage, and to prevent his son from dropping out.

The movie was on the cusp of its time in forecasting that boomers indeed would begin flocking back to campuses, although Dangerfield's reasons were not typical. Some boomers have returned not just to leafy campuses, but also to nitty-gritty community colleges, to re-train for new jobs in the changing global economy. Others want to pick up where they were forced to leave off as young adults, when circumstances forced them to abandon college. Still others simply are looking for intellectual enrichment.

While baby boomers generally are portrayed as a self-confident bunch, college administrators realize that many may feel shier than they let on. Boomers often are surprised that younger peers see them as mentors. Older students need not feel intimidated by the technological savvy of the younger set. If they wish to brush up on math or science, seminars are available.

To start, however, the more modest boomers should not expect to encounter college campuses filled with only teens and twentysomethings. The University Continuing Education Association reports that "nontraditional students" outside of this age range comprise more than half of all enrollees. The Institute for Higher Education Policy states that the number of pupils age 40 and older has tripled since 1970. In other words, nontraditional has become traditional.

"Going back to college has never been easier," said the Web site back2college.com. Enrollees can find help with everything from seeking scholarships to tracking down transcripts to arranging child care.

If you're still working, how much coursework can you handle? A full-time class load for a semester is 15 credit hours. The back2college.com site recommends that if you work full time, you should tackle no more than 6 credit hours, or the equivalent of two classes. A half-time worker should stop at 12 credit hours.

Circumstances may vary. For that matter, you always can take classes via the Internet. But as more and more baby boomers have discovered, it really isn't college without the campus and the classrooms.

Note that if special services and counseling are not enough, some colleges truly are going to extremes. They are planning housing complexes just for baby boomers who seek "a place that is active, intellectually stimulating and intergenerational," said Andrew Carle of George Mason University. Already the Web site universitybusiness.com reports that 22 of these communities are thriving on or near campuses, ranging from the huge University of Alabama to the tiny Lasell College in Massachusetts. Boomers sure do know how to get attention.