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Older Students

Rogue Robot

Rogue Robot

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Anyone else go back to school while they were in their mid-late twenties or later?

I feel so out of place sometime when I'm in my classes even though I look younger than most of the younger students in my classes. :\
 
I started at 21... was a bit weird... but I just mentally regressed so I thought I was 18 again ;)

There were a few mid to late 20's people in my class, and we all got along fine :)

Just look at it as having a lot more life experience than all the young kids, and you know, that makes a hell of a lot of difference in some aspects of studying. Especially in the sense that you have more of an idea of what you are doing your degree for... less of a want to fuck around... and definitely more of a sense of I'm paying for this, so I'm going to class.

CB :)
 
(old user here)

I personally loved the older students, in my organic chemistry class I actually clicked with a 38yo female and had a great semester.

Don't be afraid, just get straight into it, the freshmen won't appreciate you, but the other students are always keen for a learner regardless of age.
 
I'm 25 and finishing up my second undergrad before I apply to med. I'm taking a few intro courses this year and it can feel a little strange. Some of the younger crowd are fairly interesting but I find it's tough to relate to 18 year olds when you've done so much more living than they have and have already developed a strong sense of self. I find a lot of the younger kids are still in the part party party mindset and don't really understand how much time you need to commit to University in order to do well.

On the plus side I can still pass for 19 or 20 if I want to, I've had a girl in one of my intro classes ask if I was in first or second year which I found kind of funny.

The biggest challenge would be probably be in making friends that you can really connect with. I've still got a fair number of friends from highschool and my undergrad that I keep in touch with who are much closer in age to myself. But if I was tossed into a campus knowing no one at 25 it would be a shock.
 
heya eras3r, i went back to school last year and am bout to attempt uni next year at 27, i found for me that the age difference was noticeable during breaks and tutes but not so much during the normal classes.

ive found the older students may tend to have a little more life experience to try and draw knowledge and experience from.

mind you i keep getting told i am younger than i look ;)

go for it
 
wizekrak said:
The biggest challenge would be probably be in making friends that you can really connect with. I've still got a fair number of friends from highschool and my undergrad that I keep in touch with who are much closer in age to myself. But if I was tossed into a campus knowing no one at 25 it would be a shock.
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This is my problem. I am 25 about to graduate. Through the last few years I havent really made any "friends"...plenty of accquantainces though. It is just too hard to connect with the 21 y/o classmates. They are still getting drunk everynight, blowing off classes etc while I just got married and want to start my working life already lol.
 
DG said:
This is my problem. I am 25 about to graduate. Through the last few years I havent really made any "friends"...plenty of accquantainces though. It is just too hard to connect with the 21 y/o classmates. They are still getting drunk everynight, blowing off classes etc while I just got married and want to start my working life already lol.
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Same here. My issues is establishing many acquaintances, and nothing ever develops out of it even if we hang out throughout the semester. Most of my classes are full of people usually under 21, and it makes me feel INCREDIBLY old at 26. I'm sure I acted the same way at their age, but it's annoying sometimes.
 
Chaos Butterfly said:
I started at 21... was a bit weird... but I just mentally regressed so I thought I was 18 again ;)

There were a few mid to late 20's people in my class, and we all got along fine :)

Just look at it as having a lot more life experience than all the young kids, and you know, that makes a hell of a lot of difference in some aspects of studying. Especially in the sense that you have more of an idea of what you are doing your degree for... less of a want to fuck around... and definitely more of a sense of I'm paying for this, so I'm going to class.

CB :)
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Very true. I do know what I want to do, mostly, and I am having fun, but in a different way than the younger students.
 
im 24 and feel the same as others here, i make acquaintances fairly easily but as others have said its hard to connect with the young ones.

But i am glad i am doing it at this age as i am very serious about my studies and have no problem getting good grades, i've had the life experience of being in the real world working shitty jobs so i know what im here for.

just try and look out for people ur age and get to know them, youll find they will feel much the same as you and have the same problem being a minority
 
eras3r said:
Same here. My issues is establishing many acquaintances, and nothing ever develops out of it even if we hang out throughout the semester. Most of my classes are full of people usually under 21, and it makes me feel INCREDIBLY old at 26. I'm sure I acted the same way at their age, but it's annoying sometimes.
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It sucks, trust me I totally understand. I went through a little bit of time where I was actually depressed from not having many friends. I miss my high school life where I had a lot of friends and had fun non-stop. Then I decided to just deal with it and soon enough I will be in the working world and hopefully will make friends through work.

I tried to join a few organizations and even though I got to know people...the different life stages we are in, just dont gel together.
 
wizekraz and DG, I hear ya.

I went back to school for two years to do my prerequisites for med school just like you did, wizekrk. The only difference was, I only took the bare minimum, and didn't go for another degree, for frugality.

I'm a guy of slight build, baby face, and bohemian fashion sense, so most of my classmates had no idea I was 5~7 years older than them. It was only when I referenced something they were too young to remember, or told stories from my early 20s years abroad, that things got momentarily awkward.

I found my increased life experience and the consequent increased self-confidence made me slightly charismatic to the undergrad students. However, I related to them a lot less than they thought they related to me.

I got involved with a group of crunchy granola hippie types who had a student peace and justice activist group. The age gap didn't seem to matter much here. Still, I don't presently keep touch with anyone I met there. What you said about joining organizations rings true for me, DG. Many of my fellow group members struck me as rather naive, especially in their notions of how to change the world, and what the true meaning of oppression was.

At a party for the peace and justice group, I remember telling an opinionated New York Italian girl, 'Alcohol is a fucking drug, OK? If it's not a drug, what is it?' She looked like she was about to cry. I regretted talking to her this way, when I realized that she hadn't had the life experience and health education to question what her family had always taught her about wine being a food.

Birthdaycake, you have NOT missed your shot. Most college students nowadays are older than 22, and are working already. They're in school to advance their careers. The key to making it work as an older college student is knowing exactly what you want to do, and what your professional goals are. If you're learnig about something you already have experience with and are interested in, it'll still be a challenge, but you won't be reinventing the wheel, and your progress should kind of move itself.
 
Dude mid-twenties is no problem at all. First, there are some schools that emphasize people coming back to school after a while -- and also, the kids don't fucking care. Hell, there is a 45-year old, and a 33-year old in two of my classes, and they get along with us fine. They are mad chill. Don't pretend to be a youngin', acknowledge age difference, but at the same time - realize that it's only as weird as you imagine it to be.
 
I went to uni when I was 21 & finished my degree last year when I was 25.

I was generally about 3 or 4 years older than the vast majority of my peers, & although it was fine for the most part there were times when I was reminded that a lot of them had never known anything over than full-time education & mummy & daddy paying for everything.

It wasn't so much the age difference (which is negligible really) but the disparity in life experience. Although I was (& still am) very young, I nevertheless went to uni having already worked full-time for several years, having lived on my own, & having experience of fending for myself in financial terms. I'd also got the whole "Ohmygod-it's-the-weekend-I'm-gonna-get-SOOOOOO-drunk-&-tell-everyone-all-about-it-on-Monday" thing out of my system, as well as having a few of my thoughts on life, the universe & everything a little more settled in my mind by that age. None of these things are remotely extraordinary to anyone in their mid-20's, but to 18 & 19 year olds they're something of a novelty & a mystery.

As MDAO says, this sometimes had the effect of those younger than myself almost looking up to me in some way, which was awkward to say the least, & made me very wary of coming across as aloof & arrogant, which is something that I struggle with at the best of times. Although this is a little disingenuous, as I did shamelessly exploit it to get laid on more than one occasion. :| Well it would've been rude not to, right! :D

It was no big deal really, but it was slightly galling when a coursemate would throw a tantrum because daddy hadn't put that £100 in their account for them to buy some new shoes, or I'd have to remind my housemates that if we didn't pay the electricity bill we'd be cut off. 8)

It got a lot better when I discovered the underground music scene in the city I was in, & I made a lot of my close friends from that time from the older contingent who moved in such circles. It was nice to be in the situation where I was the naive young 'un. :)
 
I went back to do my Master's at 39. Luckily for me, I went to a school that caters for mature students. It didn't feel that weird because there's quite a culture of going back to school in mid-life over here in London. I think it's great to take on new challenges throughout ones life.
 
im 24 going back to complete my bachelors.

is it too late to have decided that i want to become a lawyer? :)
 
i didn't feel weird anymore than i felt weird going to raves when i was mid-twenties... i'm bothered by my own age, sometimes, but not by other people's age.

allfunkedout said:
is it too late to have decided that i want to become a lawyer? :)
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nope.
 
^^

A friend of mine's mother is currently finishing her law degree. She is in her mid to late 50s. So no, its definitely not too late ;)

CB :)
 
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