Any older students going back to school here?

I went back to school in March this year. I am 48. It is a business administration degree and I love the variety of classes!
Classes like Communication are challenging for me, but it helps me to get out of my comfort zone too. Not always fun but I need that. For the same reason I am president of the student council now. I want to get the most out of this education, because I feel blessed that I had been given this opportunity to return to school.

Approx. half my class are students who started this school right after high school, and the other half of the class are people like me: older, unemployed people who want to increase their employability. There are no jobs in my background anyway right now.
It annoys me that the younger students seem to be texting-addicts: they keep on texting on their cell phones during all classes. I guess it shows I am from a different generation, lol...

Most of you folks seem to be from the US. I'm on the other side of the pond. So some of the terminology might be different.

I stopped attending school classes aged 12 and officially left school at 14, unsurprisingly with no certificates at all. I worked in catering for 8 years, then casinos for 14 years. I got bored with the drink and drug filled easy life and even easier money but I lacked the skills to do anything else. I was working on a casino ship in Miami when I was 36 and decided I had to go to college. I just walked away from the ship and flew back to UK. I signed up for what is known as an Access course, designed for people with no certificates who want to go to higher education. I did one year full time in English and Maths, got my pass and went on to university. Three years later, just a few weeks before my 40th birthday, I graduated with a good degree (we call it a 2:1, I don't know what that means in US levels). And I have to say I've never been more chuffed with myself.

The most important thing I learned through the whole experience was to use the time at university to do whatever it is that floats your boat and do not get bogged down in trying to fulfil your projects in a way that will please the tutors in order to get a good mark. The attitude of tutors to your approach is meaningless, don't let them put you down. If you love what you are doing, the results will come naturally.

This is so true. It took some time to find what I love doing but has made all the difference for me returning to school this time around and with better success.

Wishing everyone much success in your return to school and in all your endeavors!

I'm 44 yrs old and done with 2/3 of my AS. So far I'm doing pretty good, but still have a few organization issues (ADHD). One of my professors was glad to find out, she's now tailoring her instructions for me. The strangest thing for me is that I'm old enough to be most of the students' mother, in most of my classes I've been the oldest except for the professors. Once I was in an elevator with 4 other girls when one of the girls asked how many of us were legally able to drink. I was the only one to raise my hand. Overall I am enjoying the experience.

I've been though university, went off to work for a while, and returned for post-graduate study.

I've been reading this thread... and at 25 I must seem really young to some of you. Thing is I feel *OLD*. I miss being 18/19.

Hi User42,

I hear you. I am 33 - but I feel like 87 as far as new "career goals" are concerned. I know (logically) it is just a way of telling myself I can't do it and it wasn't meant for me. It's just that I really have to completely start over. It's so overwhelming. But I keep reminding myself that everybody needs to start somewhere and often these things end up seeming not as overpowering as I expect at the start...