[TatorTot]

I am a senior, almost senior citizen wanting to return to school. I have bipolar but I am very concerned for my lack of concentration and memorization. How do I pull myself thru this? I think this is something I really want to do.

[gina_re]

I'm not an older student, but I have returned to school after starting and stopping several times. I always wondered why I couldn't get through my classes and was unstable for several years. I've been diagnosed with Bipolar 2 and what I can recommend is to make sure you're stable on your meds to get through it. Since I have been on pretty much the same dosage the past three years, I have been able to get through my bachelors and I'm graduating this fall. It's never too late!! Good Luck!!

I am an older student returning again in four days...! I am so completely overwhelmed. I wish I could offer some advice or help. I don't have a diagnosis other than anxiety disorder, but I am highly sensitive and have a lot emotional regulation issues. I easily forget things and am very distractable. I am just trying not to dwell too much on how I will do and just focussing on doing what I need to do, in order to show up and take it day by day...class by class. sometimes you just have to step out and take the risk of doing something you really want and not get stuck in the outcome.

[Trippin2.0]

Hi, there are a few members on the bp board who may be able to give you some advice. Dubblemonkey, just went back to college a week ago, and our success stories sub-forum have threads about members graduating, getting phd's and and other academic achievements, so you might benefit from cross-posting. Congratz and goodluck.

[seeker1950]

My concentration is not good, although I'm not bipolar...but probably ADHD, though this has never been diagnosed. I did return to school, first in my mid 40's, for teacher certification, which was intensive and demanding. In studying such subjects as science and math, I had to study in increments of time, write things down, read it aloud, and read silently, working on memorization of certain facts. For the standardized test given to all prospective teachers, I bought one of those test-study books. It helped.

In my mid 50's I returned to school for M.A. There was a lot of reading and research. With the reading, I resigned myself to reading for a set period of time, taking notes, then getting up and doing something relaxing.
Oh, I should also mention that I had to limit my classes to one or two per semester...just couldn't handle multiple demands.

I completed both of these programs, though it took me longer. The great thing about returning to school as an older student is your appreciation for your education. You are a much more focused and serious student than when young. I suggest pacing yourself, don't take too big a classload at the start till you know what is comfortable for you. I encourage you to give it a try! I think you'll be great!
Patty

[VickiesPath]

I will be 60 years old in December and I returned to school to get a Master's in Counseling after 35 years out of school. I am also bipolar II and have been fairly stable on medication for 8 years. I decided to take online courses and looked very carefully at the different schools. I ended up choosing one here in my city that seemed to have the best programs for me. In online coursework, I work on only one class at a time (at the graduate level) for eight weeks at a time. The only drawback is that it is year round except for 10 days at Christmas. Therefore, you have to be willing to work essentially every day each week and in order for the teachers to know that you understand the material, there is a lot of essay writing and written discussion questions.

My bipolar hasn't caused a problem, not as much as simply being older. True, the meds do slow down the cognitive processes but it's hard to say which is more influencial, the meds or the age factor! All in all, I'm enjoying the experience and at times, it's frightening to me with worrying about keeping my GPA up, etc. But I would recommend it to anyone, as long as you are stable on your meds and they don't impair you cognitively.

I was taking Topamax as a mood stabilizer, along with Depakote but we dropped the Topamax, which has helped with concentration quite a bit.

Best of luck to you. I hope this has helped. Hugs