View Full Version : Do old people go to Uni?
tigersaw
13-02-08, 12:43 AM
Once again I have been looking at what to to when I finally can't take the stress and hours of my current job any longer - hopefully I'll hang in for another four of five years, but then there will be a long wait until pension, pipe and slippers.
One thought I had was to go to Uni :smt103 for a year or two, stimulate the grey matter. Its getting on for 30 years since I didi my HND and Tech Dip, but I enjoyed the experience. Looking into finances, I'd have to pay the 3.5k annual fee, but a chunk of that could be offset by student status, thus not paying council tax.
So my original question, are there students at uni in their early fifties? - if so are they welcome, or considered a burden on rescources?
missyburd
13-02-08, 01:06 AM
There seem to be a fair number of mature students about (much more flattering turn of phrase :D), I'd say ranging from about 25 through to the 50's. I don't think it's a matter of them being a burden on resources at all, no-one should be prevented from learning just on the basis of age. Think it's more of a bind for them to have to put up with us young 'uns seeing as they are usually severely outnumbered, must get terribly boring having to listen to stories about drinking all night and eating baked beans out of saucepans :rolleyes:
I like seeing mature students, just goes to show it's never too late to pick up something new :cool:
My housemate has just got her BSc in Environmental Science with a first and recently started the first year of a PhD, she's 41 soon.
timwilky
13-02-08, 04:21 AM
I hope so. One of my mates is in the last year of an ITdegree part time at Salford.
I made him redundant 4 years ago. He has struggled to find a job that would support his twin needs to live and earn since. he turned 50 two years ago.
Who knows I may one day go back, I have had friends do their PHD in their 40s. etc. Why should education and knowledge be the prerogative of the young?.
the white rabbit
13-02-08, 06:35 AM
Yes, unfortunately I have to go (nearly) every day :-(
I've just started a degree that I should finish just before I'm 40 (unless I stay for a top-up year, then I will be 40 :oops:).
To give you an idea the oldest degree student at our Uni is 86 - he's doing furnature design I think.
. One of my mates is in the last year of an ITdegree part time at Salford.
I made him redundant 4 years ago.
You git!
No age limit to learning - same goes for professional qualifications these days - gone is the 'qualified at 23' unless you land a very cushty number with a big blue chip.
Experience is worth so much more in my book!
Yes, unfortunately I have to go (nearly) every day :-(
..but you work there ;)
yes lots of people who are mature students have started to go back to uni mainly because now a days so many more people have degrees if you want to progress or change career you will require one. University's will welcome anyone as they like having your fees off you and most will be glad to have students that will stick the whole course out.
Tigersaw on your wages, 3.5k must be a drop in the proverbial! Is ATC that bad??
I actually enjoyed learning at Uni, and found the mature students put more work and effort because its not a "must go cos everyone else is" option but a choice and theyve paid good money to get there. You probably appreciate the knowledge at an older age.
Ceri JC
13-02-08, 09:31 AM
Yes, there were several students over 50 on my first degree. One of them who was 60+ and retired was past it (if indeed he was ever bright enough to be there) and you could see other students and staff thinking "What's the point of him being here?" although that was compounded by him not being particularly nice, talking down to other students and not generally understanding what was going on, etc. He was definately the exception rather than the rule though. The majority of my friends there and people I chose to work with on teamwork were all 30-50. Unsurprisingly, they were a lot more "professional" about their study than the spotty oiks straight from six form who'd never even worked a part time job.
Oddly enough, I generally see proportionally more mature students doing first degrees, fewer doing postgraduate degrees (MScs etc.) and even fewer doing doctorates, when I thought the reverse would be true. I'm 25 and have just completed my masters, but I'll probably do a PhD in 3-5 years time. I know I want to do one at some point and I recognise it's easier to do it (and accept the financial implications of not being working full time) when you're younger. As to studying when I'm older, I may well do an Msc full time (1 year) as a means of changing career, but starting at a fairly high level later in life.
timwilky
13-02-08, 10:19 AM
You git!
I know, I hated it. We are still friends though. He took a job in a school to give him time to complete his degree and oggle the 6th form girls:p.
tigersaw
13-02-08, 10:24 AM
Tigersaw on your wages, 3.5k must be a drop in the proverbial! Is ATC that bad??
Safety is paramount in our work, (which is a good thing of course), but we've got to the stage when eveything requires risk assessments in duplicate, quality assurance, process tracking, constant auditing, value for money yada yada. We work in a 'no blame culture', which is a management euphemism for 'blame someone else if you can'. Pushing aircraft around the sky is only a fraction of our work, and its not the job I joined 30 years ago.
I'm seeking to leave in a few years, persue something a lot less stressful - however the university idea would purely be for acedemic interest, not as a career move. Physics and maths was my thing when younger - so maybe something brain stretching like astrophysics..
Safety is paramount in our work, (which is a good thing of course), but we've got to the stage when eveything requires risk assessments in duplicate, quality assurance, process tracking, constant auditing, value for money yada yada. We work in a 'no blame culture', which is a management euphemism for 'blame someone else if you can'. Pushing aircraft around the sky is only a fraction of our work, and its not the job I joined 30 years ago.
I'm seeking to leave in a few years, persue something a lot less stressful - however the university idea would purely be for acedemic interest, not as a career move. Physics and maths was my thing when younger - so maybe something brain stretching like astrophysics..
Funny enough, that sounds like our job! Even the quote on the 30 yr bit which I hear from seasoned individuals
Pedro68
13-02-08, 11:03 AM
...
You could always study from the comfort of your own home with one of those online degree courses ;-) I did one, but chose to do it alongside my full-time job. Hard work but worth it.
To give you an idea the oldest degree student at our Uni is 86 - he's doing furnature design I think.
Designing coffins by any chance? :lol:
tigersaw
13-02-08, 11:25 AM
You could always study from the comfort of your own home with one of those online degree courses ;-) I did one, but chose to do it alongside my full-time job. Hard work but worth it.
Working up to 60 hours a week and always being on call I'd never find time. Hell, I can't even find time to ride my bike!
The qualification at the end of it would be irrelivent, its the experience of going to uni and exercising the mind, maybe taking part in some research that appeals - hopefully by then I'll have saved enough to bridge the gap until my pension, ZX10R, pipe and slippers.
I hope so. One of my mates is in the last year of an ITdegree part time at Salford.
I did an IT degree at Salford, it was one wild adventure.
While I was there I had washing stolen, 2 new car windscreens and various high speed chases. Mainly on foot.
I digress.
As I recall the "old" people mainly came in after hours, when the "not so old" people had gone home for the day, like at about 1.30 in time for Neighbours or Flying Doctors
I had an old woman in some of my lectures. No-one gave her grief that I knew of.
I'm sure if i went back now (25 years old) the 18 year olds in lectures would wind me up, let alone in another 20 years!
There were a few mature students on my course at uni which I finished in june, and when we graduated it turned out the mature students had got better results than the rest of us!!!!
I'd go for it!!!!
MeridiaNx
13-02-08, 12:52 PM
At Durham where I was, there was a woman in her mid 50s doing some modules on my English course. Though even more commited was a guy called Jim (in his 60s) who lived in the college but had is own doorbell installed as he'd been there so long. Something about inheritance money that he had decided to put torwards degrees. When he finished one he just did another, god knows how many he's got now!
So yeah I'd say you'll be absolutely fine as long as you make the right choice of uni.
Nothing wrong at all with going back to University as a mature student, or following any other qualification for that matter - doesn't have to be a degree!
I guess you'd need to weigh up the time and expense, against the useful career you'd have after it - and then considering that you'd be starting from the "bottom" again if you're choosing a new career.
One thing I'll pick you up on...
...but a chunk of that could be offset by student status, thus not paying council tax...
You should be aware that, as far as I'm aware, all occupants of a property must be students before the property becomes exempt from Council Tax. So no problem if you're living with other students - but if you have a working wife or children to consider, then it's not something you can count on.
missyburd
13-02-08, 04:25 PM
I had an old woman in some of my lectures. No-one gave her grief that I knew of.
There are a couple of older ladies in some of my lectures but I know them to be note-takers for other students (usually due to those students being dyslexic). Could easily be mistaken for students though, they do seem to be very engrossed in their note-taking!!
You should be aware that, as far as I'm aware, all occupants of a property must be students before the property becomes exempt from Council Tax. So no problem if you're living with other students - but if you have a working wife or children to consider, then it's not something you can count on.
That is exactly right. My landlady is looking for new people to fill up spaces in my house at the moment and she found what she thought was a suitable group of people but I was told just this morning that they were apparently not suitable due to one of the group not being a student at all. You would have thought she'd have checked before she brought them to look round the house :rolleyes:
magicrat
13-02-08, 04:53 PM
Well I was at uni until I was 25, so I suppose thats mature(ish). I agree, theres more and more mature students around these days, theres absolutly nothing wrong with continuing to study into your later years. In fact when I was at uni I met a fair few guys who could be described as 'professional' students doing one course after another. Anything to avoid propoer work eh?
In fact when I was at uni I met a fair few guys who could be described as 'professional' students doing one course after another. Anything to avoid propoer work eh?
They're called lecturers aren't they? ;)
magicrat
13-02-08, 05:27 PM
professional students pay for the pleasure of dossing around all day, whereas lecturers get paid to do it. Small distinction i suppose
ASM-Forever
13-02-08, 05:32 PM
There is a mature student in one of my accountancy module lectures.
She demonstrates a disgustingly keen desire to learn....some people are shameless! :)
magicrat
13-02-08, 05:33 PM
this reminds me I must do some swatting up - got exams in a fortnights time :eek:
tigersaw
13-02-08, 07:27 PM
You should be aware that, as far as I'm aware, all occupants of a property must be students before the property becomes exempt from Council Tax.
Easily arranged :)
Depending on your subject, you may find that a degree simply isn't tough enough - with all your experience, you may know more than your Lecturers. Your fellow students will love that - the Lecturers won't.
Consider applying to go straight in to a Masters - after all, with an HND and a Diploma (particularly at the academic levels of 30 years back), you'll only be doing a final year top up anyway - hardly worth the bother. This will jump you over a whole bunch of folk who, having gone through our benighted A-Level system, really can't write, spell, count or critically analyse.
A Masters will differentiate you from an unfortunately large number of Students who really shouldn't receive degrees at all......just good HNDs from Polytechnics (except they don't exist now!).
CoolGirl
13-02-08, 09:01 PM
Consider applying to go straight in to a Masters - after all, with an HND and a Diploma (particularly at the academic levels of 30 years back), you'll only be doing a final year top up anyway - hardly worth the bother. This will jump you over a whole bunch of folk who, having gone through our benighted A-Level system, really can't write, spell, count or critically analyse.
A Masters will differentiate you from an unfortunately large number of Students who really shouldn't receive degrees at all......just good HNDs from Polytechnics (except they don't exist now!).
S'wot I'm doing. Mixed age range in my cohort - late twentied throguh to 50s.
I quite fancy doing somerthing like a classics degree when I'm retired for the hell of it as well.
dizzyblonde
13-02-08, 09:43 PM
Im Indoors will finally graduate this year at 29 with a BEng or summat like that. yipppeeeeee finally. Only taken 4 years of beating each other with a virtual hammer at exam time to get here, and thats in seperate houses.
I also have a friend in his 40's thats doing a pyschology degree, SoI think you can do it at any age if you want it enough
I feel so insecure right now... all this leaning stuff at an academic level... goes right over my head...
never mind I'm sure to be away soon.. learning about some other country's dysfunctional ways soon.
....never mind I'm sure to be away soon.. learning about some other country's dysfunctional ways soon.
Which, on balance, may be a whole lot more difficult (not to say, useful) than getting a 2:1 in "Social Studies with Art and Beach Management"!
Alpinestarhero
14-02-08, 10:18 AM
Nothing wrong with "mature" students. When i started uni, there was a guy there who was about 40, rode a honda SP2, had a fmaily...came to study chemistry with a view to going into another career. He was doing very well too, but had to drop out due to finance issues I think. You won't get ffowned upon as long as you do the work :D
Matt
I feel so insecure right now... all this leaning stuff at an academic level... goes right over my head...
never mind I'm sure to be away soon.. learning about some other country's dysfunctional ways soon.
Where are they planning to send you next? Wales??
Are you still working at Catterick?
Kosovo, 24 hours notice to move.... only told me yesterday too.
Jayneflakes
15-02-08, 02:57 PM
I found that there are more mature students in the post grad areas, mainly because to get there you are generally over 25. Kind of stuck now, turned down my masters in Education because it bored me, but still want to learn something new. :rolleyes:
However, don't take Mature Student to mean grown up. When I did my degree as a mature student the biggest maniacs in my year were myself and a bloke from London. Both of us were allegedly mature, even while laying in pools of our own sick and getting into trouble for jumping mountain bikes off of small buildings. :smt081
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