Returning to school as a mature adult may sound daunting, but in many ways, it can be an asset. Going back to school at an age that is beyond 25 is becoming increasingly popular, and you may find yourself face-to-face with people your own age.
What do you bring to the table as a mature student?
A whole heck of a lot more than students half your age.
Oftentimes, young student, fresh out of high-school (not all, but some) find it to be just another thing to do. They may not immerse themselves in the classes and relish the knowledge as an adult student will. This is partially because adults have been through the cycle of like and have encountered the good, the bad, and the ugly. Many younger students have experienced little. In some instances, they go to school for the grants and loans that come along with it.
So, what are the advantages of being a mature student?
You have the experience
You have lived life. You have had jobs, and you have lost jobs. You have seen and heard of friends that have had jobs and lost them. This is not pretty. Like is unfair, and this; you know better than the younger students.
You not only know about the dwindling economy, but you have also seen it in action. You may have even felt it. You know what is going on in the real world, and you can discuss it in such a manner that you will be more of a leader in your class than a follower.
Kids fresh out of high-school, do not know, nor care about how difficult it is to get a good paying job. They may be under the impression that as soon as they graduate, they will get the job of their choice, and sail through life. They do not yet know that life is what you make of it.
You are smarter in many ways
Being the mature person in a group is far better than being inexperienced and care-free.
- You will turn your assignments in on time, and you will perform them correctly.
- You will prepare yourself better than the younger students for assignments and reading.
- You will know and understand some of the bigger and important words in your textbooks. And the ones that you do not know, you will know to look them up.
- You will be a better and more interested student.
- You may even inspire other students by the way that you carry yourself.
- You may have even read many of the books that you may study in class and you are knowledgeable in many different ways than a younger student.
You can better manage your time
Since you may have a job and a family:
- You will know how to budget your time.
- You will know that every few moments count, and you can sneak in some reading here and there without interrupting you already set schedule.
- You will read chapters while the children bathe, or when you have put a load of laundry in to be washed.
- You can sit down at the dining room table and study with your children, sharing with them interesting facts that you learn from your textbooks (which they may recall and be better students themselves).
It can be time that you and your children spend together indoors or outs. If you take your children on a picnic, and they are playing on the playground, you can study then. At any rate, you will use your time very wisely.
You will be a good example
- You will respond better to the Teacher’s questions, you will know and understand the material, and you will know how to act in class (or in your virtual online class).
- You will also be a better speller, and have better grammar.
- If you are taking an online class, you will not use ‘internet slang’. Examples of this are lol (laugh out loud), Imho (in my honest opinion), etc. You will use real English language with proper spelling and complete understanding of a subject.
- You will be a leader instead of a follower.
With these, you will have a boost of confidence and turn your learning experience into something that is not just useful, but fun.
Being more mature is never a hindrance, it is a virtue.
- You will retain more information because you care more and you pay better attention.
- You will not take things for granted like younger students.
- You will appreciate whatever you learn, and you will use it quite frequently.
- You will also better understand the world around you, and perhaps make a few changes it in your life to better help our environment.
- You will also learn things about yourself that you might never have known if you never ventured to college as a mature student with a great deal of information to add to the classes that you participate in.