Thinking about going to back to College

[Silver Moon]

I was 36 and had been out of school for 11 years when I decided to become a student again and work on my Doctorate. Similarly, my wife Kriskrafts hadn't set foot in a class for 11 years when she started her Bachelors. She got it two years back and is now finishing up her masters. Education is great, and you'll find that there are more older students on campus than you would have initially suspected.

 

[Fenris]

And most universities have a re-entry center for students just like you. They are there to help re-integrate older students to the academic life and navigate the administration/registration procedures. Definitely check for one.

 

[HellHound]

I went back to College at 31, after years in the workforce.

Nothing like giving up gainful employment to go to school to make you REALLY value your time there. You aren't just paying tuition anymore, you are also absorbing the opportunity cost of not working full time anymore.

Mature students tend to work a lot harder at school, and tend to get excellent grades for it. I'm graduating top of my class in a few weeks, with a 4.0 GPA.

 

[thalmin]

Don't think of it as going back to college. It is really going AHEAD to college.
Congratulations and good luck!

 

[Seonaid]

Angcuru: If you're an intelligent person who is interested in learning, there's nothing like a few years in the "real world" to make you want to go back to school.

And since I'm here, does anyone have any suggestions about getting a second bachelor's? I have a degree in English, and have decided that I would like to get a doctorate in genetics. I started as a bio major and switched because the math (specifically calc 2) was too difficult (i.e., boring) for me. I've looked at some (grad) schools, and while I am qualified course-wise for some schools with insignificant genetics programs (which is good enough for me), I don't have any credible lab experience and it's nearly impossible to get any lab experience without the BS in bio, biochem, etc. I doubt I'd get into a grad school based solely on my piecemeal coursework. I'm thinking my best bet is to go back to school (theoretically older & wiser) and slog my way through the rest of that bio degree I started so many years ago. It wouldn't be a problem getting into school; all it takes is a signature on a superfluous form and lots of money (in the form of loans, sigh).

I guess I don't really want suggestions, as I know most of the possible courses of action; what I really want are success stories to get me up off my lazy bum and do something.

 

[fusangite]

Anything a 30 year old who hasn't been in a school in 9 years should be watch out for? Anybody else gone back to school after a long time want to give me some pointers. Thanks

I did much the same as you and first off, I recommend the experience. A 30 year old with no self-discipline has way more self-discipline than a 20 year old with no self-discipline. You will find the courses, time management and most other things much easier.

There are only two areas where I encountered trouble and in both cases the problems arose due to my age. First of all, I found that relations were quite tricky with professors and teaching assistants three or fewer years older than me or, even worse, younger than me. Basically, because I was assertive, bigger than them, older-looking than them and more able to command people's attention, I was viewed as a threat to their authority. This was especially a problem with instructors who were part of other groups viewed by our society as intrinsically less authoritative than authoritative sounding white men in their thirties ie. women and members of visible minorities. There was no malice in these dynamics because in most cases we were often in agreement or even liked eachother and I never actually challenged these people's authority (at least not consciously or intentionally). But the social relations were strained because my mere presence in the class genuinely did undermine the person's capacity to appear authoritative. (Not that these dynamics were any fun for me -- after all, I was the loser being taught by my former peers.)

Second, you have to realize that there are only two categories of student: young and old. The dividing line is going to, in undergraduate courses, sit at about 24 and in graduate courses, about 28. Although you can make friends with people in the other category and they can come to quite like you, you're going to be their "old" friend -- these people are never really going to see you as a member of their social category. And when classes are divided into smaller groups, you can expect to end being grouped with the 67 year old retired teachers. It may be jarring but, oddly, going back to school will leave you with no alternative but to view yourself as 100% an adult.

Anyway, I highly recommend the experience over all.

 

[Xath]

First off, Xath, what the heck is a Thet major?

Ah, whoops. That's UMD's abbreviation for a theatre major.

 

[tarchon]

I guess I don't really want suggestions, as I know most of the possible courses of action; what I really want are success stories to get me up off my lazy bum and do something.

As a major-switching PhD, I recommend not bothering with a second BS degree. In your case, since you're starting from an English BA (I assume), there could be some advantage to completing a full BS if you can do it in 2 years though. Otherwise (if you can - depends on the school's policies about non-degree students), just do the core bio coursework, the genetics-related electives, and get As. If you impress a professor enough to want you as a grad student, you can get in. Getting into grad school in your situation without someone actively wanting you is going to be very tough though. Genetics is very popular as a fad-field, and profs don't like to take a chance on getting a perpetual student. I wouldn't mention anything about a distaste for math - modern genetics is one of the most math-reliant sub-fields of biology, and you'll have to get past calc 2 for sure.