“Worth” going to university at age 28?

[Choppedcoriander]

My DD is 27 and considering university. She has been working as a professional ballet dancer since she was 19 or so. She has top GCSEs - all A* - and A levels. Ideally she would want to do English, but thinks that would be an indulgence and won’t necessarily help with a non-dance career. She definitely does not want to do anything body related, like physiotherapy or medicine. Her A levels are now too long ago to “count” for university admission. At the moment she has an admin job paying 30k. Is going to university at this age worth it?

Hi OP,

i went to university in my late 30’s. Best thing I ever did!!!

it not only opened up lots more career options for me, but it was a wonderful experience too. I learned a lot about myself, how I think, and wider society in general. And I made some lovely friends with shared interests.

A levels are classed as ‘life long qualifications’, same as GCSE’s, and they do not ever ‘expire’ - you always have them.

The other mature students that I studied alongside all used their A levels (taken when teens) as their entry requirement for our course. As well as this, universities deeply value the life experience and acquired knowledge that mature students bring to their courses.

it seems that some very competitive uni courses may prefer an additional recent higher education qualification (like an diplomas or access courses) in some cases- if there is a massive time gap between A level and uni- particularly if it’s an application to a course that needs up to date / evolving knowledge like medicine or law. But generally speaking this isn’t the case for less specific courses, like languages, English, history, social sciences etc.

I did loads of research into this when planning and applying for uni, and spoke to quite a few uni’s about their entry requirements and expectations.

I think lots of people worry about student debt- but I genuinely see it as a valuable investment in a life changing experience. Also, as you only pay it off when you earn above a certain amount and it comes off your wage in a small amount each month, a bit like tax or pension contributions , I don’t worry about my student debt- in the same way I don’t worry about the sum total of my mortgage… it’s a large amount but it’s payable over a long time and therefore predictable and manageable .

it sounds like you are looking out for her as you love her and don’t want to see her making a decision she might regret. I totally get that. Looking at it from her perspective though, it can be really nerve wracking to consider studying as a mature student… with all kinds of worries like ‘will I be good enough?’ ’will everyone else be super young?’ ’will I be judged for this?’ …

If this were my daughter I would be encouraging her and telling her how proud I was of her for this exciting new journey she is considering :-)

@BatshitIsTheOnlyExplanation Not sure about salary because it will depend on seniority and whether corps de ballet or principal dancer. Don’t think it’s mega bucks though. Even the principals will not earn the same. Marianela Nunez is 43 and I would say she’s the top dancer at the Royal Ballet right now - but she has some amazing young competition coming along. An interesting issue is injuries. Spurs have a senior rehab physio who is an ex Royal Ballet physio. No doubt Spurs pay more but it’s dealing with a similar strain on the body and similar career limitations in many ways.

“English is seen as a bit self-centred” 😆😆😆😆😆

Comedy gold.

@InsomniacSloth It’s one of the fastest declining degrees. Might be funny to you, but employers don’t always see English as great all round prep for jobs. That’s why many English grads have lower earnings than lawyers or management grads. Definitely lower than geography, history or politics. Unfortunately it’s seen as reading books and that’s something which is considered more of a personal experience. Rightly or wrongly no one cares much about Keats in the workplace. There’s no MFL, data handling, or other obvious work skills so can be seen as too narrow. There are skills developed of course and maybe English grads not wanting higher salaried jobs accounts for the lower salary prospects too. Take a look at the earnings of grads 5 years after graduation and English is very low. Hence current dc not seeing it as a popular subject now. Lots of other degrees are seen as more employable and they are more popular. Earning money matters to many students it seems.

If it’s a vocational degree then yes - but I’d be looking for an employer that would put you through a degree alongside work first. Otherwise no, I haven’t found my degree alone has furthered my career and that amount of debt is just not worth it (at any age!!).

I think it would be well worth it. She's bright, has interesting career experience add a degree on top she'll be a really good hire for lots of things.

And the experience of studying as a mature student is great - you're so much more able to take advantage of the learning. Research the degree and how it's delivered thoroughly and go for it I say.

@OneLoudTiger Degree apprentices are not paid much and these jobs are not easy to get. Studying part time for a degree is a slog. It could be better studying for professional qualifications if the DD can move into a training role but again, this can take years too. It’s best to know what you want to do and then look at the best route to achieve it.

How about a degree in HR or the kinds so her experience ce is relevant and it opens doors for promotions exponentially

Her A Levels do not expire.

No, but they don’t “count” as “recent study” - and that’s essential for most universities. Eg, Edinburgh says the “recent study” has to be within the last three years, Bristol says it has to be within the last five years, maximum, and even less for many courses.

I didn't start till I was 30. best thing I ever did.

But why was it the best thing you ever did? How did it help your career? Did you manage to live on the student loan? Have you managed to repay it? Did you give up your job to go to university?

A’levels do not have a sell by date!
Recent study can be evidenced by lots of things doesn’t have to be A’levels or an Access course. A work based course, self study and notes on it, a Mooc etc.
But she should only go to Uni if she has a subject she is passionate about, or more rarely she has to have a certain degree for her career path.

Not statistically relevant, but anecdotally, English graduates applying for roles in my workplace are the least savvy and the most overconfident. They see the relatively well-paid, entry-level jobs with good long-term potential as intellectually beneath them and this attitude often comes across in the interview. They also tend to apply with fewer transferable skills, which further weakens their application. Often, candidates with English degrees have not been successful when applying for roles within our organisation.

I went to uni 12 years ago at age 32. I wanted to move into a specific career. I adore my job and earn £56k now which is a lot more than I could have got without my degree. But.... I chose a very specific degree that leads into one job (vocational)

Dont do English, it has to be vocational at her time of life

Would you share which degree?

sorry I shouldve elaborated a bit 😁 I had a boring low paid admin job. it was secure and easy to do. but not fulfilling. so I started uni part time, in the evenings as I had to still work as mortgage etc to pay. I had young children so it sometimes wasn't the easiest. I did my first 3 years part time so it took me six years to complete. my last year I did full time. I then did a masters over two years(so I could work around it). career wise it was best thing I've done, im in a fulfilling rewarding and fun job earning 50k atm, bearing in mind my pre uni wage was about £16k. I pay about £100 a month to my student loan but im still far better off than had I not done it.

Cambridge have dedicated colleges for mature students where the staff are well equipped to deal with similar profiles to your daughter’s. They run events and a summer school where she can explore this further. They will also be able to advise if she needs to retake any of her A-levels (not necessarily the case).
Another route to explore is apprenticeships. Some lead to a university degree also (while being paid). They are competitive but she has great grades and an interesting profile so may actually have a good chance of getting in.

I actually converted my professional performing training/experience into a degree through middlesex uni. Irrc I had to do the final project through 3 modules (PT) and I got a "professional practice" degree. It then meant I could access jobs where a degree was necessary. I don't think I really learned anything tbh but I did manage to access a good job for a few years afterwards (earning about 50k) before becoming a sahm.

This also meant it only cost me one year's fees which I paid whilst still working, so about 9k maybe? This was a while ago

@Choppedcoriander You do know grads are not required to repay their loan? The loans are based on what you earn over 40 years, they are not a bank loan. Very high earners pay it back earlier but many won’t. However it’s the same for everyone and the earlier you pay it off, the least it costs. It’s another reason for selecting course and university carefully.

What about doing an access course? She could also talk to admissions officers at a chosen university/course. See what they say about her circumstances?

That is really useful info. A degree in a year and only 9k in fees is really good. I think she’d qualify for that course, on first inspection.

For those who have asked, she’s not interested in teaching dance at all, especially not children.

Cambridge might be a possibility worth looking at too, but Birkbeck is probably better.

Re A-levels- yes, I know they don’t expire but they were taken too long ago to count as recent study. Various university websites give examples of an access course or a foundation year to fulfill that criteria. I don’t think a MOOC would cut it, but we will look into it. Perhaps there’s more flexibility than we have realised.

Loving the English degree comments. I’ve got an English degree from way back in the day!

@Choppedcoriander “Back in the day” for your English degree and you are not recommending your degree or career. Maybe that’s what the problem is?

The 9k was about 15 years ago so probably more now. I think you could squeeze it into a year but I did it over maybe 2 years as you can defer to the next term for each module if your work isnt finished (but essentially yes it's the last year of uni that you are doing)