how old is too old to start a degree?

[beansmum]

I'm going back to uni in Feb. I have chosen 1st year subjects that could lead to three different qualifications. One would take 3 years, one 4 and one at least 5. I really want to do the 5 year course but am I too old? I'll be 27 this week.

Hello no, 27 isn't too old! When I did my first degree there were people in their thirties on the course who went on to be among the most successful of our group. I'm now 31 with a 3 yr old and about to pop another sprog and I'm retraining. Never too late!

You're never too old! I work for a large university in the North East and I have had a student in his eighties who does degree after degree to fill his time and meet people!

Go for it!

Gillian.

I thought you were going to say that you were 40! You are never too old.I might do it when elderly to keep my mind active.

If this makes you feel better, I am 29 in Sept and just finished my GCSE's lol. Next stop, Access, then my english degree, then my PGCE .

at 33 i felt the same but after the first mature students meeting soon realised i was most definately not, loads of over 50's/60's on campus, it can be hard to tell students from lecturers at times. only scary thing was in one of the first seminar get to know you thingies and a girl stated her d.o.b., i was actually taking my g.c.s.e.'s in the year of her birth lmao

rofl 27 are you totally joking

of course you arent

There's an article in our local rag this evening about a woman who has just completed a degree and she's in her 60s!

know the feeling beansmum. am 32 and went to a uni open day the other week. boy did i feel a fish out of water. doubt anyone even noticed me tho, let alone thought i was getting on a bit, so i tried to reighn in irrational insecurity.
it does grate that ill be ancient before im qualified for anything at all... but hey, the longer i leave it, the older i'll be at the end, right?

dead is too old...
have a friend who did one at 55; my Dad did an MBA aged 50; one of the students at the college where I work was 66; even DH was older than you (28) when he started his.

You are a mere babe in comparison! have fun doing it.

27- You are a mere babe in arms! Go for it.I have mentored students for my job and during PGCE and can honestly say that the "mature" students are a dream,often they have much more life experience are much more committed and have a lot to give.Go for it!!

Califrau, I'm 27 atm and I have been to uni a couple of times (unsuccessfully) but I'm starting an ou course in September and hoping to do either a Radiography or Chemistry degree in full-time uni in the next couple of years.

Hope I'm not too old lol but then again I'm hoping to have another baby too.

The Radiography degree is enticing, fees paid, 80% childcare paid plus a bursary, but but I really love Chemistry, my ideal job would be analytical chemist. So confusing do I follow heart or head.

Good luck on your course btw, which qualifications are you hoping to achieve?

On my second attempt at university ( grand ole age of 21) there was a lovely old lady (she looked in her 70's at least, we all too polite to ask) in all my ordinary classes then 2 of my higher ordinary classes.

We all loved her.

She got an honours degree in Eng Lit. That was now 17 years ago. Makes a girl think....

The oldest student at my uni is in his 80's lol.

So 27 is not too old, and a benefit, because life experience is invaluable to learning.

I'm on my 3rd year, in October, and I'll graduate (hopefully) at the grand old age of 45.

Gor, I wish I was as 'old' as 27 again!!

Youre not tooo old - some o the people on my course were about 30. In fact the majority of us were older. There were a couple of 18 year olds, but they were the babies of the group. Good luck, and go for it.

Hi Beansmum, I've taught in unis for years and it wouldn't enter my head that you were mature until you were in your 40s at least!

What I would do though is make sure that the support networks are there--ask the level one (first year) tutor what support there is. Then ask if you can talk to a mature student, with children, who is graduating now. They can give you the info on the practicalities and flexibilities of the programme. (And they'll love to do it as they'll be rightly proud of having worked their way through the whole process themselves.) A student on the programme will also be able to tell you about any formal or informal support networks that exist.

Also, find out now if possible when core lectures are in the first year. Depending on your degree programme you'll usually find that there are core compulsory sessions and then other tutorials or seminars where there are more options re time slots (depending on how your degree elements fit together). The tutor might even let you pre-register for the best slots if you get in touch now

I made sure on the last two programmes I organised that core slots were within school hours so between 10 and 2, where possible, and 10 and 3 otherwise. This fairly obvious way of helping student parents is not general policy though and being forewarned about parenting/college clashes is being forearmed.

Find out now too about options for deferring for a year, switching between full and part time etc. as life will have its ups and downs over five years.

When the inevitable happens and you need to miss a day to deal with a domestic hitch, ask lecturers for printouts of lectures/handouts (again, many won't think of offering this as routine). Make yourself known to the tutors, and involve them as soon as an issue of balancing study/life arises and they'll be in a better position to help than if you battle on by yourself.
Their buzzword is 'retention' so they should go all out to help you manage the programme, whatever crops up.

This might all sound a bit negative, but planning ahead, being realistic, and 'allowing' yourself to feel freaked out by going back to learning, especially in the first year, is what gets student parents through in my experience.

You will have a fab time, make fantastic friends and make your family v. proud! Good luck with everything.