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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Congrats, Randy. Like Mark, I just charged straight through, but I've also been teaching at the post-graduate level for 15 years and have some experience comparing the performance of the younger students against those who are attending later in life. With some exceptions, the mature students take it more seriously, have move confidence and experience in applying class lessons and case studies with their own life situations, and are generally more articulate and willing to share their opinions and experience in class. Older students often tend to be much better writers. On the downside, they tend to be more inflexible in group projects, come to class with much stronger values and opinions (adding to the inflexibility), and can be intimidated by younger students who grew up in a technical world. Older, career-changing students also tend to be more affluent and financially secure, which is immediately recognized and occasionally resented by the yonger students, which can then lead to some unintended consequences in group projects. One more thing . . . you'll notice the hotties, which is just about every one of them, but damnned if they'll notice you. Of course, this will be to your advantage because you'll have less distractions interfering with your studies. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | A bunch of my law school classmates were just out of the service. Most of them were very competitive, but like Brad said, more set in their ways. With some, that was a huge motivator. A few of them couldn't take any more of people telling them what to do and dropped out, but one of them told me that he was stationed in Idaho for a bit and I should check it out. Good advice. He followed me back here after a couple years.
My daughter just got accepted to Columbia grad school. I would have been too intimidated at her age, but she's been all over the world and has much broader life experience than I did at her age. In some respects the youngsters don't really know any boundaries, but I don't think many of them have the tenacity or stubbornness that comes from aging. |
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Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
In some respects the youngsters don't really know any boundaries, but I don't think many of them have the tenacity or stubbornness that comes from aging. The deceit, cunning and treachery of experience will overcome the strength, speed and stamina of youth every time. |
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Location: Michigan | Randy just remember that old trick to sit in front of the prettiest gal in class who is wearing the shortest skirt and drop your pencil on the floor behind you a few times. :D :D GWB |
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Location: Delaware | Good luck Randy. If you can do your schooling like you play that guitar, you'll be at the top of your class !
Dave |
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Posts: 5575
Location: big island | YEEEHAWWWW!! i just completed my first semester of college and my grades were posted today.
english 100 (expository writing) - A
psychology 100 - A
math 24 (algebra) - B (what a miracle!)
speech and communications - A
i certainly struggled through math and cannot believe i pulled a B. must've done a whole lot better on my final yesterday than i was confident about. what an adventure!
(and professor brad, i even had some "hottie" attention.) |
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Location: Indiana | Great job Randy. |
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Location: Parrish, FL | Congrats Randy!
I know how tough it is to go back to school. It takes a bit to get the brain firing on all cylinders. You done good out of the box. Keep your head down and it will be over before you know it.
You have an advantage over the 'newbies' in that you are there because you want to be, not because someone expects you to be there. Plus, all that practical experience gathered along the way gives you a perspective they won't have for another 30 years.
Brad |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Day-um great news Randy! Keep on keeping on. You're on a roll... |
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Posts: 489
| Do you start clinical this semester, or is this one all just classroom? |
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Location: big island | hey, thanks guys.
losov, i'm still in my pre-reqs. all classroom until next year.
next semester is biology and biology lab, microbiology and microbiology lab and advanced algebra. the algebra class is 5 days a week...yikes! |
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| Piece of cake. But e-mail me before you start clinical. |
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Posts: 5567
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Proud of you Randy...enjoyed our talk last night...the Mrs. RN says to say congrats and to hang in there...
You can do it................ |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Good goin' dude! Keep up the good work.
...and relax, enjoy the ride. |
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March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Fantastic Randy! It doesn't surprize me that you got such good grades. It's been my experience that anyone who can play guitar as well as you do is also very intelligent. (On a side note, I have also noticed that good musicians can draw pretty well too - maybe you should take an elective art class!)
So when does the next semester start? |
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Posts: 5575
Location: big island | will do, losov. perhaps CRNA is in my future?
thanks, mike. it was great talking with you again also. love your version of "the guitar"!
it could be smoother, phil, but i'm enjoying it so far. ("if the mountain was smooth, you couldn't climb it")
you are kind, alison. and i do have some artistic abilities, albeit nothing marketable. i directed art galleries for several years though, selling the fine art of others more gifted.
august 24 begins the fall 2009 semester. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Nice work Randy! Congrats on completing the first step of your new career! |
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Posts: 1486
Location: Michigan | randy i got to know a little bit about you when i went through my peri anal abcess years ago and you are a stitch.just because you are going back to learn and your not the teacher here i will bet that you will teach the students more than your teacher about life in general with just your experiences that you have had in life.its a two way street and you just might get called upon to share some of your life more than you think.good luck to you.school is a two way street so while you are learning remember that you are also teaching. :eek: GWB :eek: |
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Location: Melbourne Australia | Fantastic news!! Keep it up Randy!!! |
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Location: Huntington Beach | Just roll with it!
I'm working on my final final right now for a certificate program in marketing at UCI. A little different situation - many older people in these programs - but a fair amount of recent grads. I'm 57 and haven't taken classes for over 20 years. Takes more discipline but I think I'm more disciplined in my older age. One bonus is the young pretty girls on campus here in Socal. I'm beginning to understand the dirty old man concept. In a climate where people wear less clothes they tend to stay in better shape. I ramble. Back to work - hit the books! |
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Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | Originally posted by lanaki:
well...here i am, a 52 year old edumacational rebel. i absolutely despised high school where i was usually high, the class smartass and only did just enough to get shuffled on to the next grade.
swore i'd never devote myself to boring book learnin' and thought college would be a mere waste of my social time and lightning-like brain function.
fast forward 34 years: i'm headed out the door for my first day of higher education this morning. i've got tummy rumbles, which might be from last night's black bean garlic chicken & broccoli, but they feel like anxiety bubbles.
it's really odd. beside me on the floor is my book bag/backpack stuffed with the heavy textbooks for this semester and the haunting feelings of being a new kid in school are happening all over again. it's a feeling i was well-acquainted with in my younger days as i was a new kid in 19 different schools, but i was never comfortable in that role, nor did i ever have the chance to develop any long-term friendships. (no wonder i'm still a social outcast deserving of a vacation once in a while!)
i know i'm going to be just fine. i'll most likely still be the class smartass, but am also anticipating doing very well. i will try to remain humble in class as life's experiences have taught me many of the things these young whippersnapper college kids are attempting to learn from books. it'll be cool yearning to say, "i know, i know. pick me!" when i used to just cower in the corner.
have any of you attended college later in life? care to add any thoughts? So you'll be the adult student explaining how things really work?
Like Rodney in Back to School
you'll be fine |
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July 2003
Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | Originally posted by lanaki:
YEEEHAWWWW!! i just completed my first semester of college and my grades were posted today.
english 100 (expository writing) - A
psychology 100 - A
math 24 (algebra) - B (what a miracle!)
speech and communications - A
i certainly struggled through math and cannot believe i pulled a B. must've done a whole lot better on my final yesterday than i was confident about. what an adventure!
(and professor brad, i even had some "hottie" attention.) Congrats and you need to bring your guitar and play lots hotties will give ya attention. :) |
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Posts: 5575
Location: big island | the final day of speech class (last tuesday) was a potluck, food, festivities and fun kinda day. one of my classmates, a young man of 20, brought his guitar. i "just happened" to have two of my guitars out in the car, so i went and fetched 'em. we had a great little time hammin' it up. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by lanaki:
thanks, folks.
i'm headed for a 2 year RN degree initially. this will take me 3 years in order to get the pre-reqs handled first. i then may go on for the bachelor program.
there is a severe shortage of nurses here and then, only one in three students coming out of the pre-reqs will be accepted into the RN program due to a lack of teachers. i'm gonna have stay on top of the game.
Randy, nursing is a great career. My wife's been a nurse for about 30 years and loves it. The work is steady and the pay is great.
We were in Hawaii about 17 years ago and when people found out what my wife did, they kept trying to get her to stay. Then when they found out what I did, I kept hearing the term "divorce" come up in the conversation...... |
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Posts: 194
Location: Las Vegas, NV | Congrats, Randy! And the offer is still open on the math help, especially if I "need" to fly out there to help... |
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OT: a rebel looks at 52 ~ old dogs, new tricks...
