What is it like auditing an undergrad class as an adult?

November 28, 2023 11:23 AM

I have an interest in doing some continuing ed in film studies and one of the universities near me has a good program and apparently the way they do continuing ed is you just... take an undergrad class? Which seems weird but idk. So, I'm 42--what am I getting into? Am I going to feel really weird and out of place? Gracias.
posted by rhymedirective to Education (12 answers total)

You'll get a lot out of it!
Speaking as someone who went back to school as an adult (and I was older than you!) I enjoyed being with younger people, making friends with them, and learning new things. Can't recommend highly enough.
posted by mmf at 11:30 AM on November 28, 2023

These days students don't really hang out and make friends in class. They come in, and look at their phones until class starts, then they leave. Their social lives stem mainly from their living situations, social media networks and activities, not their classrooms. You might get put into a group for a project, then you'll meet them in a more conversational way and they will be polite and engaged with you but probably won't invite you to their parties. But they also won't invite the other 20 year olds in the project group to their party either.
My point is that classes these days aren't really social hubs and the other students will not make much of your being there one way or the other. That should be liberating to you! Just go learn and enjoy.
posted by ojocaliente at 11:47 AM on November 28, 2023

I graduated from college when I was about your age and no one blinked an eye that I was older than the rest of the people in my classes. I was 38 years old when I attended classes in Mexico through my college along with my 20-something year old fellow students, and I became best friends with a 24 year old fellow student while there. No one seemed to pay any attention to my age.
posted by SageTrail at 11:56 AM on November 28, 2023

Feeling weird and out of place will depend on a number of factors - if the school is primarily residential or commuter and if the school is urban or rural. Program size will also have an impact. Most students today are commuter - 85%, and institutions that serve urban commuters tend to more generally reflect their community and will have folks of all ages. Your age would not be exceptional. And a small residential university will inherently be more insular and I would generally expect anyone would be viewed as novel, regardless of age. Which isn't necessarily weird.

I was older than my cohorts, and there was regularly students older than myself in classes at my urban commuter university. Several times I was older than the instructor - I started as 'non-degree', similar to auditing, but my status made little actual difference in class. I did this all twice - and the first time the program was small which meant my cohort was small. Sometimes I wasn't included in social activities - but I also had a job and was married so I often wasn't available for their shenanigans. The second time the program was three times larger and much more professional oriented - it never felt weird. But I also never really felt a personal connection. The larger program was like how ojocaliente described it - a widget factory.

In defense of the small program - any periods of weirdness are more than worth the actual connections I made with these folks. I remain in social contact with most of the people from the first program, while the second are largely relegated to LinkedIn. In fact I'm strongly considered more classes - and it would likely be at a rural university dominated by residential students.
posted by zenon at 12:04 PM on November 28, 2023

As a teacher, I've always enjoyed older students in the classroom. They have a lot more life experience to bring to discussion/questions/comments, and are generally just better students overall— they do their work on time, are less likely to complain or act entitled, that sort of thing. So have fun and expect that your instructor will probably also be glad to have you!
posted by SaltySalticid at 12:09 PM on November 28, 2023

Please remember that traditionally-aged undergraduates spent a year or two or more at home during the pandemic, and a lot of them feel weird in the classroom, too. Older adults being there is fine, before the pandemic and maybe even more so now when many young folks are still getting their footing socially and academically.
posted by bluedaisy at 12:57 PM on November 28, 2023

Depending on the institution, the average age of students might be higher than you think. Last time I checked for the local college, it was over 30. Demographics also vary depending on the time of day. Returning students are better represented in morning/evening classes, in my experience, and midday classes tend to be younger, on average.
posted by abraxasaxarba at 1:52 PM on November 28, 2023

Find out whether students who audit a class are expected to do the homework and take the exams. At our local college, auditors are expected to come and listen, do the readings, contribute to class discussions but not to do the graded assignments. This also means that they usually weren't involved in group assignments. If that is the case, then you will probably have even less interaction with other students which might make a weird for you but a nonevent for the other students.
posted by metahawk at 1:55 PM on November 28, 2023

Hi! I’m a returning part time undergrad at 49 years old, in film production. I at first was kinda uncomfortable in my first in-person class but got over it. It’s just school, nobody’s paying attention to you or going to think you’re weird for being there, and the teacher is going to appreciate that you bring maturity to class and your homework. There’s no downside to your age.
posted by AzraelBrown at 7:22 PM on November 28, 2023

When I was an undergrad, it would have been weirder if there weren’t any mature* students in my classes. That’s how normal it is. Go get your learning on!

*Anyone over 25 is considered a ‘mature student’ in these parts.
posted by macdara at 2:16 AM on November 29, 2023

At one point I attended several film studies classes because they were pretty much a repertoire movie theatre. A third of the people there only showed up when the class was screening a movie they wanted to watch and did not participate at all in discussion or stay for the lecture.

Now this is probably not typical, especially now, and the school was Princeton, so maybe not your typical school. But I think you will find that film studies will attract more people who are there for the films than for the certificates than many other programs where people just want the certificate for employment reasons.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:03 AM on November 29, 2023

I am a visual arts professor:

No one cares. Older students, depending on individual temperament, integrate with the class just fine the same as younger students. It's really no deal at all.

These days students don't really hang out and make friends in class.

This is not my experience. Again, in hands-on visual arts classes. Sometimes the older students make friends too. A week ago a current class of mine class organized their own group outing to a museum and included a 30-something.
posted by cmoj at 6:48 PM on November 29, 2023