Old bat, new cave

December 24, 2024 12:50 PM

I'm nearly 60, mostly retired and fairly idle. I'm contemplating entering a fulltime academic program that will take five years to complete. Have you, a fellow Old, done anything similar? How did it go?

Remember Danny Glover in the "Lethal Weapon" movies intoning: "I'm too old for this?" Well, perhaps I'm not too old! But I am concerned about going from 0 to 60 in terms of my time commitments. And I'm not absolutely sure I'm up for the intellectual challenge.

If this endeavor sounds like something you have done, tell me about it! Doesn't matter if you "finished" or not - in fact, if things did not turn out in an ideal way, tell me about that too.

Some factoids about the program and me so you can compare and contrast your own case:

• It's in Islamic religious studies, and learning classical Arabic is one of the first items on the agenda. Fortunately I have a little of a head start there, although I have quite a ways to go.
• I do in fact have a deep and abiding interest in everything that's being taught, and I have some favorite subjects among those.
• Attendance is all online. You are expected to show up for live class most of the time, 2 - 7 pm on weekdays, with breaks for meals / prayer / self-care.
• There's no homework per se; you do your work in class. There are periodic assessments and a final exam at the end of each module.
• The program is very well-regarded and is amazingly inexpensive given the value of what's being taught.
• I could easily shift to a part-time schedule if I wanted.
• I am NOT doing this primarily to start a second career, although I do hope to be able to teach what I've learned eventually, just as a pay-it-forward gesture.
• Why yes, I am autistic with a side of ADHD, and it can be difficult for me to get my ADLs done even now. Fun level 3.

posted by rabia.elizabeth to Education (15 answers total)

Best answer: I just retired from an academic career so I don't fit the description, however, my late mother sort of does, at about age 50 she went back to University to take some courses, got deeply immersed in Medieval art history, ended up getting a PhD in her early 60s, and from about age 55 to 75 she spent a few months of each year doing research based out of an institute in Rome, with side quests to Turkey, Serbia, Macedonia, Croatia, Greece, London, and elsewhere. She published several articles and wrote a well-recieved book. I firmly believe this was the happiest and most engaging part of her life. Of course, while not wealthy, she had the resources to fund this lifestyle, though she also did some teaching which she enjoyed greatly.

In my own work I had numerous "mature students" and they almost invariably brought heightened levels of curiosity, discipline, and hard work compared to their 20-something peers.
posted by Rumple at 2:12 PM on December 24, 2024 [22 favorites]

I went back to school in my late fifties, got a masters in library science and worked as an academic librarian until I was 70. I don't regret it at all. Go for it!
posted by mareli at 3:24 PM on December 24, 2024 [6 favorites]

Best answer: Age is a state of mind -- you can be "too old and set in your ways" at an early age, and just come into your own with the maturity and wisdom that accompanies decades of experience.

If you don't do it, how old will you be in five years? What else will you do with your precious time and energy -- things that are priceless.
Go for it.

By the way, I earned my second bachelors degree and my masters in education in my late 30s / early 40s. Good times.
posted by TrishaU at 3:28 PM on December 24, 2024 [4 favorites]

My father earned a master's in a totally new field in his sixties. He adored the process, and still maintains tires with some of his professors more than a decade later. It even contributed to some professional consulting opportunities for him late in his career. You can always try it and see if you enjoy the process enough to continue.
posted by Ausamor at 4:48 PM on December 24, 2024 [1 favorite]

As a 69 year old, retiring next year...if I didn't have other plans, something like this would be very much in my wheelhouse. You're only 60? Go for it!
posted by lhauser at 5:27 PM on December 24, 2024 [2 favorites]

I went back to grad school in my 50s, finishing my MFA at 59. Zero regrets - it was a good experience and has definitely enhanced my art practice. Being a student with much younger classmates was enriching and challenging - go for it!
posted by leslies at 7:16 PM on December 24, 2024 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Do it! Intellectual and vocational engagement throughout the lifespan is linked with better outcomes in older age (per this incredible, ongoing study, also described here. They have been looking at total environmental factors and clinical and postmortem outcomes in nuns over decades. TLDR, although everyone should R, the nuns who did things like pursue graduate studies and career changes in their later years functioned much, much better than those who didn’t, even when brain scans showed deterioration. Incredible.)

I’m close to 50 and studying, managing somehow despite being an elder caregiver. If you have no such obligations, so much the better for you!

Zoom classes can be good, it’s really nice to not have to commute to campus.
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:17 PM on December 24, 2024 [4 favorites]

I am sorry I did not go to grad school in my 50s. I do not have the energy for it now.
posted by theora55 at 7:54 PM on December 24, 2024 [1 favorite]

I think furthering your education in a field you're passionate about is an excellent idea at any age. The only thing that gives me pause about what you're suggesting is the fact it's all online. It could be wonderful but it could possibly be isolating, give you eye strain, etc. So if I were you I'd probably go into it with the mindset of giving it a chance and not beating myself up about it if I decided after a while it wasn't for me. Would that be a possibility?
posted by hazyjane at 12:37 AM on December 25, 2024 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Update: just submitted my application for the part-time option (9 hours a week). The advisors tell me that it's easy enough to switch to fulltime (or back again) if need be, so I'm doing the equivalent of wading into the pool as opposed to cannonballing in.

Thanks to everyone who responded! God willing, I will likely post updates to my (forever free of charge) Substack if you're interested in following.
posted by rabia.elizabeth at 6:30 AM on December 25, 2024 [14 favorites]

I'm 71 and would love to go back to school, if I could afford it. I so envy Michael Nicholson. I might try to audit a couple classes this year if auditing is still affordable for the Olds. Retention is harder now, my attention span is shorter--getting old sucks, so be prepared. One thing on your side, at least you have interest, a work ethic, and don't think your main focus is to find romance and party hardy. I'm amazed at the youngsters that aren't in love with everything they're able to learn. (Eh, at 18 I liked school, but I was in luuuve. Stupid me.)
posted by BlueHorse at 9:31 AM on December 25, 2024 [2 favorites]

I was one of the older students when I went back to grad school and my experience (and what I heard from my profs) was that older students tend to be among the most successful. My experience was that older students (which included some stay at home moms going back to a school/work environment in their late 50s) are often much better at time management and will actually go to office hours and read the syllabus.
posted by forkisbetter at 10:42 AM on December 25, 2024 [2 favorites]

I have a former girlfriend who started college in her mid-50s and completed a Masters in Education when she was 59. She had a great time and enjoyed the experience.

She became an elementary school teacher after that.
posted by jvbthegolfer at 1:35 PM on December 25, 2024 [2 favorites]

I'm in college part-time right now, started when I was 48 and will graduate when I'm 52. I'm at the point in my life when I have the time and money to do so - my wife calls it my delightful midlife crisis! It is definitely worth it, just to do it, it is very fulfilling.
posted by AzraelBrown at 2:28 PM on December 25, 2024 [2 favorites]

Maybe take a look at Nell Painter’s Old in Art School?
posted by praemunire at 4:42 PM on December 25, 2024 [1 favorite]