If I had a nickle for every time...

"I'm too old to go back to school."  If I had a nickle for every time I have heard that in the past 10 years or so...

You see, for almost 10 years I have been working in admissions at Piedmont College, a small private college in Northeast Georgia, almost nine years in graduate admissions and now almost a year in undergraduate admissions.  In my current role I am in charge of recruiting and the admissions process for "adult learners" at the undergraduate level, which for Piedmont means age 25 and older.

Many I talk to are in one of two categories.  The first is those who haven't even considered the possibility of returning to school.  The other group is those who are beginning the process of gathering information, or perhaps have even made application, but they are very nervous and apprehensive about the whole thing.

I would like to give you just a few bits of insight that may help calm your fears as it relates to returning to school.  This is certainly not a comprehensive list of reasons to attend but will give you some food for thought.

1) You aren't the only one.

I can sense in so many of my prospective students that inside they are feeling like they are the only person on the planet that would possibly consider going to school at their age.  When that becomes evident I will just come out and say to them, "You're not the only one!"  There are a significant number of students enrolled all over the US who are working professionals, or perhaps have recently become unemployed after a 20 year career in manufacturing.  In fact, the average age at Athens Technical College is 26 years old.  That means the average student is an "adult learner."  Did you know that only 15% of currently enrolled college students are "traditional," meaning attend a four year school out of high school and live on campus?  Guess who the other 85% are...

2) It's more affordable than you think.

It is undeniably true that tuition prices across the country have increased significantly and continue to do so.  However, many colleges so value the life experience the adult learner brings to the classroom that they are willing to provide deep discounts.  As an example, Piedmont College offers the Neighborhood Grant Program, which provides a 50% tuition discount for those students who live in the Northeast Georgia area.  If you attend a technical school in Georgia often times the Hope Grant covers most or all of the tuition cost.  Add to that the Pell Grant and other types of funding and the financial aspect of completing a bachelor's degree is often a non-issue.

3) Folks are living longer these days.

So you're going to retire at 62 or even 65, you say?  Maybe you will be in a financial position where you can do that, and that would be wonderful!  But get this...in 1960 the average life expectancy in the US was 69.77.  The average life expectancy as of 2010?  78.24!  Because of the great advancement of medicine and medical training, we are living almost 10 years longer on average than we were 50 years ago.  For that person who is 60 years old and needs maybe two more years to complete a degree, they may still have 18-20 years left of living.  What a great opportunity to make an impact on your community late in life with the knowledge and training you receive from a college degree.

In summary, maybe you or someone you know has thought about the possibility of returning to school but discounted the thought because you felt like you were too old.  Whether it would be a bachelor's or master's degree, I hope what you have read makes you think a little more seriously about what the possibilities could be.



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