Too ould for college?

wiger toods

Hello all!:)

So im not going this year, but im hoping to do so next year.
I didnt go after my leaving for one reason or another, but it was always something i wanted to do.
Get a better education and try and better myself further, but ive also been wondering lately i am too old(ugh)?
Im 26 now but will be 27 soon after i head in there as im an october baby:D.

rob w

I dont think thats too old, im starting in DIT next week and im 26 now! And i know one or two guys that will be in my course that are at least 10 years older than me! If you want to do it, just go for it. I cant wait to get started! :D

wiger toods

rob w wrote: »

I dont think thats too old, im starting in DIT next week and im 26 now! And i know one or two guys that will be in my course that are at least 10 years older than me! If you want to do it, just go for it. I cant wait to get started! :D

Hey, thanks!

I hope everything goes great for you in DIT, Enjoy!:D

KittyeeTrix

Shur, your only a young un' OP!!:p

I started my degree back in '08 aged 34 and am now headed into my final year. I will be 38 finishing it next May......

As for making friends, it was no bother at all. I mostly hang about with another mature student who at 27 is 10 years my junior but I also hang out with many of the class who are aged 21-22. Go for nights out with them, college bar, drinks back at their place and often stay in their place for the night as I live about 25km from NUIG.

Never had a bother at all

tinofapples

wiger toods wrote: »

Hello all!:)

So im not going this year, but im hoping to do so next year.
I didnt go after my leaving for one reason or another, but it was always something i wanted to do.
Get a better education and try and better myself further, but ive also been wondering lately i am too old(ugh)?
Im 26 now but will be 27 soon after i head in there as im an october baby:D.

Not at all ....... go and do it or you will regret it forever.

steve84

If you're thinking about it at all you should go for it! Chances are if you don't, you'll probably regret it later.

I'm 27 now and just about to move to Dublin to start a 4 year degree in TCD. Hadn't done the Leaving Cert before so went back and did it this year.

Definitely not too ould either!

Best of luck with whatever you choose to do!

ronano

Pft never too old!

If you eventually want to do university maybe look into the ucd access programme, if you get over 60 percent you're guaranteed a spot in certain degrees but maybe im wrong cos you're from galway ?

either way good luck

Outkast_IRE

Im 25 and started back this week , nobody will even bat an eyelid .

darragh o meara

I'm 30 myself and in college and I don't feel one bit old !! There will be a lot of older mature students there. Most of the mature students on my course are in the 27-32 age bracket with a few in their 40s. So no your not too old in fact your probably in the right bracket as your not too far gone from education to have forgotten everything plus youll learn a lot easier ( you'll tend to look at things differently and remember them a lot easier.

The supports in most colleges I know have excellent support for mature students so go for it. You won't regret it if you research your course thoroughly

Bobby42

Not too old at all! I'm 26 and in my 2nd year in UCD, plenty of people in their 30's and 40's in my class!
Have to say I'm glad to going to college as a mature student. Much more of a level head on me with exams and essays, I would have been a disaster at 18!
Best of luck!

Moon Indigo

I can understand your point of view. I felt I was old when I first started education at 23! I think its just the fact of association between education and the time you are traditionally supposed to do it. I'm a bit of a slow learner for most things that I should be able to do at my age.

You are definitly not too old. I am starting in NUIM properly on Monday. I was there for mature orientation this week and let me say I was surprised at the range of ages.

You should go for it because you will regret it if you don't. As the OP said look at doing some kind of access course or further education if you haven't already. It will help you no end. Don't let anything stand in the way and its not as if much else is out there now! Best of luck

Ps: does anyone know how to sort my smilies out? when I want to put a smillie it just comes up the letters not the picture.

scholar007

wiger toods wrote: »

Hello all!:)

So im not going this year, but im hoping to do so next year.
I didnt go after my leaving for one reason or another, but it was always something i wanted to do.
Get a better education and try and better myself further, but ive also been wondering lately i am too old(ugh)?
Im 26 now but will be 27 soon after i head in there as im an october baby:D.

My experience - I hit 30 with no qualifications - life going nowhere. Went back to college. Came out at 35 with a couple of degrees and got a great job a month later. That was five years ago and I've never looked back since. Best decision of my life. Go for it!

seract

Never too old, I started 2 years ago aged 40 will be 44 when I'm done.
Was 26 years since I last stood in a classroom except for going to my kids parent/teacher meetings.
Doing IT now and have a GPA of over 80% since I started.
If you want it bad enough anything is possible.

roast

Go for it! Never too late to start college.

Allie79

About to start and I'm 31 - never too late I say!

gavmac07

I'm 32 and going back on Monday to DIT, really don't know what to expect. I just hope there will be other mature students in my class.. as I will be alot older than the school leavers. have any matures done group assignments/projects with the younger students, if so how did you get on?:o

hdowney

not at all too old. i am 26 and i started my course with registration yesterday. go for it. you will be grand

gavmac07

Hopefully! Bit daunting the thoughts, Be grand to get the 1st week over with then settle into it.... where you going to college?

hdowney

gavmac07 wrote: »

Hopefully! Bit daunting the thoughts, Be grand to get the 1st week over with then settle into it.... where you going to college?

im in it tallaght doing culinary arts

scholar007

gavmac07 wrote: »

have any matures done group assignments/projects with the younger students, if so how did you get on?:o

I did (30 - 35) in another 3rd level institution, Some were diligent, some were feckless - Kinda like life in general really. Just concentrate on yourself and your academic studies and nobody elses.

Rooneysdaman

wiger toods wrote: »

Hello all!:)

So im not going this year, but im hoping to do so next year.
I didnt go after my leaving for one reason or another, but it was always something i wanted to do.
Get a better education and try and better myself further, but ive also been wondering lately i am too old(ugh)?
Im 26 now but will be 27 soon after i head in there as im an october baby:D.

Please, this makes me want to laugh and cry, both at the same time. I am a November baby so I will be 45 soon after I begin my latest venture. I have been struggling to go to college and get my degree for quite some time now but circumstances outside of my control have kept me from my goal. No matter, it doesn't make any difference to me whether I'm 40, 42, 45 or 47 when I graduate. I know I will be a very attractive proposition to any potential employer - I will have 20+ quality years of service to offer with no family distractions since my family is reared etc.

Don't buy into all the bull**** about age, do what feels right to you and feck the begrudgers....

LilMsss

Writing as another October baby, you're never to old to expand your knowledge base. I was 17 when I started college the first time, 28 finishing my Masters and am 30 now and in the middle of a PhD - probably looking at 33/34 before I'm finally finished!

There have always been mature students on every course I've ever been on and they always got on fine. It is very seldom that there will only be one mature student on a particular course, so you'll def have company.

I have lectured and taught for a number of years as well, and my oldest student was 65 and achieved things she never thought possible during her time at college. The college experience, like anything is what you make of it - if you're paranoid about your age and let it affect your interactions with other students, then maybe it will become an issue. If you just relax and get to know people for who they are, not their age etc., then you'll do just fine.

gavmac07

Yeah I agree it's what you make it, not paranoid about age really, im easy going and get on with most people but just hoping there's a few heads closer to my age, no disrespect to the young ones, but we would have less in common.. No bother once there's others in the class who are a bit older than school leavers.. Looking forward to it its been 12 yrs since I was at third level haha but roll on the student days again... Its never too late for education for sure!

annex

39 here and starting DIT.

gavmac07

Best of luck annex, nerves are starting to kick in for me.. what you studying?

annex

Thanks Gavmac.
I am studying photography, not really looking forward to tomorrow, I hate inductions but can't wait for the actual classes to start.

ResearchWill

wiger toods wrote: »

Hello all!:)

So im not going this year, but im hoping to do so next year.
I didnt go after my leaving for one reason or another, but it was always something i wanted to do.
Get a better education and try and better myself further, but ive also been wondering lately i am too old(ugh)?
Im 26 now but will be 27 soon after i head in there as im an october baby:D.

I started college at 25 had a fab time, I remember a guy I knew well in college at the time he was doing a postgrad so was a tutor, he became friendly with a guy who was in his tutorial class, started university after his wife passed away. He was in his 80's, and really loved it. The guy telling me the story used to go out on the piss with the guy, who really lived the student experience.

He was telling me the story because when he had arrived back in college at what should have been the start of the old guys third year he discovered, he had died during the summer. I always thought after that it's the way I would love to go. Never too old.

gavmac07

Yeah Ive inductions tomorrow too, do you know whats involved with it? I think it's only for 2 days next week. Hopefully anyway!

carja

Never too old! I'm in my 2nd year at GMIT, I'm forty, married with 3 kids, work part time and enjoying every minute of it! My results for first year even amazed me. My advice to anyone considering going back as a Mature Student is Go for It!

Annasopra

OP no way is that too old - I have studied with people in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s and was recently told of a man who went back to University in his 80s

annex

gavmac07 wrote: »

Yeah Ive inductions tomorrow too, do you know whats involved with it? I think it's only for 2 days next week. Hopefully anyway!

I assume its getting to meet lecturers & classmates, timetables and there is probably going to be some paperwork. There is usually a tour of the library too.
Two days next week would be great but I will expect a full week so I won't be disappointed

In$omniac

You are never too old to learn and increase your knowledge.

I quote: It's never too late to be what you might have been ~ George Elliot

mattjack

I'm 42,just started last week.

Merch

In$omniac wrote: »

You are never too old to learn and increase your knowledge.

I quote: It's never too late to be what you might have been ~ George Elliot

Spot on, no age limit on learning. Its never too late, unless you're dead, then it is, but as the OP posted this I'm assuming it's not coming from the afterlife .

No one will even think anything of it, there are loads of mature students in colleges.
If you want to do it, go for it. Took me a long time to get around to applying and going on a course, eventually I did. Its a good thing that college isn't perceived by some as a place only for those just out of school when everyone else has more experience (the older the better). By all means if a secondary student knows what they want to do, go for it, but equally a more mature student should also go for it too (they are more likely in my opinion to know themselves better and what they want).

In$omniac

mattjack wrote: »

I'm 42,just started last week.

Matt I'm not too far behind you but as a fem I never tell my age I started BTE last year and the only regret I have is not having returned years ago, I'm loving it.

Long Term Louth

In$omniac wrote: »

You are never too old to learn and increase your knowledge.

I quote: It's never too late to be what you might have been ~ George Elliot

Did George want to be a man, do you think

I am 44 and go into 2nd year St Pats next week, only realising now how little I know.

Hawk Wing 2

started Monday and I'm 34

mikeyboy

Of course you're not too old OP. My uncle has just finished his degree in Cork and he's about to turn sixty next month, his only regret is that he didn't do it years ago. Go for it kid!

Geekness1234

I know a teacher who in her sixties quit to do archeology.

looksee

I left school at 16 with no qualifications to speak of, turned 50 in college where I came joint first in the class with a 22 year old, and will retire from teaching next summer. So what do I do next!

jkwxez12yrdgbq

I'm 28 and just started back this week. My mum went back at 55 and loved every minute of it, she was 59 graduating and went on nights out in Whelan's with all the young ones! You're never to old to go back to education!

gavmac07

Hawk Wing 2 wrote: »

started Monday and I'm 34

where you at it?

wiger toods

Hey everyone!:D

Thanks for all the replies! Having read each and everyone of them, its fair to say i am now totally relaxed about it all.
Im currently studying Level 5 Psychology and will be hoping to continue studying psychology next year probably in UL. I would have preferred Nuig but thats not important.
Thanks again, yee are great so yee are!:)

Cravez

You're never too old to start college, my friend had a 60+ year old elderly woman in his class studying for a third level degree.