Going to university in your 30s :o

GothicGhost · 9 Sep 2018 at 01:17

I feel a bit old starting university in about two weeks being 34.

I suffer from dyslexia and struggle with doing courses, always been put off doing anything like this before but I need a different/better job because of health issues now.

Most probably will be the oldest student on my course lol.

Raymond Lin · 9 Sep 2018 at 01:24

GothicGhost said:
I feel a bit old starting university in about two weeks being 34.

I suffer from dyslexia and struggle with doing courses, always been put off doing anything like this before but I need a different/better job because of health issues now.

Most probably will be the oldest student on my course lol.

You may be but when i did my LPC there was a old lady who was in retirement age, she would fall asleep in every lecture and snores.

It's hard to beat that!

Tek81 · 9 Sep 2018 at 01:26

If it's any consolation, I started a degree in medicine last year and I'm three years older than you. Also, I'm not the oldest in the class. We have a few people with dyslexia as well. What are you studying?

jpod · 9 Sep 2018 at 01:33

When I was at uni there was a guy older than you in our group of mates who was spot on and you will have a great time. Being more mature is an advantage and good luck with the course. Don't be afraid to visit the library and access all the recommended materials and learn your chosen subject inside out. Best of luck.

Safetytrousers · 9 Sep 2018 at 01:42

On my degree (that I did 19 to 22) starting in 1989 there was a retired woman in her 60's. We treated her as an equal, although obviously she was not part of the student social scene. She did well on the course.

Angilion · 9 Sep 2018 at 02:14

You might be the oldest person on the course, but so what? You'll probably find that you generally won't fancy doing the same things outside of studying that most of the 18 year olds fancy doing, but that won't be any different to not being on the course.

Students in their 30s aren't so rare as to be downright weird. There will be others at the university. You won't be all that unusual. It would probably be worth asking the uni about anything specific they have for mature students and for students with dyslexia, but neither should be a dealbreaker.

dowie · 9 Sep 2018 at 02:28

You'll probably be one of the oldest if it is an undergrad course, you do sometimes get the odd silver haired undergrad or two though so you might still find yourself being the second or third oldest.

If it is an MSc or PhD then you might be surprised, can often be a much wider age range. Not uncommon at all to say take a year out of work and pursue an MSc to help with career progression or a career change. You might well find several people of a similar age/background to yourself.

You'll probably also find that it doesn't matter too much whether your fellow students are 25 or 35, if they've had a bit of work experience and are doing the MSc/PhD for similar reasons then they're probably going to have a lot more in common with you than with some 18 yr olds straight out of school. (Same probably applies to undergrad too if there are any "mature" students in their 20s)

Luke · 9 Sep 2018 at 07:48

I was 35 when I went to uni. I wasn't the oldest.

Efour · 9 Sep 2018 at 08:04

We had a few older on some of our modules.
Living on campus might be weird and hanging out at the SU with a load of 18 year old women might be creepy but a lot of fun too.

Dis86 · 9 Sep 2018 at 09:03

tek81 said:
If it's any consolation, I started a degree in medicine last year and I'm three years older than you. Also, I'm not the oldest in the class. We have a few people with dyslexia as well. What are you studying?

Might be a daft one but are you entirely self funded?

Skorpion · 9 Sep 2018 at 09:05

Good luck and enjoy the ~~booze and the birds~~ education

fastwunz · 9 Sep 2018 at 09:22

I went to unit at 21 but shared a house with a wicked girl - she was 34 and was the life and soul of parties. Nobody batted an eye lid.

Nothing wrong with it - have a great time and get a good group of friends behind you - they will be as important to you as the lectures.

The great thing for you is that being that bit older, you will likely find studying easier than some of the younger crowd lol

sneakysnail · 9 Sep 2018 at 09:35

As others have said it won't be an issue. When you're out and about campus people will probably assumed you're post grad anyway. 34 isn't that old. My gf is turning 32 next month and we regularly hang about on campus and it feels like a natural environment.

If anything we're the ones looking down on the new wet behind the ears Freshers. Some of them look like they've never shaved and are a bit naive to say the least. Life experience is a big benifit to uni life.

Luckystrike123 · 9 Sep 2018 at 09:37

You'll be surprised at the number oldies at university. I'm 35 and 3 years into my chemical engineering degree. I know a couple of people with dyslexia too and they get a lot of help from the university so don't let that deter you.

Sparky__H · 9 Sep 2018 at 09:41

We had a few mature students on my CS course between 30-50.
Quiet, always heads down & worked hard.

I never saw anyone give them grief but it was a course full of nerds.

firstborn · 9 Sep 2018 at 10:22

I started at almost 30. Enjoy every minute, I did. Still enjoying it 20+ years later.

Make full use of any support on offer especially if you've been away from education for a while. And try to forget you are older.

Good luck

Tek81 · 9 Sep 2018 at 10:32

Dis86 said:
Might be a daft one but are you entirely self funded?

No, the course is fully funded by Student Finance England. They were offering loans to people who wanted to study health care related subjects, regardless of age but obviously dependent upon prior qualifications and experience.

Tibbz2 · 9 Sep 2018 at 10:36

During my degree there were maybe 5 or 6 people who were in their middle age, one was retirement age, I wouldn't worry about it

CREATIVE!11 · 9 Sep 2018 at 10:45

GothicGhost said:
I feel a bit old starting university in about two weeks being 34.

I suffer from dyslexia and struggle with doing courses, always been put off doing anything like this before but I need a different/better job because of health issues now.

Most probably will be the oldest student on my course lol.

Don't care about your old excuses.

Good going lad, get in there and do yourself proud.

Age is a number, work hard and come out with a decent grade. No doubt dyslexia will make it a pain writing essays but if you take your time and start them well in advance you will be ok.

Dis86 · 9 Sep 2018 at 10:45

tek81 said:
No, the course is fully funded by Student Finance England. They were offering loans to people who wanted to study health care related subjects, regardless of age but obviously dependent upon prior qualifications and experience.

Hmm, I'll have to look in to this.