After almost fifteen years of resting my academic brain, I am a college student once again. (Check out my Facebook page for my official back to school pic.) It takes some people longer than others to figure out what they want to be when they grow up. I’m a University Studies Major, which is basically a choose your own adventure major. My core curriculum is in Fashion Merchandising, Business, and child development.
I had a crazy first week of school, and as any good blogger would, I’m going to tell you all about it. If you’re also a thirtysomething college student you can laugh with me. And if not you can always laugh at me. Here are a few things I learned during my first week back in school…
1. It’s physically strenuous.
As I type this, my shoulders, back, and legs ache. Ok, to be honest, everything aches. Somehow it never occurred to me that walking two to three miles a day while wearing a 40 pound backpack would be a problem. I’m still relatively young, and in relatively good shape, so I just went for it with no prior training. WRONG! I should have trained for this like I’d train for a 5k. Wait, no, training for 2 weeks and then giving up and drinking a bottle of wine probably wouldn’t have helped.
2. Heels are not an option.
I love heels and wear them almost daily. I wear wedges in the summer, and chunky-heeled boots in the winter. Period. All of my pants are hemmed to accommodate a two to three inch heel. Oh, and one more thing, I never wear sneakers unless I’m at the gym (which is never, so that last part is irrelevant). Since Algebra is back in my life again here’s an equation for you:
Heels + 40lb Backpack x 5 days= A trip to the chiropractor
My back is not 20 anymore, so now I’m the proud owner of some black Nikes. I don’t hate them.
3. Kids these days are chronically uninterested.
I’m a 34-year-old woman in a sea of 18-year-old kids. I could literally be their mother. And I’m not using literally in the way they use it because that figuratively drives me crazy. I mean literally. I don’t expect to become best friends with any of them. I expect them to sound whiny and entitled, because all kids that age do (Lord knows I did). What shocks me is their ostensible apathy. These kids are expending so much mental energy trying to act like they don’t give a damn that I’m not sure how they have any left to do their classwork. This is an actual conversation I overheard in my Fashion Merchandising class:
Girl 1: “I feel like I should actually wear real clothes this class…because it’s, like, a class about fashion.”
Girl 2: (Sighs) “I just can’t bring myself to do that.”
Girl 1: “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
Maybe I wouldn’t have found that so irritating if I wasn’t so tired. From waking up at 5:30. To get myself and my FOUR children ready and fed and on the bus for school.
4. “Hey, aren’t you Zooey’s* dad?”
I live in a college town and I’m in my thirties, so it stands to reason that I know several college professors. Before school started I carefully went through my schedule to make sure none of my professor friends were going to be teaching me. However, I didn’t cross reference every professor with every possible way I could know them. It turns out I know my Writing professor. His daughter is in my daughter’s class and rides the same school bus. I probably don’t have to list for you all of the ways that could be awkward. I’ve decided to embrace the awkwardness in this situation. I’ll let you know how that goes.
5. I Forgot Algebra.
As a person who took college calculus in 12th grade, I originally scoffed at the idea of taking Remedial Algebra. Then I took the Algebra assessment test and got an embarrassingly low score. Still, I thought, it’s no big deal! Algebra is just hidden somewhere in the deep recesses of my brain. Surely I can find it and dust if off and breeze through this class. Nope. I am learning it all again, from scratch. A negative times a negative is…pretty much how I feel about learning this crap again.
I would love to keep going, but I have to go research rolling backpacks right now because ouch my achin’ back!
Are you a thirty-something college student? Tag your Twitter and Instagram posts with #30somethingcollegestudent and tell me what you’ve been up to!
*Names have been changed to protect me from an awkward conversation with my writing professor.
Hey, good for you!
I am also going back to school after many years of being out and I am trying to pretend like the age difference doesn’t matter. I agree it is phisically tiring! I didn’t remember this!
I am also greatful that I am old enough to appreciate what taking this seriously could do for me now and in the future + I am couting of my wisdom to do well in difficult situations (just making this up, but there must be an advantage we have in this situation 🙂
I like the way you think!
Hey I’m a 34 yr old college returner too! I’m doing it distance learning though as I live in Saudi. I did my first degree at 23 and felt so old then, not the same but I feel your pain. Lots of luck and look forward to reading your posts
Thank you! I need all the luck I can get at this point.
Hey, good for you. Another 30something college student here *holla*. It’s tough man, I need to work on my patience with the youngins, they annoy the crap out of me most days(not literally) haha but it is an experience I embrace and I’m absolute loving.
Good luck to you!!
Balancing the kids and my school work is my biggest challenge right now. I feel guilty when I ignore them to do school work and guilty when I ignore my school work to take care of them!
Ha! Love this! I love following your 30-something college adventures, but man I do not envy that — college is hard work! When I think about the schedule that I used to keep in college and law school … well, it makes me want to take a nap. Add caring for 4 kids to the mix, and you get some SERIOUS props, girl.
Buy yourself another pair of Nikes and get a massage this weekend. I’ll look forward to following more of your adventures!
As a college instructor I’m always amazed by the grit of the non-traditional students. To juggle the requirements of college on top of “real” life- kudos!
PS- most of us love the 30 something students because you guys rock! i.e. lack the apathy of the youngin’s 🙂
Thank you Jacklyn! I needed to hear that today! Finding a balance between family and school is my biggest challenge at this point.
Hi
Well I will let you figure my age. I graduated Hi-school in 1957 Went to a 4 year college for while. Got married, raise my family.
Started back to school, Needed adults to talk to. Husband was overseas in the airforce. Found out the J. College I was going to had a nursing program. Started the program with my children’s help. Husband still away from home.
Graduated with an ASN in Nursing, Worked for while. then started 4 year program. Graduated with BSN in 1988.
Retired in 2007.
You can do it. If age diffence brothers you, take some night classes.
Try being a fifty-something college student! Yup, I’ve let almost 30 years go by in my return to college, but this time, I’m doing it the “easy” way–all online classes, for an online degree. So much easier on the back. 🙂
As a thirty something college prof, I appreciate my non-traditional students. 1) you have a (busy) life, so you’re serious from day 1, 2) your interest often rubs off on the kiddos even when they try to hide it, and 3) you want to be here (see #1). Although I must admit to being apathetic myself at graduation (as I don my robe and march every year), I almost always tear up when I see the parents graduating. I know what this means for them and their kids. Good luck!
I was 52 when I graduated from UTA School of Nursing!!! YOU can DO it!!! It took me 4 semesters (3 remedial) to make my 4.0 in College Algebra!!! Be glad and be confident in your abilities! Be glad you didn’t wait until you were n your 50’s!!!
Hey love the article. I started college a bit late, some may say, but I actually look a it (after many inspiring talks with random people over the course of this journey) like I started right on time. If I look back, to the me that would have gone to college if that one pesky school had accepted me (Damn you Beloit!), but didn’t because of that, even though many other colleges did, I certainlly wouldn’t have been ready for the challanges ahead! To really suceed in college, I have learned, you have to be tenacious! I don’t regret for a moment not going to college right after high school, and instead living an amazing, adventurous, outdoor life on the fringes of society. As it goes, the decision to go to college was a calling, a deep inner urge crying out for knowledge. And I’m having a blast!