• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

Too late go back to school ?

GoofKing

GoofKing

All your bases are belong to us
Is thirty too late to go back to college or community college ? It seems like it would feel awkward to be the oldest in class with a bunch of college freshmen. I would feel like that twenty something year old still stuck in the eleventh grade. I had one of those people in my class before. It would feel like I was dead last and light years behind everyone else who hadn't nearly wasted ten years goofing off with no direction in their lives. I could be the smartest one in class and It would feel like that meant crap because I procrastinated for so long.

People told me that it's never too late to go back to school but they don't know what it would feel like to be the loser who waited too long.
 
GoofKing said:
Is thirty too late to go back to college or community college ? It seems like it would feel awkward to be the oldest in class with a bunch of college freshmen. I would feel like that twenty something year old still stuck in the eleventh grade. I had one of those people in my class before. It would feel like I was dead last and light years behind everyone else who hadn't nearly wasted ten years goofing off with no direction in their lives. I could be the smartest one in class and It would feel like that meant crap because I procrastinated for so long.

People told me that it's never too late to go back to school but they don't know what it would feel like to be the loser who waited too long.
Click to expand...

It's never too late ..... don't worry about what people think. You're doing it for yourself.... no one else. Go for it!
 
No, it's not too late. I went to college when I was in my 30's as well. It's no big deal, although you will of course be surrounded by people much younger than you are.
 
I went back to college at age 28. To my surprise there was someone else my age at the time plus another few who were older. I wouldn't compare last course to the possible next ones. Age is just a number. No one will really think much of it as a bad thing. You're not a loser. You would be if you don't go. ;-) Enjoy yourself!
 
You could put yourself forward to be class rep and get paid for it if you have the confidence. The younger ones (well, any age) might need someone to look up to for support that you can pass on to the tutors. It's totally informal.
 
Kirsty said:
I went back to college at age 28. To my surprise there was someone else my age at the time plus another few who were older. I wouldn't compare last course to the possible next ones. Age is just a number. No one will really think much of it as a bad thing. You're not a loser. You would be if you don't go. ;-) Enjoy yourself!
Click to expand...

Did you or any of the older students have a second grade math comprehension level ? :/ I forgot to add that. I heard that you would need to take an aptitude test or something so that the college has an idea of what levels you are at.
 
My Mom went back in her late forties! She connected with other non-traditional students. They studied Together, hung out on campus together.

Math challenges: if you go to the campus center for disabilities and mention your ASD plus math difficulties, you can likely get some supports and accommodations in place. If you have documentation on dyscalculia, (if you have that) your math class requirements may even be waived.

Nothing to lose and everything to gain by going back to school! Best of good wishes! :)
 
Warmheart said:
My Mom went back in her late forties! She connected with other non-traditional students. They studied Together, hung out on campus together.

Math challenges: if you go to the campus center for disabilities and mention your ASD plus math difficulties, you can likely get some supports and accommodations in place. If you have documentation on dyscalculia, (if you have that) your math class requirements may even be waived.

Nothing to lose and everything to gain by going back to school! Best of good wishes! :)
Click to expand...

You mean documentations that I have dyscalculia ? I'll need my mother to help me get documentations on that sort of that thing. The only problem is she's acting very unreliable at the moment.
 
College and above can always be taken by adults, no matter how old you are. It is a different playing field and a different environment than when you were in a K-12 school as a child.
 
Brother, it's a new era! The days of only young 'uns going to school for training are over. The modern world being what it is, its not unusual for some to have to reinvent themselves at forty or fifty to keep working.

You might end as The Big Man on Campus, but I bet you won't be the oldest one.
 
I am 64. I still think of taking classes. Being the oldest one is the last thing on my mind. Frankly I think older students are sexy! lol
 
When I started university in 2004, there were a large number of people in their 30's and even 40's on my course. Nobody gave them a second look, and just accepted that there's no age limit to learning.
 
I am 29 and in college right now. I start my Spring semester tomorrow and am very excited about it. If you study something you are passionate about it will help you forget about what others may think.
 
I went to college in my late 20s/early 30s. The official term they use is 'returning students' because many times these types have had jobs and life experiences that shaped their decision to return to school. I had quite a few 'older' students on my campus because of closings of factories/plants in the area and the state was paying for further education for different jobs. My advice is just go and learn. I really don't think anyone is even going to notice your age.
 
I'd say go for it. I started university when I was 18, and although I was smart enough for uni, I wasn't quite ready to be an adult yet. I dropped out a few times due to mental health issues and now, at 30, I still don't have my masters degree.
I'm returning to uni again in 3 weeks after over two years of staying at home.
I'll be 31 when most students in my course will be closer to 21. I'm scared of failing again, I feel awkward in advance for what my fellow students will think of my age, but I know I'll regret not going back.

On a side note, I studied Archaeology for a few years, and about half of the students were over 40 years old. They were parents that wanted to study now that they didn't need to take care of their children full-time, people that had decided to turn over a new leaf in their 50's, and there were two pensioners that got bored and wanted to broaden their horizons. I thought these were the coolest people for just doing what they liked.

TLDR: Go for it, don't worry too much about your age.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom