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Health & Fitness

The Adult College Student

You're considered an "Adult Student" if you have been out of high school for 3 years or more. Yeah, I think I qualify as an Adult Student.

“I was 50 when I started college and I just finished my degree.  You’ll find LOTS of people our age in college now.”  This was said to me as I took my placement tests.  Then, from a 19-year-old family member who is in college now, “There are tons of old people in my classes.  You’ll fit right in!”  I found this strangely comforting.

So I did it; I enrolled at Tacoma Community College this fall as a full-time student to fill in the blanks left by a lifetime of sporadic and capricious college class attendance.  Upon reviewing my transcripts, it was discovered that I had duplicated almost all my basic, core classes. 

“Why?” my puzzled advisor asks.  Well, because years ago I was told by some random person that those credits were “no good” after 7 years and I didn’t have the good sense to consult an advisor first back then.  My milk carton has an expiration date so why not college credits?  I guess knowledge picked up on the street as an adult is just as unreliable as it was in high school.

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Now where are all these “old people” I was promised?

I am attending the this quarter and it’s wonderful.  A beautiful building with ample parking, it’s small enough where you don’t feel lost in a crowd.  But I can’t help but look around and wonder “Who let all these kids in here?”  I am terrible at guessing ages but it’s a no-brainer that, at age 43, I am easily twice the age of 90% of my fellow students.

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At first I was a little disconcerted by being an elder (probably even eldest) student in all three of my classes but that quickly dissipated.  I have found my classmates to be intelligent and thoughtful.  At times their insight has blown me away.  It makes for far more interesting discussions to have input from all different perspectives.

So I’ll happily continue my journey to obtain a degree.  In what, I don’t know yet.  I already have a graduate degree from the School of Life.  I majored in Bad Decisions.  So I do know that I would like to pursue a different subject matter this time.  That much I am sure of.

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