Any older students??

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I just turned 28 in November & will be starting college in the Fall of 2013 to get my BSN. I've just not had the time or money to be able to pursue my career until now. I realize that having been out of school for 10 years getting in the swing of things will be somewhat difficult, but I'm hoping that my level of maturity will really help my resolve & drive. Is anyone else in my same boat or been in it? And advice?

I earned my first BA in 2004 (straight out of high school) but do to a series of life events, was unable to pursue a career in the field I studied. Fast forward to fall 2010, where I enrolled at the local junior college to pursue pre-reqs for the nursing program. After 2 grueling years of pre-reqs while working full time and turning 30 in September, I will be starting an ABSN program on January 7 at Samuel Merritt University! :) Most of the students in my cohort are actually OLDER than me, so don't sweat it at all. I do have to say that the second go-around has been much more rewarding for me. Life skills have enhanced my learning and just made me a better student. I record everything and am no longer afraid of instructors as I was the first time.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

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Age does give you a leg up. when some are talking about parties and peers, you are thinking deadlines and tests. I am 38 and have decided to change careers!!! I am in pre-req's and will apply to my nursing program in the fall. To me, it feels like I am retaining more information and learning more, than when I was in school 20 years ago, but then again, maybe now I am paying attention!!LOL. Hey, I have 10 years on you, so if I can do it, so can you!!! Good luck. time management is the key!!!

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Wow thanks for sharing your story. I am 54 and have returned to college to get my nursing degree after being and LVN for 28 yrs.

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I turned 28 in June and am about to start my 2nd semester of my BSN program. In fact, there are a lot of other students my age in my program, as well as many older than us.

No real advice because I haven't seen this as a disadvantage of any kind. You've got life (and school - I hear you on the 10 years of college!) experience to help prepare you for entering the program. I'll tell you what I tell anyone starting a nursing program: it's an entirely different kind of experience, no matter how much college experience you've had! Like you, I've been in college for 10 years before starting my program and this really is unlike anything I've done to this point. Don't beat yourself up if you struggle with it at first. Make friends and study with them. That was hard for me, but it really does help. Don't be afraid to talk to your professors, whether you're struggling or excelling. They're there for a reason.

Good luck!

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these threads always make me feel so much better! I am 28 now but will be at least 35+ by the time I finish my ultimate goal. I've never felt old before, but being in class with a bunch of teenagers has made me feel so lol

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I look at my situation now as compared to 10 years ago right out of high school, and I am MUCH more well equipped to go to college and excel now than before. Don't get me wrong, I was a very good student, but I had NO support then. Actually, I was enrolled in college and about to start when my parents convinced me that it was a smarter decision to just get a good job (making $10/hr), than to go to college. They didn't want me to have to get school loans and be in debt afterwards. Great parents, right?! Anyway, now I have a supportive man, that is giving me the opportunity to go to school full time and not have to work at all unless I choose to so that I can concentrate on my education. It still infuriates me at them when I look back and some of the stuff they held me back from doing to further my education, just because they were lazy and didn't want to be involved, but realize it has made me that much stronger. It might not be right, but that anger and resentment fuels me on further to get my degree.

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I started back at school when I was 33 years old and, hopefully, will be starting my BSN program this fall when I am 36. I just was not in the right place to start back in school until a few years back, and I am very happy that I waited. I think that I am a better student now than I would have been 10 years ago. I am driven and I have had a lot of time to make sure this is what I really want to do, and it is and I am willing to give up a lot of things to make this happen!

I also understand about being angry at your parents. I was restricted to only going to a local commuter college, and at 18, I was not very motivated to go to school because of that. I quit after a semester to manage a retail store and then went back to a local "trade" school to get my degree in occupational therapy, which I never really wanted to do, but the school was close and it was in healthcare, which is the field I always wanted to be in, and it was better than folding jeans all day! But, all of this led me to working with a couple of ER nurses and I figured out that I wanted to be a nurse.

Sometimes the road is longer than anticipated about getting to nursing school, but I really feel it is experiences that we receive along the way that will help us get through school and become really fabulous nurses! Good luck with your degree!!

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Hmm, I was 28 when I was in LPN school and I was among one of the younger students. And almost all the ones who dropped out were in the 21 or younger crowd....

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I started LPN school at 39, I'm starting RN school at 43. Your never to old

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Specializes in HIV, Psych, GI, Hepatology, Research.

28 is not old :)

I'm 38 and will have my ADN before I'm 40, God willing!!!

Who knows if I will advance from there. I'm not going to let my age stop me.

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I know 28 isn't "old", just out of the educational game for awhile. I got a couple of study books to get ready for my math and science placement tests for my school and Algebra seemed like a foreign language to me until I started back reading through everything! In my job now, I do a lot of math, but not just straight algebra.

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I just turned 28 in November & will be starting college in the Fall of 2013 to get my BSN. I've just not had the time or money to be able to pursue my career until now. I realize that having been out of school for 10 years getting in the swing of things will be somewhat difficult but I'm hoping that my level of maturity will really help my resolve & drive. Is anyone else in my same boat or been in it? And advice?[/quote']

The best cohort, in my opinion, is a mix of every age. In my cohort, we have students in their early twenties to the oldest which is in the late forties. We informally have a dad and a mom for the cohort as these two classmates acted like parents for our group. Other older classmates take the role of older brothers and sisters and we take care of the younger members of our cohort when they needed help in life.

My dad got hid PH.D. In his 50s. One of my classmate in a Geri class is her her 60s and she is getting her social worker degree.

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