Older students biased against younger students?

[Stephanieee]

First let me say that I'm not trying to start an argument on this thread, but I want to bring to everyone's attention a situation I was in yesterday.

Soo, yesterday morning I went to register for summer courses and I was standing in line between two very nice women who were in their early 30s (I am 20). We were all talking about the nursing program etc and both women started talking about how this was a second career for them and they feel that older people should receive spots in programs over people straight out of high school because they are wiser and have more life experiance. Usually I would just brush comments like these off (even though I am not just out of high school, I have been taking pre-reqs since I graduated in 2007 and have been accepted into a program for Fall 2009), but they would not stop going on and on about teenagers and even people in their early 20s not knowing what they want to do with their lives. I really take offense to this because I'm working very hard to achieve my goal of becoming a RN, does anyone else come in contact with people that have this same mindset?

[Di Deanna]

many "youngins" go off to college and really have no idea what they want to do...so they pick a "whatever" degree and party away mommy and daddy's money. or, perhaps they do know what they want to do, but because they go straight from hs to college, many times they really haven't had to get out on their own and support themselves...and a lot of the time, they aren't paying for their tuition..so they really don't feel the pressure that some of us do. ( i have seen this a million times! it's so annoying.)

most adults who are in college, are working, and/or paying for their tuition. they are not there to play around, at that point, and are determined to get their money's worth for their education. now please, don't get mad at me, because there are some "youngins" that are in the same position and achieving the same thing...but it's really not as common when compared to "grown ups" .

i remember when i reached hs, i changed my mind about my major soooo many times. i finally said, " ok, i'm going to go for a degree in english, i'm good at it..and it's easy enough". yep- got out on my own, fell on my behind a few times, struggled to pay the bills..lived like a real adult in the real world...changed my mind in a heartbeat. i learned that value of " something that is worth something is not easy". so i landed on nursing :).

i'm not sure why it took me that long to set my foot down on nursing. it had always been an interest of mine. in fact, when i was 4 years old, my mom had us at the dinner table and asked my sister and i what we wanted to be when we grew up. my sister (2 at the time) said, " i want to be the easter bunny". i, on the other hand, said very uppity (to show that i was a big girl), " well i am going to be a nurse". lol. it's on videotape until this day.i must have blown it off for a few years (ages 17-20) because i didn't believe in myself..or thought there was an easier way "out". hate to admit it..but it's true.

so in essence, what i am trying to say is...i see how one might perceive that. but i also think that those women feel threatened for competition and you have every right to be there just as much asthey do. when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter what your age if you have a great academic standing, ambition, and dedication. so...go you!

[petunia2016]

I'll be an "older" nursing student this fall. I just wanted to say that what you overheard was likely not meant to be offensive at all. In my own experience, when I was fresh out of high school, I was ill prepared to pick a career and be responsible for myself. I felt like choosing my major was signing my life away. I wasn't committed enough and didn't care much for school, one way or another. I'm sure these women were remembering feeling the exact same way I once did. Friends of mine who chose majors straight out of high school and graduated with degrees now wish that they had taken time off or waited. Why? Because they now realize they didn't have the maturity to make the right choices. They went along for the ride.

I'm not ageist at all. I realize there are young students who are responsible and mature. But experience has shown (yes, experience!) that the older student is usually more serious than the younger ones. The older students have a lot more to lose. They have less time left to accomplish whatever goals they have. Maybe they have a family relying on them to succeed. Not just mom and dad, but a partner and children.

FYI: I had a 2.0 in high school, at best, and now have a 3.93. And I found out I was the #1 pick for my semester of applicants!

[mkblakley07]

I think it's silly to talk about students based on age and not aptitude... I think the age range in my class goes from 20-60ish, and I gotta say that there are students from both sides of the spectrum that are super smart and dedicated and there are people from both sides that are annoying and constantly disrupting class. I think you find it LESS often with the non-traditional students because they ARE more sure of what they want to do, but like I said, you still find idiots on both sides of the spectrum.

[carlasbizz]

Okay:nurse: