Mature student
Hi,
Too old to study and achieve at 39?
Have read multiple "feel good" posts about it "never being too late", however am very discouraged due to other factors.
Cheers
Too old to study and achieve at 39?
Have read multiple "feel good" posts about it "never being too late", however am very discouraged due to other factors.
Cheers
Reply 1
Hi
I saw your post and wanted to share some thoughts.
Mature students can be very strong learners, with a really positive attitude to education and the benefit of lived experience, which can be really valuable when approaching different projects or assignments.
Only you will know your personal circumstances and hesitations, but most universities will offer support and guidance to you at every stage of the application process, which might help to answer some of your concerns.
Personally, I have had friends return to HE as mature students, with one receiving the highest grades for her cohort in the entire county, and is now successfully working in a new industry.
Perhaps attend a few Open Days to speak to staff and students about the courses you are interested in, and see if this is the right road for your future.
Best of luck,
Rachel
I saw your post and wanted to share some thoughts.
Mature students can be very strong learners, with a really positive attitude to education and the benefit of lived experience, which can be really valuable when approaching different projects or assignments.
Only you will know your personal circumstances and hesitations, but most universities will offer support and guidance to you at every stage of the application process, which might help to answer some of your concerns.
Personally, I have had friends return to HE as mature students, with one receiving the highest grades for her cohort in the entire county, and is now successfully working in a new industry.
Perhaps attend a few Open Days to speak to staff and students about the courses you are interested in, and see if this is the right road for your future.
Best of luck,
Rachel
Reply 2
Original post
by AnonymousHi,
Too old to study and achieve at 39?
Have read multiple "feel good" posts about it "never being too late", however am very discouraged due to other factors.
Cheers
Too old to study and achieve at 39?
Have read multiple "feel good" posts about it "never being too late", however am very discouraged due to other factors.
Cheers
Hi there,
To be honest I would echo what you have heard before that it is never too late! I know that it can feel daunting as you will be older than many people on your course, however there will still be mature students at uni and likely on your course too so don't let this put you off pursuing something you really want to do.
I had quite a few mature students on my course, all a variety of ages and it didn't really make that much difference. I have done group work with some of them too and it makes no difference!
I agree with what has been said already - going to an open day sounds like a good idea as this way you get to see for yourself and can talk to some tutors or other people at uni about this and your concerns. There may be mature students for you to talk to too!
Or, get in contact with the Uni and see if they can ease any of your concerns about this. There will be people to talk to if you have any specific questions!
I hope some of this helps,
Lucy -SHU student ambassador.
Reply 3
Original post
by AnonymousHi,
Too old to study and achieve at 39?
Have read multiple "feel good" posts about it "never being too late", however am very discouraged due to other factors.
Cheers
Too old to study and achieve at 39?
Have read multiple "feel good" posts about it "never being too late", however am very discouraged due to other factors.
Cheers
Hello
I read your post and it really resonated with me as I have a lot of friends who have heard the same comments repeatedly that you're never to old and mature is meaningless in the actual life of the university student in terms of academic learning, but despite the comments they still have loads of misgivings, and understandably so. Speaking from my own personal experience, I returned to uni to do my masters and stayed on for PhD, I completed my undergrad degree straight after A-Levels at 18, so I have been in both situations - a school age student and also a 'mature' student, (I'm a year or so older than you!). To be perfectly honest, I never had a problem with my age I think I'm a pretty young in terms of mentality mature student though - I returned home to live with parents after the masters when my savings depleted so much! I have no children nor responsibilities in general, so really I am sort of as I was at 18 again.
I would agree with the other comments that it is really useful to attend Open days to speak with the academic staff in the department that you are planning on studying with, as well as the support staff in the university, such as Student Study Skills, the accommodation and finance teams, and the general student services team who (at Chester at any rate) are responsible for everything from mental health to arranging provisions for academic support, residential life, chaplaincy etc. If you talk to them about the factors that our discouraging you from going to uni, I'm sure that they will have lots of good advice to offer you.
Although mature students have a lot more going on in life than students that are straight out of school, often they are the most conscientious and hard working. It may be daunting to start preparing assignments etc again, but universities offer so much academic skills support that assistance is always available. Staying organised really helps and this eases the stress and anxiety of having to hand in a piece of work on time.
I've always had positive experiences as a mature student. My age has never been discussed nor mentioned and I don't think age ever really matters in uni when you are working with your classmates. I've always been treated equally by staff and students alike and once you are at uni if you decide to go, I'm sure that you will discover this to be the case as well. Age really doesn't come into any aspect of uni life as far as I've experienced.
I hope I've helped, but if you want to ask anything else, please do!
Jess
PhD English
University of Chester
Reply 4
Original post
by AnonymousHi,
Too old to study and achieve at 39?
Have read multiple "feel good" posts about it "never being too late", however am very discouraged due to other factors.
Cheers
Too old to study and achieve at 39?
Have read multiple "feel good" posts about it "never being too late", however am very discouraged due to other factors.
Cheers
Hello, another UoY rep here 🙂 I did a PG course to retrain at 36/7. I'll admit it was hard to balance family, work and study but I'm glad I did it. It was fun, the change did me good and with hindsight I'd be open to doing it again in a few years. Let me know if you have any specific questions. E.
(edited 11 months ago)
I'm 41 and I'm graduating this year. Starting a master's in September.
So as you can guess, I'm in the "never too late" camp.
So as you can guess, I'm in the "never too late" camp.
Reply 6
Original post
by AnonymousHi,
Too old to study and achieve at 39?
Have read multiple "feel good" posts about it "never being too late", however am very discouraged due to other factors.
Cheers
Too old to study and achieve at 39?
Have read multiple "feel good" posts about it "never being too late", however am very discouraged due to other factors.
Cheers
Hi, I have just seen this and thought I'd reply as I'm coming to the end of my course at LJMU as a mature student.
I'm very much in the camp of never being too late to go study, especially if it is something that you have a genuine passion for! I had worked a number of jobs after my undergraduate degree that I was just unhappy with and decided to make a change and retrain in a completely new field. Whilst I was nervous at first (especially about being older than most of my peers), those fears faded quickly. If anything, I’ve found that being a bit older has actually helped me stay focused, manage my time better, and bring a more mature perspective to group work and assignments and I can honestly say that I don't have a single regret in going back at all.
Hope this helps 🙂
Hi there 😊
Hopefully all the lovely responses on here have given some reassurance that there is never an age limit on education, as humans we are all trying to learn and progress! I love being surrounded by this as a mature student at university ☺️
I wanted to add in that there is also plenty of people who return to education for a career change, or just want to learn something new. There are lots of different reasons for why people start a new course and everyone's journeys are unique to them. I have met lots of fascinating people who are well trained in other careers, but wanted to switch to something else maybe because they always wanted to or maybe because they just felt a bit bored in what they were doing before. It's totally normal and super fun!
Whatever your reasons are for wanting to study, don't let age be a factor in this. If you are able to and want to then go for it!
Best wishes for all the future fun to come ✨📚️
Becky
University of Salford Student Rep
Hopefully all the lovely responses on here have given some reassurance that there is never an age limit on education, as humans we are all trying to learn and progress! I love being surrounded by this as a mature student at university ☺️
I wanted to add in that there is also plenty of people who return to education for a career change, or just want to learn something new. There are lots of different reasons for why people start a new course and everyone's journeys are unique to them. I have met lots of fascinating people who are well trained in other careers, but wanted to switch to something else maybe because they always wanted to or maybe because they just felt a bit bored in what they were doing before. It's totally normal and super fun!
Whatever your reasons are for wanting to study, don't let age be a factor in this. If you are able to and want to then go for it!
Best wishes for all the future fun to come ✨📚️
Becky
University of Salford Student Rep
Original post
by AnonymousHi,
Too old to study and achieve at 39?
Have read multiple "feel good" posts about it "never being too late", however am very discouraged due to other factors.
Cheers
Too old to study and achieve at 39?
Have read multiple "feel good" posts about it "never being too late", however am very discouraged due to other factors.
Cheers
Hi, Totally get why you might feel discouraged - and I know lots of others have already said this, but you’re definitely not alone in starting or returning to study later in life. One thing I’d like to add is that many universities have specific support in place for mature students, for instance at Strathclyde we have a specific mature students association with its own study area, runs events all year round and just overall gives a space to meet people in a similar position! 😁
These type of places can also be brilliant if you’ve got any concerns that feel a bit more specific to being a mature student, while also being a great place to get to know people outside your course, which can make a huge difference in settling in and enjoying the university experience.
Wishing you the best with whatever path you choose! (:
Emily
Year 2, Chemistry
Official University Of Strathcylde Rep
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