Career questions tagged older-students
When should you begin applying for colleges, scholarships and financial aid?
If you are planning on receiving your GED, when should you begin applying for colleges, scholarships and loans? #Spring23
Returning to school after 30 years?
I'm trying to decide whether to continue with school or not. I am going for a Masters in Legal Studies, with the idea that I would be finishing it up about the time I retire (in 4 yrs), and would have it to fall back on in a third career, if I so choose. The program is approved by the American Bar Association, which is supposed to give it greater credibility/marketability. I have some background, having been doing some freelance work for some attorneys, but shut down the business because I don't have the time to "grow it." If I was to work in it upon retiring, it would probably be part-time, or volunteer. The money is not the issue. I enjoy law. Or thought I did. But my experiences with school have not been good. I find there is almost no discussion in the classes, and I need that to help me learn. We all commute from very different locations, so there is no getting together to study or anything. Keyboarding does not reinforce material the way discussion does! Many of the students seem to only want the credentials, and aren't concerned with whether they are learning anything. Professors give out grades, but don't actually return papers with feedback, and I'm the only one who is bothered by this practice. Beyond that, I seem to be having real problems with thinking conceptually. Oh, did I mention I am 56? I used to do well with theories, but it's no longer coming together nearly as easily as it used to, and I am starting to think that perhaps I am chasing after that which is not possible? However, I could also volunteer at the mediation center, which would be much easier than the civil rights/criminal defense stuff I have previously worked on, so it's not necessarily an either/or situation. More than anything, I am just disappointed in the schooling, and would like some feedback from others who have returned to school in their later years. Did your experiences parallel mine? thanks! Kim #college #paralegal #older-students #masters