“I feel as though I’m totally out of my box.” My friend, Kitty sat beside me at the church breakfast, a satisfied smile on her face, as she told me of her recent decision to get her college degree. The ‘box’ of which she spoke, invisible though it was, too often said ‘No’ to any suggestions outside her normal routine. Each of us hesitates at some point to climb out of the box surrounding our lives. How refreshing to break out and try something new and exhilarating!
“You have such a glow, you almost look pregnant. What made you decide to return to school?”
“A friend called to say she was worried about me; that I should get back to living. Although I assured her everything was fine, she insisted on laying out a few suggestions for me. One of them, getting my college degree, caught my interest. She said she did it at the age of sixty-four. I figured if she could do it, so could I. And I love it!”
Kitty joined the world of the single seniors not too long ago. That never stopped her from being cheerful, kind and loving to those around her, but her friend saw something missing. Starting school filled that void.
The excitement in her voice started me thinking why not. As a single senior myself, why not take the classes I truly wanted. What better way to spend one’s time than learning something new. Even after four years as a widow, enjoyment seemed to pass by without a backward glance. I felt my own inner glow coming to life.
Checking statistics on senior citizens or retirees returning to school, I found they are doing so in record numbers. Not necessarily trying to find work, but often for the satisfaction of claiming that degree, of finishing something they left behind after high school. Too often jobs and families started too soon made college seem a distant dream.
As an added incentive, seniors often attend free of charge or find there are senior discounts available. There may even be available scholarships. In some colleges, if there is room, seniors may audit classes at no charge. However, audit sessions may not offer credits.
For those who worry about traveling back and forth to a school, online classes, available from junior colleges to universities, may be the perfect choice.
Think about why you want to return. Are you trying to get back into the workforce? Are you looking for something you particularly enjoy, such as writing or decorating? Is the degree important or are you more interested in meeting other people who have the same interests? Yes, even seniors sometimes attend school for the joy of meeting others.
Are you willing to put in the time to study? It’s been a long time for most of us since we buckled down to cracking the books, writing papers and making certain nothing interferes with the time needed to attend school. The good news is that now students key in their papers on computers instead of typewriters. If they make a mistake, a touch of a key corrects it instead of having a page full of Wite-Out to show for all their efforts.
How wonderful would it be to toss that mortarboard in the air to celebrate collecting that college degree?
