I'm a 23 year old female that wants to go back to school. I have for the past couple of years been taking classes at a community college in my local town. I want to go to a university and get that university experience with staying on the dorm and everything but I'm afraid that I might be too old now. I don't want to be that spinster that is rooming with a 17 year old newly graduated kid. I'm also considering majoring in nursing and it's hard to work and focus on school as much as I need to, so I thought that maybe staying on campus and not having to worry about paying rent would help me alot in my quest to finish my education. I just that thought that maybe someone that was in a similiar situation could give me some input. I'm open to all input. Should I give up my dream of having that whole college experience? I know that if I do I probably will regret it for the rest of my life. Please help!!
2006-12-06 07:08:57 · 10 answers · asked by Hershee-Girl 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
I don't mean "kid" as in immature, I mean "kid" as in younger than me. I don't want to offend anyone.
2006-12-06 13:01:27 · update #1
Do any of the schools that you're looking at have other student housing options? I just finished grad school (at 45) and while I was there I lived in student apartments. It gave me the campus experience (though in my case I was there because the next closest housing was too far away) but I had a lot more privacy. It qualified as the dorm for financial aid purposes. I always paid my rent out of my aid check, as in I paid six months of rent as soon as I got the check. My rent included all of my utilities, so once I'd written that check I only had to worry about my personal stuff. It was much easier.
I will have to say that not every "kid" is hard to deal with. My roommate was 19 when I moved in. However, she'd had jobs since high school and is pre-med. Many of my neighbors were annoying, but my roommate was fantastic. Also, more people are going the route that you have, so there are a lot of schools where you will be exactly the age of the average student.
You won't enjoy all of the same stuff that you would have at 17, but you are not too old for this experience. Check out your housing options and go for the one that sounds the most fun and the least irritating. Good Luck!
2006-12-06 07:24:52 · answer #1 · answered by pag2809 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
im 23 and living in a dorm myself. i tried college just after high school however that didnt work for me. I took a few years off and now im back. I really think colleges try to room you with someone your own age, or you also have the option of living in a single. my roommates last school year were in their 20's. This year my roommate is 21. I think you should have no troubles at all! Good luck! Just dont give up on your dream! College is going to be the best time of your life and you will have more opportunities to volunteer, join groups, and meet more people by living on college. I guarantee you will meet a lot of people that are in the same boat as you!!
2006-12-06 07:14:46 · answer #2 · answered by Bev 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In my opinion, I would not be the greatest idea to stay in a dorm. You are more than likely much more mature than the others would be in the dorm, and it may not be a great experience for you. If you have a difficult major, you may find noisy dorms distracting. Have you thought about renting an apartment close to campus, and maybe finding a roommate? If you do not stay on campus, you will save the money you would have spent on room & board and you can use that to help pay for rent.
2006-12-06 07:16:03 · answer #3 · answered by duritzgirl4 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since you are going for a nursing degree, you will have to do a lot of studying! It will be very hard to concentrate when you are in that kind of environment. I am really grateful for the time I spent away at school, but what I was studying at the time wasn't very time demanding.
If you would have listed another major, I would say go for it. You wouldn't be too old.
On another note, if you are going to be a freshmen, maybe you can do it for a couple of years, and then focus more your junior or senior year.
2006-12-06 07:14:00 · answer #4 · answered by Mike 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OMG! You should definitely go for it! I23 years old is not old! Everyone first of all will love you because of your age and experience and i just graduated college and I am 22 and it was a great experience to be on campus! Do not miss out on this opportunity and you are right you will be saving a lot of money on rent....Only advice I give is to make a lot of friends, you need to get involved in clubs and organizations of your interest! HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK!
2006-12-06 07:14:30 · answer #5 · answered by 21Nights 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do keep in mind that most undergrads do not live in dorms all 4 years. Generally, it's just one or two. There are a few lingering seniors around that will still stay in the dorms, so if you don't like the age difference, you might try to request to room with an upperclassmen.
2006-12-06 07:14:09 · answer #6 · answered by antheia 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know a guy that was 26 when he started college, and his roommate was 18 years old. He's a great guy, and most of the time you don't even realize that he's almost 8 years older than most of his classmates. No one treats him any differently--he hangs out with all of us just as if he wasn't any older, but you can tell that he's certainly more mature than us. I think it would be a fantastic experience, and you can give "the kids" an older, more experienced life view.
2006-12-06 11:33:13 · answer #7 · answered by Sol 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
stay on campus at my old college there was a guy who stayed in the campus apartments...he went to class and had a part time job with the school...he was cool as hell....everybody treated him the same as any other student...and everybody called him Dirt and not becuz he was dirty or anything but becuz thats how old he was...he had to be 40 something...but he took it all real lightly and was a stand up guy...taught allot of us young bucks allot about life in general
2006-12-06 07:15:05 · answer #8 · answered by the one 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
23 is not that old for college! Don't worry about it. Go have fun! :-)
2006-12-06 07:16:09 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes you should you probably wont regret going but you probably will regret not going.
2006-12-06 08:28:36 · answer #10 · answered by mattman 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋