There is no age limit regarding when you can and cannot go to university.
No matter whether you are 25 or 55-years-old, you have the option of doing a university degree.
However, there is no denying that the experience can feel a little bit different if you are older. This doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing, though! There are lots of benefits associated with being a mature student, as you will discover in further detail in this post.
We are going to take a look at the benefits of being a mature student, as well as providing you with lots of useful tips and advice for your time as a mature student.
Some of the best things about being a mature student
- You will have the ability to understand lectures from a different perspective – something which you would not have been able to do at a younger age
- Your extra life experience is your friend
- You are going to relish the opportunity to be back in an academic environment
- You will be much better at organising your time when compared with all of the other students
- You will have access to amazing student discounts – say hello to cheap clothes!
- You will be really good at bonding with your tutors and your professors
- You will be able to get a really good part-time job
- You will be the Queen or King of networking
As you can see, there are a number of different benefits that are associated with being a mature student, so now let’s take a look at some tips to assist you along the way…
Use one of the university and course finder tools to help you narrow down your options quickly and easily
So, what is a course or university search tool?
This is basically a searchable database that allows you to search through a huge number of universities based on your own individual requirements. You will be able to enter some of your wants and demands. This includes the likes of degree type, the area of study, location of the university and more. Once you have entered all of your requirements, you click search, and then the tool presents you with all of the universities that meet your specific needs. You do not have to fill in all requirements. You could search through the entire range of universities if you wish.
There are many advantages to be gained by going down this route. First and foremost, it makes the search process a lot easier. Instead of manually searching through various universities and stumbling across those that do not fulfil your requirements, you will be presented with all of the applicable education establishments in one place. You can then take a look at their official websites and determine which one is going to be the best for you.
Aside from this, a good university search finder will present you with universities you may have never thought of and indeed some you have never even heard of! If you do not use a search tool like this, you could miss out on some universities and this means you could miss out on the best one for you. When using a search tool you can be safe in the knowledge that you have thoroughly assessed all options. You know you will not experience that horrible moment when, halfway through your course, you hear about a fantastic university you had never considered and end up wishing you went there instead!
Consider an online course if going to university frightens the life out of you
If you have got to this point in the blog post, and you are still dreading the prospect of going to university, why not take an online degree instead?
This is something that a lot of people do not consider because they assume they cannot attain a high-level qualification online or that the qualification they do attain will not be the same as if they were to physically attend university. This could not be further from the truth!
Technology has advanced to the stage whereby you can do any sort of course from the comfort of your own home. Head to a website like Wilfrid Laurier Online, so you can get a better understanding regarding the scope of different online courses that are available today.
You can see that the options are incredibly varied, right? You can virtually do any degree online today. There are lots of benefits associated with this. You will still get access to all of the resources you need, and you will be able to contact a dedicated tutor too. A lot of mature students prefer this because it means they can do their degree at their own speed.
This means they do not have to give up their job or worry about paying for childcare but still get their earned degree or degrees to proudly display in diploma frames; recognising the huge achievements made. Of course, you still need to research your options carefully, as you would if you were attending a university in person.
Hopefully, you now feel more prepared when it comes to going to university as a mature student. There is certainly a lot that needs to be considered and taken into account. Nevertheless, if you follow the advice that has been presented above, you can give yourself the best chance of making sure everything goes as smoothly as possible and that you have a great time.
Being a mature student is not something you should be worried about. It is great fun!
