Prospect mature student wondering... what do you think?

College Confidential Community
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Hey there, sorry if this is the wrong place to post this.

I’m from Canada. Last year, I was admitted to McGill University, one of the top Canadian universities, where I intended to study History of English Literature. I had quit my job a year before, not really knowing what to do, except that going back to university was very, very appealing (I already have a Bachelor’s Degree in Translation). My idea was to go for a BA in History or English Lit and then maybe go for a MA and a PhD in the UK or US.

But then I got cold feet.

They accepted me very late in the year, I wasn’t even expecting being admitted. That prompted a friend of mine to say they probably accepted me because they had a few free spots available and I would give them money, not because they actually thought I was a good candidate (or they would have accepted me earlier). In any case, what really made me scared is that, at age 37, that exciting plan started to crumble when I thought that I’d probably be ten years older by the time I finished my Ph.D. (if I got to finish it, that it). And I’d be a man approaching his 50s fresh from university, without relevant work experience competing with much younger recent graduates in fields of work that, by all accounts, are over-saturated. Make no mistake, I wouldn’t go into such a journey only thinking about getting a job in the end; I’d go for the opportunity, for the knowledge, for the intellectual stimulus. But let’s face it, one has to pay his/her bills, and however I looked at it I could only see myself ten years from now drowning in debt, with no perspective of ever being able to find a nice job (in academia or elsewhere) because of the gap this adventure would create.

So I declined my offer.

I found myself another job, which is basically paying the bills right now, but every now and then I see something about this or that university and I feel crushed. I go to Google and I read all the terrifying statistics about the Humanities and that sort of helps me calm down. But I know it’'s temporary because sooner or later I’ll start wondering about it again.

So I guess I would like to hear what people in a similar situation think and what they did/intend to do. People around my age or older would be nice (sorry, I understand that unis usually consider people over 21 to be mature students, but a guy who is 22 wondering if he’s too old to fit in with the 18-year-olds hardly compares to what I’m describing here).

Any thoughts and two cents are deeply appreciated. Thanks.

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No matter ehat you choose, in 10 years you’ll be approaching 47. Do you want to be 47 with a degree or without one?

I’m older than you are and just returned to school for a 2nd degree. But I’m doing it as inexpensively as possible. If that’s your dream, do it. Do you have affordable options?

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Thanks for your post. Although I’m fond of the whole “I’ll be 47 anyway” approach, I tend to think much more about the things I’ll be saying goodbye to if I really go the whole university path, like the possibility of ever owning a house. Not to mention that the possibility of working for minimum wage when I’m 50+ was never in my plans, but if I ever go back to university it will be on the table.

In my case, I could never call this idea of returning to school a dream. I don’t even like to use the word “dream” because it makes everything seems justified, and that is not always the case in my opinion. I only recently developed an interest in History, Classics, Philosophy and Literature, and I started thinking that it’s probably awesome to study those subjects in-depth during a degree. If I enjoyed them, I’d probably want to go on to research and teaching at college/university level, but here, as we all know, things get way more complicated.

As for affordable options, I can probably get a loan and bursary from the government. I would try and work part-time to borrow as little as possible, but I’d have a debt in the end anyway.

It makes me smile that you’ve just returned for a 2nd degree! I wish you all the best! May I ask what you are studying?

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McGill accepts mature students, especially those seeking a second bachelor’s, at the end of the admission cycle. You were foolish to let your friend’s uninformed opinion dissuade you.

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When my hubby was in his early engineering career & mid twenties, he was able to mentor a freshly graduated engineer through his first project who was in his mid fifties. The gentleman had had a very lucrative but boring career and achieved financial independence by 50. He figured he’d go back to school to study what he’d always regretted not having the opportunity to study when younger. He never dreamed somebody would actually hire him at his age fresh out of school. Maybe it’s a US thing, but there are lots of people who go back to school to change careers here and try something completely different. 37 seems super young to give up on something.

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TomSrOfBoston, I was not dissuaded by my friend’s opinion (although it would be rather nice to hear “congrats!” instead of what he said to me). I was aware that even if he were right, it didn’t really matter how I got in. What would matter is how well I’d do in the program. What truly dissuaded me, however, was what I explained in my posts: the bad career prospects, the debt I would incur, the things I’d have to let go. That was what made me get cold feet and I thought it was reasonable to not go back to school. Add to that the fact that this is not some long-cherished dream of mine. Despite all that, here I am questioning my decision one year later. Anyway, thanks for the info on how McGill deals with applications. If I decide to apply again, it’s nice to know that I shouldn’t really expect early decisions from them.

BuckeyeMWDSG, thanks for sharing that. I thought about doing something similar: getting financially independent and, after retirement, going back to school just for fun, without worrying about finding a job later. It still is a possibility for me, I’d say. I guess people here in Canada also go back to school to change careers, but most people I read about have a clear path they want to follow and most want to switch to careers that have far better prospects than almost anything in the Humanities. There are also those who never got a degree and find themselves stuck in jobs that are taking them nowhere, so a degree may give them better shots in the future. My case being nothing similar, I sort of feel that I would be actually burying my head in the sand and in 4 years (or 10, if I go the PhD route) I’d be basically where I am now with the disadvantage of being 10 years older with past work experience that would not be relevant anymore.