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Returning to college at age THIRTY-EIGHT


Flytw

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I'm very nervous about returning to school in brick and mortar reason for a number of reasons.

  • I'm 38 years old
  • I'm recently married
  • School is 3.5 hours away from home, I will be in the dorms
  • From experiences I have diagnosed myself with alcoholism and I have been sober for over a year and a half

I am planning on only being on school premises 3-5 nights per week to go to class and labs and come home on weekends. But, being so far north and starting school in January, I do expect there will be snow storms which may postpone leaving or keep me there through weekends.

I am trying to get into A single in the upperclassman dorm which would have a suite set up instead of the classic one bathroom for the hall BS.

A little more info, I do have a bit of experience with college. I already have a BS in management and a masters in management. I am returning for a BS in nursing with intentions of a masters in nursing. One step at a time though!

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions? Or even what to bring?? It has been so long!

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I would ask where do you live and where are you going to college? Weren't there nursing programs closer to home? A dorm room is usually an extra $10,000 a year. Add onto that the loss of pay and the cost of going to school and commuting and it just seems like a big chunk of money to change careers.

 

Since you'll be going back and forth every week, you'll find out quickly what you need. Bring some clean clothes and your laptop and then add stuff when you need it.

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Good for you for making this choice, OP. It's not an easy one when you're a mature student, so kudos to you.

 

I would advise you to be very careful in the dorms, if you wind up around much younger students. There is an awful lot of partying and drinking that goes on, and this could de-rail your sobriety. Please make sure you speak to an addictions counselor (and they are often available for students) prior to moving in so that you have a set of coping strategies in place should temptation arise. I realize you would be much older than them, but believe me when I say this likely won't stop the younger ones from trying to get the "old guy" to have a few shots with them or even buy alcohol for them. I speak from experience, having lived on the same floor as a 35-year-old mature student when I was in my first year. People loved partying with him, and often encouraged him to join in the debauchery. Do think carefully about how you will handle this.

 

Bring rubber flip-flops for the showers if you are placed in a communal-style situation. Same goes for a good bathrobe. And earplugs. Keep decent, healthy snacks on hand to avoid junk that will surely be available on-campus and in the dorm itself.

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Have you looked into just renting a room from someone near the campus? That's usually a pretty cheap alternative to dorms and much better in terms of privacy. Don't know where you are going to uni, but where I went, tons of people and assorted grannies rent out spare bedrooms to students as a way to make some extra money. It will be cleaner, quieter and probably a very mutually desirable arrangement since you won't even be around all of the time and are more mature.

 

Agree also about alcohol and partying around dorms. You are liable to get pulled into that. It will be loud, so earplugs if you want sleep is a must, unless you are one of those people who can sleep through anything. Outside of that, check with the uni. Typically they have a pretty extensive list of what you can, cannot, and should bring with you to their dorms to be comfortable and comply with their rules at the same time.

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