Do "mature students" suck?

Golden_Rhino · #1 05-14-2006, 04:56 PM

Hey guys. I know that a lot of you guys are in your early twenties and in college/university. I need your advice. I am in my early thirties and I am going back to school full time. I need to know:
A) What do you guys think of the mature students? I remember that in my first time around in school I found the older students a royal pain in the butt. They asked too many questions and gave too much advice.

B) How do I keep from being the pain in the butt?

C) Any overall tips for anyone going back to school after a 10 year absence.

Thanks in advance guys.

MelchyBeau · #2 05-14-2006, 04:58 PM

1. don't hit on 18 year old chicks, you are too old
2. don't have a combover, those are horrible, I've seen way too many of these on mature students.

NewUser2006 · #3 05-14-2006, 04:59 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Hey guys. I know that a lot of you guys are in your early twenties and in college/university. I need your advice. I am in my early thirties and I am going back to school full time. I need to know:
A) What do you guys think of the mature students? I remember that in my first time around in school I found the older students a royal pain in the butt. They asked too many questions and gave too much advice.

B) How do I keep from being the pain in the butt?

C) Any overall tips for anyone going back to school after a 10 year absence.

Thanks in advance guys.

[/ QUOTE ]

A) They're fine as long as they don't pretend that they know everything.

B) Don't ask STUPID questions. Like you said, the adult students tend to ask a lot of questions, but they aren't annoying unless they're completely pointless or obvious.

C) Keg stand!

WSUchica · #4 05-14-2006, 05:08 PM

I had 2 "mature students", as you call them, in one of my classes last semester and one was really cool and everyone loved her, and the other one was just really annoying.

The first one talked to the other students and just sat in class like everyone else...she participated, but not too much.

The second one has a comment for everything and felt that she had to provide an example from her life to prove points. She has also accused our professor of being wrong on multiple occasions...VERY annoying

I think you'll be fine as long as you don't try to impress everyone with your knowledge [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

PokerBob · #5 05-14-2006, 05:13 PM

ask genuine questions. it's the douchebags who ask questions so that they can show how smart they think they are that everyone wants to kill.

AceofSpades · #6 05-14-2006, 05:14 PM

Don't dress strangely, try to be "hip" or anything like that. I'd say just being friendly and fairly normal/not trying too hard is good.

Most of the older people I'e met at school seem pretty interesting.

Colonel Kataffy · #7 05-14-2006, 05:15 PM

Don't ask questions. Sit in the back of the class and don't pay attention. Seriously, this is what the cool kids do. If you have a wife and kids, don't talk about it. Sometimes be drunk and/or hungover. Also, miss a lot of class, thats what pisses me off about the older students in lawschool, they ALWAYS go to class.

Golden_Rhino · #8 05-14-2006, 05:16 PM

So the REO Speedwagon T-Shirt and the Trans-AM are frowned upon?

RR · #9 05-14-2006, 05:25 PM

When I was in school and then did some TAing I saw two groups of "mature students." There were ones that for whatever reason didn't finish college and now they are finishing up, they seemed fine. Then there were ones the flunked out of college or whatever (they failed at it the first time), now they are trying again to get a better paying job. They aren't interested in learning as much as "getting through" they were a pain because they were always toast in a "hard" class.

If you are going back to learn you will be fine. If you are going back because someone else is paying for it or you think it is a ticket to a better job (by that I mean you believe you won't LEARN anything, you are just going to go through the motions for a better job) I doubt you will be successful.

Good luck, I am sure you te type that is going back to learn.

TheMainEvent · #10 05-14-2006, 05:28 PM

I remember this woman in one my night classes kept saying how the work was harder for her because she had a job and three kids. Like it's our fault that you were too busy being a [censored] to go to school when you're 18 like the rest of us.