Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11

Thread: Too Old For School

  1. #1

    Too Old For School

    My brother has a delayed mental maturity. He might be autistic but the physical features don't have problems and he can reason out well. The only problem is he cannot understand the lessons in school. He is now at 24 years of age and he haven't started a proper college degree. My question is how old is too old for college? He is becoming shy because of his age.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Posts
    2,098
    No one is too old to learn something new, whether it's a formal school or not. I've heard of people in their 80s going to college. Personally, I did one semester of college right of high school, then quit to work full time. I then started part time college when I was 26 and got my bachelor's degree when I was 35. My youngest daughter got her bachelor's degree when she was 38. Tell your brother to just take one or two classes at first to see how hard it is and how much he thinks he can handle at a time. Is he working full time? There are also online classes now that were not available for me. At any rate, tell him not to be shy because of his age; there may very well be people in his classes a lot older than him.

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    114
    When I read your subject I was thinking you were talking some where over 40 and my first thought was like Bird's as your never to old. My daughter is 26 years old and just went back to college part time this year, and I'm planning to go to a technical school in January at age 46.
    I would be more concerned about the teachers and their teaching styles so the suggestion of on line classes is something to look into.

  4. #4
    Thanks for the support guys. My brother cannot take online classes as his comprehension is not that good. My mother usually makes his own homework when he was in high school because he cannot understand a thing, especially with math. There is one thing that he is good at and that is memorization, but that's without understanding what he just memorize.

  5. #5
    You might consider contacting someone in the special education deparment of a teaching college. There may be an expert who could advise you.

  6. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    SouthCentral Oklahoma
    Posts
    5,236
    The last time I went back to grad school (San Diego State, Instructional Technology) I was over 50 and started the program as the next to oldest student in the program. The "OLD" guy bailed leaving me as the oldest. I got a perfect 4.0 GPA and was invited to do a PhD (declined, I just needed the wall paper for a job change within my lab.)

    OK, I didn't have all the challenges in question here but... don't let age be the reason for not having a go at it. By law, the school can not discriminate due to age (and a bunch of other things.) GIVE IT A TRY, what is the big deal if it doesn't work out or is difficult? You never know how positive the outcome could be if you don't try.

    Go ahead, (dare I say it?) give it the old coillege try!!!

    Pat
    "I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"

  7. #7
    I used to work at a University Hospital, and on my last year there, I learned that there was a guy 65 in age on his last year before starting residency. I couldn't believe it. It is never too late to go for it. The important thing is the hunger to learn.

  8. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    144

    Your Brother

    Quote Originally Posted by Spartacus View Post
    Thanks for the support guys. My brother cannot take online classes as his comprehension is not that good. My mother usually makes his own homework when he was in high school because he cannot understand a thing, especially with math. There is one thing that he is good at and that is memorization, but that's without understanding what he just memorize.
    I'm not sure I understand correctly. It seems your brother has some type of learning disability similar to autism and his emotional state hinders him in that he is self conscious because of his age relative to the age of his classmates. Is this the scenario?
    I would have to ask "what is he going to school for"? What are his goals? It seems to me that if he can and should focus on the goals or prize and that should allow him to endure or deal with the emotional issue. If that is too much rationalization than perhaps school is not the best thing for him, at least not in a conventional sense. Perhaps he should get his education in another school or fashion. Perhaps he should put the skills he has to work, building his self confidence.
    It occurs to me that perhaps he is attending school for the wrong reasons, furthermore school is not for everybody and perhaps, just perhaps, this is an example of just that. Is your brother going to school to realize his dreams or someone elses?
    This is a rhetorical question with no assertions, not looking for an answer, something to think about.
    The answer to your question "How old is to old for school" is apparent. There is no such thing as "to old for school". However, you stated issues regarding his mental maturity and ability to learn. For someone to attend school under these conditions leads me to think that rather than learning, applying what you have learned, thus achieving or accomlishing something positive, your brother may be "too old for school". Having little to do with his age, rather his abilities. This negative experience could be going in the wrong direction.

  9. #9
    My 2 aunts went back to school in their 30's to graduate. They ended up finishing school together which was really neat for them. I don't think your ever too old to accomplish something you want to.

  10. #10
    Hey Robert, I think you are the only person who understand what I have brought up here. It is not only about the age but also the mental development of my brother and that is why he was late in entering college. If you read back my first post, I have said that he can be compared to an autistic person but all his physical features are normal. My father told me that he only started speaking clear words when he was 3 years old. And you are right that it is no just the age that is the issue here but the emotional part as well as he is behind in his class even though he is older than his classmates.

    His only goal is to finish college as he doesn't want to be left behind with us, his brothers. I'm the eldest and I have another brother who followed me and then him, the youngest. Both me and my second brother have finished college already but my youngest brother hasn't finished yet.

Similar Threads

  1. After school reading
    By fresh in forum Schooling
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 05-13-2011, 02:16 AM
  2. School Bully
    By Tuesday in forum Schooling
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 02-22-2011, 12:56 AM
  3. School Pride
    By Chiquita in forum Schooling
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 01-06-2011, 02:28 PM
  4. Sports in school
    By Neo25 in forum Schooling
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 09-09-2010, 08:24 PM
  5. School Business.
    By Yoblonda in forum Schooling
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 08-18-2005, 12:22 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •