If you’re 23 and thinking of starting college then you might be wondering if 23 is too old to start college?
This post will show you a number of reasons that 23 is not too old to start college and some things that you might want to consider.
So, is 23 too old to start college? College will provide you with more opportunities, many people start college when they’re older and you still have a long potential working life ahead of you. All of these factors mean 23 is not too old to start college.
There are actually a number of reasons that 23 is not too old to start college. However, there are a number of things that you might want to consider.
The degree will provide you with more opportunities
The main reason that 23 is not too old to start college is that it will provide you with many more opportunities over the course of your life.
Currently, there will be jobs, in your field, that you won’t be able to qualify for because they require a college degree. By getting a college degree you will be able to qualify for these jobs. If you have been working already then the experience that you have could also give you an advantage over the other college grads.
Additionally, over a 40-year working life bachelors degree holders are expected to make 66% more than those without a bachelors degree. This means that getting a degree should help to improve your life considerably over the long run.
Having said that, one thing to be aware of is that different majors come with different job prospects. Majors such as computer science, statistics or other majors in the STEM field will often be the best in terms of job prospects.
However, there are also many other majors in other fields that also come with good job prospects. You can look at this website to see how well the degree, you are thinking of getting, pays.
The other students won’t be much younger than you
Another reason that 23 is not too old to start college is that you will not be much older than even the youngest students in college.
In 2018, a projected 12.3 million college and university students will be under age 25 and 7.6 million students will be 25 years old and over.
https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372
There will be very few students below the age of 18 in college which is only 5 years younger than 23. This means that, if you are concerned about seeming out of place, then there really isn’t any reason to be concerned.
You’ll have a stronger sense of purpose
It is not uncommon for students to change their major a number of times throughout college. While this is ok, it does mean that they will likely have some issues with taking classes that end up not counting toward their major. They might also have class sequencing issues which can sometimes mean that they need to stay in college for an extra semester.
Since you’ll have had slightly longer than them to get some real world experience you’ll likely be able to tell which majors suit you the most. This should help you to chose the best major for you more easily and to stick with it. This should help you to do better academically since you’ll be able to sequence your classes in an optimal way. It could also help you to graduate sooner.
In addition, another thing to consider is that you’ll likely be very motivated to get the degree once you decide to do it and you’ll see why it is important. This should help you to study more effectively and to do better academically.
You’ll be able to appreciate the classes better
Another way in which you might actually have an advantage over the other students is that you will be able to appreciate the value of the classes more.
Often, students will find it hard to motivate themselves to study when they do not see the value in the classes that they are taking. Since you will have had some more real-world experience it will likely be easier for you to see why the classes matter. This should help you to study better and to do better academically.
23 Is still very young
Another thing to consider is that 23 is actually still quite young. You’ll still have a 40-year window where you can reasonably expect to work upon graduating. So, you’ll have a long time period where you will be able to benefit from getting the degree.
Many other students start college at a similar age as you
It is not uncommon for people to take time off or to work for a few years after high school and then to go to college later. This means that it is likely that there will be other students, in your classes, that are a similar age as you.
Another thing to consider is that the students that did go straight to college, that are in their senior years, will be 22-23 now. So, there will be many students around the campus that are of a similar age as you.
There will likely be older students than you
Another thing that is not uncommon is for people to go back to college when they are much older than 23. Many people in their 40’s and 50’s start college every year in the US.
So, it is very likely that there will be people at the college that are older than you are. Additionally, if they are able to benefit from going to college then you should be able to as well.
People are bad at judging peoples ages
Another thing to consider is that people tend to be bad at judging peoples ages. It is likely that the students around you won’t be able to tell that you are older than them.
In addition, college is a place where people are supposed to go to learn and not to judge people. So, it is unlikely that the other students will really care about how old you are.
Things to consider
While going to college at 23 is not too late, there are some things that you might want to consider.
Community college
Instead of going straight to a 4-year college, an option would be to go to a community college and then to transfer to a 4-year college later. Community colleges tend to be a lot cheaper than universities so you should be able to save some money by doing so. Just make sure that the classes will be able to transfer over well to the degree that you want to get.
Going to community college first is something that older students do a lot so you’ll likely find that the other students are of a similar age as you.
The college
The culture of a college can vary a lot depending on a number of factors. The age, size, location, acceptance rate, size of student body and type of college can all have an impact on its culture.
Before going to college it would help to consider what it is that you want to get out of it and what type of college would be the best fit for you.
The major
While it would be a good idea to choose a major that you are interested in it is also important to consider the job prospects that the major will provide.
As mentioned earlier, different majors provide different job prospects. Before deciding on your major it would be worthwhile for you to research how good the job prospects for that major are.
Generally, STEM majors typically have strong job prospects especially those that deal with a lot of data such as statistics. Computer science is also one that typically gives good job opportunities upon graduating.
With that being said, there are many degrees outside of STEM that also give good job prospects. You can look at this website to get stats on the major that you are considering.
How much spare time you’ll have
Another thing to think about is the amount of spare time that you will have that you can devote to studying.
While many students have been able to get a degree while also working full-time, it is not something that is easy to do. If you do think that you will be working while getting your degree then it will be important for you to take measures to ensure that you have the smoothest experience as possible.
Things that you could do include:
- Taking slightly fewer classes per semester than usual.
- Planning your entire degree out early on so that you are able to identify any potential problem areas and to spread out the more difficult classes.
- Use ratemyprofessors.com to get the most highly rated professors. Make sure to schedule classes early since the classes taught by the better professors will fill up fast.
- Ensure that you study throughout the semester so that you don’t need to cram the information in at the last minute.
- Planning out the semester so that you can plan your work schedule more easily.
Alternative options
One more thing to think about is the alternatives options that you have. While many jobs will require a college degree, it is also the case that they will consider candidates that have a lot of relevant experience.
If you have been working in your field for a few years now then it could be the case that you would actually qualify for many of the jobs already. Before starting college it might be worthwhile for you to try interviewing for the positions that you want to see if you can already get them.
