If you’re 28 years old and you’re thinking of going to college then you might be wondering whether or not 28 is too old.
This post will show you a number of reasons that 28 is not too old to start college.
So, is 28 years old too old to start college? There will be students that are older than you, other students won’t know your age, you will likely have a good idea of what you want to do and it will open you up to new opportunities. All of these things mean that 28 is not too old to start college.
There are actually a number of reasons that 28 is not too old to start college but there are some things that you might want to consider.
28 is not very old
The first reason that 28 is not too old to start college is that 28 is not very old. You will still have about a 30-40 year window where you will be able to work. This means that you will have a long time horizon where you will be able to benefit from getting a college degree.
In addition to this, the other students won’t be that much younger than you. Most college students will be between the ages of 18-24 which isn’t that much younger than 28. So, if you are concerned about looking out of place then there isn’t any reason to be.
You will have a good idea of what you want to do
A common problem that younger college students have is that they are not really sure of what they want to do. This can lead to them choosing majors that aren’t really suitable for them and having an un-pleasant time in college.
Since you will have had some time to get experience in the real world it means that you will likely have a much better understanding of what you want to do. This means that you should be able to get through college with a stronger sense of purpose that should help you have a smoother experience.
You will be able to appreciate the classes more
Another way in which you could actually have an advantage over the other students is that you will be able to appreciate the value of the classes a lot more.
This is because you will have more real-world experience than them. This means that you should be able to study more effectively since you will be able to understand why you need to learn the material. Something that often demotivates younger students is not knowing why the material is important.
A lot of the other students will be a similar age as you
Another reason that 28 is not too old to start college is that many other people start college at a similar age. It is at around that age that military students start college so it is likely that there will be some other students that are of a similar age as you.
There will be students that are a lot older than you
Another thing to consider is that 28 is actually quite young compared to the ages that some other people start at. It is not uncommon to see people in their 50’s taking college classes. So, if they are able to do it then there really isn’t any reason that you can’t.
The other students won’t know your age
If you are concerned that you will look out of place because you will be older than the other students then there really isn’t any need to be.
First, the other students will not likely be able to tell your age so easily so they won’t know that you are older than them.
Second, if they do know how old you are, they will likely not care since college is a place where people are supposed to go to learn regardless of their age.
It will give you new opportunities
One of the main reasons that 28 is not too old to start college is that it will give you new opportunities.
There will be many jobs that are not currently available to you because you do not have a degree. Over a 40-year working life bachelors degree holders are expected to make 66% more than those without a bachelors degree.
Since you still have a long time ahead of you where you are able to work it means that getting a college degree should give you a better quality of life over the long run.
Something to consider is that the type of degree that you get will have a large impact on the amount that you can reasonably expect to make. Generally, degrees in the STEM field will be the better paying degrees with the most abundant job opportunities. However, there are also degrees in other fields that can pay well. You can look here to see how much the different degrees pay.
Things to consider
While 28 is not too young to start college there are some things that you might want to consider that I will mention below.
The college that you go to
The culture of colleges can vary a lot depending on the college.
The size, location, acceptance rate and size of the student body can all have an impact on the culture of a college. Before deciding on going to college it would be worthwhile for you to take the time to consider what the culture of the college is like.
It would also be worthwhile for you to consider how well known it is in the field that you want to major in.
The major that you pick
The major that you decide to study will have a large impact on your time in college and the opportunities that you will have when you graduate.
Of course, it would be worthwhile for you to choose a major that interests you. However, it is also important to be aware that some majors will give much better opportunities than others upon graduation.
As mentioned earlier, 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.
Time
Another thing to consider is that college will take up a lot of time. If you are currently working then it might be a challenge for you to go to college full time while also working.
With that being said, there are many people that have gone to college while also working full time. There are also a number of things that you can do to reduce your load slightly such as:
- 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.
Community college
Another thing to consider is that it is an option to go to community college and then to transfer to a 4-year university afterward.
By doing this you should be able to save some money since community colleges will usually be much less expensive than universities.
You will also likely find that many of your classmates will be older as well since it is not uncommon for older students to go to community colleges.
