Christine Curley
The author, Christine Curley, went to Rhode Island college to get her undergraduate degree in psychology after practicing law for nearly 25 years.
- I first attended college in the mid-1980s before pursuing pre-law.
- After 25 years, I went back to school to get my bachelor's degree in psychology from Rhode Island College. This fall, I'll be attending the University of Connecticut to get my Master's in social psychology.
- Here are the most surprising things I had to adjust to as a 50-year-old college student.
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When I first attended college in the mid-1980s, I was interested in psychology but switched to pre-law as a more practical career path for supporting my young family.
In 2016, after practicing law for nearly 25 years, I returned to school at Rhode Island College to finally get my degree in psychology. After obtaining my bachelor's degree, I continued on and obtained my master's, and this fall, I'll be pursuing my Ph.D. in social psychology at the University of Connecticut.
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My first classes in college as an adult, or "non-traditional student," as my school might say, were equal parts terrifying and exciting. Terrifying because of the uncertainty of changing careers, knowing that I was likely to be the oldest person in the class, and wondering how or whether I would fit in. And exciting because of the thrill of embracing new experiences, meeting new people, and learning new subjects and theories.
I wouldn't be honest if I said the adjustments were easy, but they weren't as difficult as I expected, and the effort was more than rewarding.
Here are the most surprising things I had to adjust to as a 50-year-old college student: