by Lokemun Magar

Created on: August 09, 2010   Last Updated: August 10, 2010

Why adults should go back to college is equivalent to arguing over why adults should keep on learning. Going back to college after a break of a few years can be a scary thing for many adults because pride and fear intertwine to evoke mixed emotions over a natural learning process. What many people do not realise is that we go on learning on Mother Earth till the day we leave her for another Universe where we would probably continue another learning journey.

Going back to college can be a scary thing for adults who might claim that their capacity to learn has been diminished through the years away from a formal institution of learning. Their pride is also likely to be pricked by the fact that they may be older than many.of their college mates and they may be afraid that they will not be as mentally alert as the young ones. Nevertheless, working adults should reflect on the numerous part time courses their companies have sent them to, and homemakers should ponder on the numerous recipes they have mastered and the models of washing machines, vacuum cleaners and cars they have learnt to operate and execute minor repairs on. Truth is, their brains have always been in action.

Why should adults go back to college and pursue formal learning again? A main argument is that all adults should continually progress to a higher intellectual platform as they mature or face the threat of dementia. Research and millions of life examples have shown that early retirees who lead sedentary and passive lifestyles soon acquire old age related illnesses whereas those who keep mentally and physically active have relatively fewer problems related to old age. In fact many of them live to be active even when they are eighty or ninety years old.

Instead of being a competitive journey, mature students will find that age difference actually compliments the learning process and generates new and better integrated ideas. Adults should thus welcome having younger course mates while younger college students can look forward to having their older classmates compliment their views with their tested experiences. In fact college is an extension of a workplace or family scenario in which both young and old can be involved in the same discussion and contribute different but valuable input to the same topic.

Going back to school with college mates who are as young as their own children can also revitalise adults and help them see eye to eye with their children

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>