Blog: The realities of returning to Uni as a mature student
Hello! I’m Robin, a doctoral researcher in the Practical Theology programme here at Birmingham. Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, shall we? It’s not exactly typical for someone my age to take on a doctorate.
As I jot down these words, I’m proudly 67 years old — the age when most retired people opt for an easier life: travelling, learning to paint watercolours, collecting goldfish. Instead, I spend two to three days each week studying intensely for my doctorate — a six-year part-time course.
So, what’s it been like starting university again as an über-extra-vintage-mature student? What have been the positives? What have been the disappointments? Well, let me tell you, it’s been quite a ride. Let's explore the ups, downs, and everything in between. And if you’re just like me, I hope you gain some valuable insights along the way.
Uni isn’t like it used to be — thankfully!
Returning to university was a big step for me. I couldn’t help but wonder how much had changed since I last set foot on campus. Would I still feel like I belonged? It’s impossible to sum up everything I’ve encountered that feels different, and I know this will sound cheesy but, let me tell you, I am very glad for some of the major differences.
For example, the process of academic research today is so much easier than when I left uni in 1978. At that point, there were no electronic catalogues in the library. If I needed to find a book, I’d have to reach up and heft one of the heavy 30x50cm sized indexes off the shelves, thumb through until I found my chosen author and then track down to find a pasted-in paper slip with the book title and library reference on it. Sounds simple — but it’s not simple at all if you are ‘vertically challenged’ like me!
Back in 1975 there was also no Google. Yes — no Google! In fact, there were only three or four computers in the whole of Cambridge at that time, and undergraduates could only access these for a couple of hours after midnight. Therefore, the only way to cross-reference a research topic was to use other authors’ biographies. It worked — but academic writers are notoriously quirky so, in practice, potentially useful avenues of research were often closed off at source.
Fast forward to today, and what used to take me a whole morning takes a few seconds.
And talking of writing, today’s students at UoB will never need to face the agony of using a typewriter to produce an essay: the wave of frustration when you find a sentence missing, or a major error, and have no choice but to retype the whole of the page to amend it. Thankfully that’s a thing of the past.
Finding my community
One of the biggest challenges has been finding my community at UoB. The diversity here is truly remarkable, and you come across students from all walks of life — but, as a mature student, it’s often a challenge to fit in.
But you know what’s helped? Branching out and choosing to get involved. Before my first term even started, I joined several of the UoB Facebook Groups and made sure I was active on them every few weeks. That helped my face and name to become more familiar.
The biggest boost came when I joined the Student Content Shapers Team — a lively community of UoB students from across the spectrum all of whom share the same passion to communicate important themes in a fun and relevant manner. I also became a Student Representative for postgraduate researchers in the School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion, and I am sure there is much potential here: primarily to represent students’ needs, but also for me to ‘join the dots’ and reflect these everyday issues in the content I produce.
Trying to get on with my work
We’ve all been there: trying to study while another student finds a friend working in the library and then tells them all about their weekend party at full volume — oblivious to how much this is disturbing other library users.
While catching up with friends is important, I do think Library study areas should be only for silent working. As someone who commutes for over two and a half hours to campus, my UoB time is precious and costly. I often rely on using the Library to access the key books I need for my research, so it can be irritating when even the Quiet Zones are too noisy for me to concentrate. Yes, I can wear noise-cancelling headphones (like most other students do), but that shouldn’t be necessary in the Main Library. As I get older and motorway driving becomes more challenging, I expect that my visits to campus will become fewer — so I’m keen to make the very best of each one that I can make.
Thankfully, UoB has plenty of other study spaces for me to use. Apart from the Main Library, one of my favourites is the first-floor study area in the School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion — although it is often deserted and a bit isolated. There are some super vlogs showing you more of the superb but hidden study spaces at UoB. With the on-site supermarket and loads of fast-food outlets, you can really make a day out of it!
Networking
This, perhaps, has been the biggest source of frustration for me as a mature student returning back to university.
Learning how to network with colleagues is a crucial life skill: making and developing personal links are so important for anyone looking to progress within a professional organisation. Informal chats over coffee or lunch are one of the most common ways of achieving this — but it can be particularly daunting for mature students to ‘break in’ when no one seems to want to talk to you! I’ve found that many students are surprisingly cautious about committing to having a coffee with someone as old as me. That’s frustrating as, just maybe, there is a lot of useful advice I could offer to someone just starting out in the world of work — plus it’s great practice for life after Graduation when most other work colleagues will be older.
However one of the big lessons I’ve learned from my time at Birmingham is that I must just take the initiative myself: so I continue to be proactive and chat to other students on social media, and this at least keeps the channels of communication open.
A lifelong learner
So, those are a few of my ups and downs while I’ve been studying at Birmingham.
My first year at UoB has been full of joy, laughter, and a slightly heady feeling of freedom. My two doctoral supervisors are brilliant, and the other members of the Student Content Shapers continue to inspire me to be creative in new ways. The academic work is challenging — but I continue to enjoy it and have absolutely no regrets about committing myself to a doctorate during my ‘twilight years’.
And let's not forget about the campus itself—the people, the facilities—they're all top-notch and have truly exceeded my expectations. When I introduced my children to the MyUoB and SafeZone apps, they instantly understood why I was so impressed! They had nothing like it when they were at uni.
So, if you're a (very) mature student like me, perhaps harbouring doubts about returning to university, I have one piece of advice: don't hesitate. I have no regrets whatsoever about committing to my doctorate at ‘my age’.
As ever, if you see me around campus, I’m always happy to wave and share a smile. Kindness costs nothing but can make such a positive difference. It’s so good to belong to such a caring and vibrant community here at UoB and I look forward positively to the years ahead.