Maria Shriver

10 Tips on Going Back to School as an Adult

By Nadine Schiff-Rosen

For my 60th birthday I gave myself a present: a permission slip to go back to school to get an MFA in Creative Writing. I didn’t want a blow-out party, or a trip to some exotic island with super-sized margaritas to help me get through this milestone. I needed to challenge my mind, to re-kindle the passion I had for literature and poetry. Most of all, after years of working and raising children, I needed to fire up my soul.

Of course on the very first day of my residency program I recall wondering what I was thinking? The commands for the internal computer system were as difficult as learning a second language. The coursework was challenging, and most of the “kids” in my classes were younger (okay, much younger). And did I mention hipper and smarter?

But as it turns out being older and going back to college has its advantages. For one thing, even though the big 6-0 had given me wrinkles, it had also given me a voice. I had lived a life and I discovered I had something to say. Secondly, I voluntarily wanted to be there. No one was forcing me out the door in the morning with a breakfast bar. I wasn’t twirling my hair in a lecture hall because I had no idea where to else to be. Nor was I doing the experimentation thing; taking a stab in the dark to see if I liked writing well enough for it to be “the one.” This time around I was clear about my intention. I was thirsty to learn, to read, and to be taught -- all with or without an end game of a post-graduate degree.

If you’re thinking about re-inventing yourself, or going back to school for the pleasure of a higher educational journey, here’s some advice from a woman who’s been there:

1. If you have a passion, follow it. Go online to various educational institutions in your area to see what courses they offer in your field of interest. Community and junior colleges offer extension courses along with the bigger universities. Don’t be snobby.
2. Start slowly. In my case I didn’t just jump into a full time MFA. For the first two years I began with evening extension courses at my local university until I was ready for a full time commitment. Date a little before getting engaged.
3. Update your computer skills. My generation is not nearly as tech savvy as my children’s. You may never be a true geek, but at least you will re-start your hard drive in more ways than one.
4. Stop defending yourself. You’re old. You’re going to stand out, or worse, at times, feel invisible. It’s a little weird being the only student without a tattoo or a piercing. But hey, you have other things, like cellulite and jowls. Learn to laugh, or at least smile at where you are in life. There’s more of us now than you think.
5. Change is good. If re-inventing your career is your goal, research the kinds of jobs that may be available to you after graduation. Usually there is an alumni organization on any campus that can offer advice, or at least share what graduates have done professionally with their degrees once they’ve gone back out into the real world.
6. Not everyone is happy for you. For every congratulations I received for going back to school, I got a, “Why would you do that?” Here’s my response. Think: ‘because I don’t want to end up bitter like you.’ Say: ‘Because challenging myself makes me happy and more interesting.’ Force a smile. Turn your back. End of conversation.
7. If you have a partner, spouse, significant other, roommate, dog, fish, whatever, life is going to change. School involves work, and work takes time. Better everyone accepts that from the get-go. Especially you. Otherwise, you’ll set yourself up to drop out before you even begin.
8. Help! The brain synapses may not fire up as quickly, but the slow and steady approach almost always gets you where you want to go. Allow yourself to enjoy the process. You’re not in this to win or get straight A’s. You’re in it to thrive, bloom and prosper. This time, it’s all about YOU.
9. Risky is catchy! Don’t be surprised if after a semester at school you want to try other new things. A cohort of mine began cooking classes. Uncoordinated me started zumba at my gym. You won’t believe how so NOT too late it is to try anything. Maybe a career at NASA is out of the question, but almost everything else is wide open.
10. Fair warning: Toss the heavy handbag that kills your neck and shoulders and replace it with a cool backpack. Don’t bring your teacher an apple, unless it’s an Apple computer. And the next time someone asks you to do something you really don’t want to do, just say the dog ate your homework -- and now you have to do it all over again. School is so more rewarding the second time around.

Nadine Schiff-Rosen is the co-author of three non-fiction books and the producer of several film and television productions. She was a Los Angeles based reporter for the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and the Vice President of Production for Michael Douglas' Stonebridge Entertainment. She is currently enrolled in the MFA Creative Writing Program at Antioch University.