Last year Sarah Lang returned to university after 20 years in the wild. Could she hack it academically? Was she one of those mature students who talks too much? And how baked-in was her younger self’s urge to get an A?
What would it be like going back to university as a ‘mature student’? I wondered that in mid 2025, more than 20 years after I finished my B.A. majoring in English Literature, and my Communication Studies degree majoring in journalism.
I’m bookish. I own maybe 200 books, I wrote author profiles for 10 years, and I’ve run a classic literature book group for 10 years. I’m passionate about novels, particularly Victorian novels, and even more specifically the Brontë sisters’ novels. Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë had to adopt male pseudonyms so they would be judged on merit rather than gender. Ahead of their time, these literary geniuses pushed back against the boundaries of genre, and deftly criticised social norms and advocated for women’s rights before the term feminism even existed.
So when I saw that Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington was offering an English Honours course on the Brontës and the Brontë Myth, I really wanted to do it. But, I thought, should I actually do it? How much has academia changed over 20 years? Could I hack it academically? Would I be one of those mature students who talks too much? Would my academic perfectionism flare up? I figured I wouldn’t know unless I tried, while trying not to try too much! While most people I told said ‘good on you’ or similar things, some people said ‘why?’ or at least their facial expressions betrayed that thought. My answer? Because I’d long wanted to do some Honours papers, and really wanted to do the Brontës course knowing it may not be offered again. And at Vic, if you pull out of a course within a specified time, you get your fees back.
I had looked at Reddit, where a mature student posted that she wanted to go back to school (they call university ‘school’ in the States) but that other people thought this was strange as she already had a career and wasn’t seeking another. Another person commented in response: “I think sometimes people see this as ‘perplexing’ because they see school as prerequisite to certain careers. You have a successful career, so they may not understand that there are of course a ton of other reasons to go to school! Learning for the sake of learning is valuable, as is going to school to accomplish a goal of getting a degree or just because you want to.”
Another person responded: “I have nothing but fond memories of the mature students from back when I was a ‘regular’ student. Outside of maybe one really annoying guy, they always just seemed so much more focused, self-assured, and wise to me and my friend – we often looked up to them! In particular, I really appreciated the real-world opinions they shared and their social company when they felt like providing it. I don’t think it crossed my mind for a second that mature student – anything other than admirable for furthering their education even later in life.”
I knew it might feel a little weird, but ultimately I back myself. So I did the course, from mid-July to the end of October. The weekly seminars were three hours of learning and discussion in a group of 14. At the first seminar, many of my concerns melted away. I tried not to be that mature student who talks too much; sometimes I wrote in my notebook ‘stop talking for a bit Sarah!’. After a few sessions, I didn’t even think about the age gap between me and the 20-somethings, who didn’t seem to treat me much differently. My professor was a delight and certainly didn’t treat me as less important.
Juggling my course with my journalism was actually fine. Firstly, I trimmed back my work hours to part-time. Secondly, the process of creating stories from go to whoa in journalism takes a lot of energy. But because studying largely wasn’t ‘creating’ – it was mainly reading, discussion and taking notes – I could extend my workday to 6pm, without being tired. I also studied maybe every weekend for three months. I definitely spent longer than the suggested 20 hours a week on the course. If you know me, you’d know I like to do things not perfectly, but properly.
Much had changed since I was last at uni, so I took advantage of free support from Student Learning. I studiously went to in-person sessions and Zoom seminars, including tips for postgraduate students, note-taking, referencing, preparing for take-home tests and exams, and summarising and paraphrasing others’ academic research. Student Learning also has many online resources including tips for mature students. There was also a librarian dedicated to the humanities programmes who explained to my very tech-challenged brain how to use the free software Zotero, (where you can store and annotate many of your readings, plus it automatically creates a citation). If you’re returning to study, look up free services and resources like these.
I was a little surprised that my over-achiever academic self of 20-plus years ago so baked-in (at age 20, I saw a B+ as a flop). But I reminded myself that this was about enjoyment, not a grade. And it was so dang enjoyable – doing close readings of the novels, attending seminars, and selectively reading secondary sources. With my essays, it was difficult to adjust to academic writing, but I enjoyed the challenge, and had some original things to say. The take-home test was full-on, but still went well.
I made myself a Negroni when I got an A+ for the course. I plan to do three more courses, which will earn a B.A. with Honours. I’m even flirting with the idea of a Master’s. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll take one step (one course) at a time, then reassess. Because, after all, I’m 45 – and I’m not pursuing an academic career. So am I being self-indulgent? Or do I frigging well deserve to spend my late father’s inheritance on this?
Dr David Maslach, a renowned management professor at Florida State University, had this to say in a YouTube video about going back to uni in your 40s or 50s. “I know it’s tough to do these things and people are going to tell you you’re crazy and everybody’s going to look at you like ‘what the heck are you doing?’. We have this story that you’re supposed to retire when you’re 65 or whatever number, so you feel like you should be acting in a certain way at a certain age.”
“But if you’re going back to school [university], or if you’re thinking of doing anything that’s traditionally for somebody that’s really young, it’s a load of hogwash to feel guilty or to feel bad. People that are knocking you for doing that are totally misinformed. There’s so much life left to live. Why would you think you’re done because of some arbitrary number like 65? Don’t do something simply because it’s for money or stability – that’s important but, as well, do what you love and find exciting and interesting. Remember these stories we tell ourselves are just stories and we can change that story.”
I have a story of support. My husband, the primary breadwinner, was unsure about my decision to study, but then saw how much it meant to me. He and our 11-year-old son have been (and will be) seeing me less while I’m studying – giving me the grace to spend my time learning as well as earning.
*As for those studying to change careers, look out for a story soon!