Scholarly Pursuits
By Kellie S. Rowden-Racette

On the first day of classes during the 1999 fall semester at Catholic University's Columbus School of Law, the school's newspaper dutifully reported the demographics of the incoming class of first-year students. Statistics included the breakdown of men vs. women, the percentage of minority students, and the range of ages: 22 to 56 years old.

Noticing the age that topped off the range, a 20-something first-year student turned to classmate Van Stewart and said, "I wonder who that could be?"

The retired naval aviator smiled quietly to himself as he waited for class to begin. "I looked a little younger than 56," Stewart admits sheepishly.

Now, three years later, Stewart is in the middle of his third year of the four-year law program as he continues to fly part-time for United Airlines. During the semester, his weekly routine is to work Friday through Monday and then attend evening classes Tuesday through Thursday. If he continues on this schedule, he will graduate from law school, retire from the commercial airline industry, and turn 60 all in the same month - May 2003.

Like his classmates, Stewart is looking forward to his graduation next year. But unlike many of his law school peers, he isn't overly anxious about what happens next. "I'm not a 26- or 27-year-old who wants to make partner by the time I turn 30. [Next year] I can take my diploma and say ‘thank you,' or I can go to work - there are so many possibilities," Stewart explains.

Although Stewart is considered a bit of a novelty in his law school class, his desire to continue his education regardless of his age is shared by a growing number of second-career adults. According to the U.S. Department of Education, in 1999, the number of people ages 50-64 enrolled in college-level programs totaled 441,861 - up about 57 percent from 281,986 in 1991. While this trend may in part be due to the increasing age and longevity of the overall population, it also reflects a changing perception of what life should be like past 50, 60, or even 70. Stewart says that when he started thinking about what his next step would be after retiring from United Airlines, he knew he needed to find something.

"Given where I am in life, a lot of people thought I was nuts for wanting to do this. But, really, 60 is not old anymore, and I couldn't see just stopping," Stewart explains.

This youthful outlook on education doesn't stop with 50- and 60-year-olds - just ask 80-year-old World War II veteran Arthur Krakower, a 2001 graduate of the California College of Arts and Crafts (ccac). Krakower says his age and experience give him the inspiration necessary for his art.

"A lot happened when I was young...so many memories have provided me with rich ideas," says Krakower. "Now I try to put my memories on canvas so I can remember and share them."

While serving in a myriad of careers, Krakower says he always dabbled in painting. After the war, he spent decades working as a manager and buyer in the fashion merchandising industry - a profession that fueled his talent for color and shape. Finally, in 1997, at age 77, Krakower decided to take his hobby to the next level.

"I never hesitated," says Krakower. "I had a passion for painting, and I wanted to see how far I could go with it. I wanted to see how good I really was."

As it turns out, he is very good, indeed. Early in the program, his professors recognized his innate talent and rewarded him with a prestigious scholarship so he could continue his studies. After his graduation in May 2001, he quickly sold 14 paintings.

Krakower said being almost three times as old as the majority of his fellow students was never a problem. Although he is reluctant to accept praise for being the oldest student ever to receive a ccac degree, preferring to be recognized only for his talent, he suggests that the difference in age between himself and his fellow artists actually helped him to develop his abilities.

"We'd exchange information and critique each other's work," he recalls. "Older people need young people to revive them and young people need older people for advice. You've got to go back and surround yourself with young people - you can really learn from them."

Modern maturity

Aside from the advantage of having many life experiences to fuel the passion and commitment needed to pursue a degree later in life, being older offers another important and perhaps more obvious advantage: maturity. Committing to a degree program, after all, often means giving up time with family and friends - a choice that requires a certain sense of responsibility that sometimes comes more easily with age. For example, since his undergraduate days at the University of Oklahoma in the 1960s, Stewart says he is much more responsible, and his approach to being a student has changed dramatically.

"Back then it was always more enticing to go off and have a few beers with my friends than to attend class," he says. "Now, I wouldn't dream of going to class without doing the homework, and I certainly wouldn't dream of missing class." In the past two years of law school, Stewart has missed only three nights of class, and those for work-related reasons, like being stuck in airports in Chicago or Mexico.

But the difference in maturity is not just evident in responsible class attendance and preparation. According to Roger Hartley, a law professor at Catholic University, older students tend to carry themselves with a higher level of self-assuredness than typical law students in their mid-20s.

"Older students have greater career clarity. They usually know what they want to do, while many younger students have unclear or misguided perceptions," says Hartley. Plus, he adds, "Older students come to school with the ability to juggle competing demands because they have been doing it for years and are used to it."

At the same time, Hartley contends, older students often have many more demands to juggle than do students fresh out of undergraduate studies, and even though they're equipped to handle them, their family and job obligations can distract them from their roles as students. Also, he has seen some older students dismayed by the obvious generational gap in the classroom - and isolating themselves as a result. This lack of interaction with fellow students (such as reluctance to participate in study groups) can prove detrimental to the whole learning experience, especially if a student is worried that his or her study habits may be a bit rusty.

"It really depends on the individual," Hartley explains. "Some have a harder time dealing with the differences in dress and music while others are fine. Every time you turn around, you find yourself in an alien youth culture."

Making the Grade Although some programs might waive entrance-exam requirements based on your experience (it’s worth asking anyway), many will require one of the following: GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) - used for a variety of graduate programs. It tests verbal, quantitative, and analytical skills. There also are specific subject tests. GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) - for students interested in pursuing a master’s degree in business management or administration. It has three main sections: analytical writing, quantitative reasoning, and verbal reasoning. MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) - for students interested in enrolling in medical school. It tests verbal reasoning, writing, and knowledge of physical and biological sciences. LSAT (Law School Aptitude Test) - for students applying to law school. It tests acquired reading and verbal reasoning skills. For more information about these exams, visit their Web sites through TROA's links page, www.troa.org/magazine/links.asp.

Choosing sacrifice

The challenges of going back to college as an adult can be so overwhelming that many older students acknowledge they wouldn't have considered it without the support of their immediate family members. In fact, Stewart says he probably wouldn't have enrolled had it not been for encouragement from his wife, Joyce.

"[Joyce] would clip magazine articles about law school and leave them on the refrigerator for me to see," Stewart recalls.

Stewart's family, including his two sons, Ian and Jason, has continued to support him as they try to spend quality time together each week. But, observes Joyce, as the wife of a naval aviator, she became accustomed to being on her own part of the time.

"After all these years, we've learned to do what we can and enjoy the time we have together," she says. "Van is a special kind of person who is able to manage his time well so he can spend [some] with his family."

Time, however, is not the only sacrifice families of returning students make - there is also money. Each year the price of college tuition inches up, a fact many older prospective students are keenly aware of after having just sent their own children to college. Although many older students are in better financial positions than their younger peers, the pinch still can have an effect on a student's lifestyle. Ruth Walsh, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, remembers that when she left the military and decided to go to seminary school full-time in 1991, she felt an immediate financial pinch: "I was a single mother with an 11-year-old daughter living on my retirement from the Marines," recalls Walsh. "I paid for school through grants and loans."

To adjust, Walsh made some lifestyle changes, including selling her single-family home and moving into a less-expensive townhouse. While her young daughter's financial needs were taken care of without question, Walsh avoided buying new clothes for herself or making any large purchases that could be postponed until she was finished with her degree. "You learn to scale back to the things in your life that are important," she says.

Even though the money was tight and it was a tough transition, Walsh says her daughter, Julia, always supported her decision.

"She was used to me being in a professional position and following my career - she thought it was perfectly normal," says Walsh. "As [Julia] set out to discover what she wanted to do for her own career, she never worried about trying something different or risky - she learned that from me."

Walsh's financial sacrifice paid off, and today she directs clinical pastoral education at an assisted living community in Arlington, Va. But she's not finished yet. In 1998, she enrolled in a doctorate program through Colgate/Rochester Divinity School, where she attends two weeks of classes two times a year. Although she's not sure exactly when she will finish, she says she is enjoying the process and is looking forward to using what she learns. "I'm doing it mostly for my own edification, but I know it will help others, too," she says.

Although students from all walks of life enter and complete degree programs, habits learned in the military can transfer particularly well to the classroom. According to Walsh, her military background proved invaluable during her degree program. She says she could think organizationally and strategically, use her leadership skills among her peers, and draw on a solid work ethic that helped her through busy times.

"The military prepared me to be dependable and loyal...those qualities can't be bought," she says.

Online solutions

Another option for older adults who are interested in pursuing a degree but are still working full-time is to go through an online program. John Kirkpatrick, a retired lieutenant commander in the Navy, says that compared to his experience of getting his bachelor's degree part-time in an actual classroom while holding down a full-time job, his experience of pursuing his master's degree online was refreshingly flexible.

"It's a very easy learning environment, and it didn't interfere with my schedule," says Kirkpatrick, who works full-time as a systems engineer and runs consulting and Internet businesses part-time.

Once viewed as somewhat experimental, online programs are becoming more accepted and are covering a wider range of degree subjects. According to the U.S. Department of Education, in the 1997-1998 school year, 1,680 accredited colleges and universities offered online programs. During that same year, 990 schools that did not currently offer such programs planned to do so by the 2001-2002 academic year.

An online class typically works with an instructor providing lectures, questions, and assignments via a Web site. Students review information and complete assignments at their convenience before the next class. Questions and answers among the instructor and students are communicated by e-mail. Although it sounds like a relaxing way to take a class, Kirkpatrick assures that his workload was comparable to any traditional graduate-level class.

"You have to log in and have meaningful conversation," explains Kirkpatrick. "You can't just make a contribution every now and then and expect to get anything out of it. You definitely have to work."

GET MORE WITH TROA EdPlus, TROA's low-interest loan program, is available in 40 states and allows members to apply for education loans for themselves and their spouses, children, or grandchildren anytime throughout the year. To find out more, visit our Web Base, www.troa.org/education/edplus.asp, or call (800) 245-8762, ext. 535.

Life after graduation

Traditionally, law students begin to scope out career opportunities as far out as a couple of years before being handed their diplomas. At the 18-month countdown to his graduation, Stewart is busy finishing projects, studying for finals, and, yes, beginning to think about his future. "I'm hoping something will drop in my lap. I haven't been diligent yet, but [that will change] in the next 18 months."

While he is considering melding his two previous careers with his new one in the arena of aviation law, Stewart says he is mostly concerned about finding something that will give him an opportunity to make a difference in his own life and in those of others.

"My ideal is to go find a cause that I can really get involved in and bring my law degree to the table," says Stewart. One might be promoting research and treatment of tuberous sclerosis, a neurological disease from which his older son, Jason, suffers. He says he is confident something will find him if he doesn't find it first - high salary or not.

"Ultimately it's more important to me to one day go to work with a smile on my face and not have to worry about the money."