Attending an Ivy later in life (40+)

I guess my first thought is why? Which Ivy? Did you go to college the first time around? Do you have to borrow any money? Will you be living with the kids? Do they allow that? Will you be working?

OP, as it so happens I started law school at 40, albeit not at an Ivy. It wasn't *that* unusual, but if you mean undergrad that's another story. Do you already have a college or university degree of some sort? And is there some reason you want to go back now, and specifically to an Ivy? Have you inquired at their admissions office what's required for students your age? (e.g. is there any point in submitting 25-year-old high school transcripts) Have you signed up for the SAT? (IIRC schools nowadays only permit scores that are a decade old at most)

The biggest questions: why do you think an Ivy degree would help you now, and are you prepared to spend the requisite $250K+ on attending school in this day & age? (Or, perhaps more accurately, are you prepared to be stuck paying off student loans possibly all the way through retirement?)

Assuming costs and practicality aside, what would be the perks? Are the networking options and cachet worth it? If you’ve gone yourself, would you say it gave you an edge in your career? Life in general? Does it open doors?

OP- Is only going for the access to Ivy League COCK 🥒

I assume OP is talking about grad school. Very little chance he could get in undergrad at his age.

Grad school at Harvard or Yale is easier to get into (not counting MBA or Law), and a lot of people just want that feather in their cap that they attended an Ivy, even at an older age. If they can afford it, why not?

Grad school is fine. Undergrad would be extremely weird even if you were in your later 20s. The entire experience is designed with 18 year olds in mind. If you want to go to undergrad in your 40s, choose a commuter school.

You ain't attending MY Ivy unless I get paid.

I can understand the desire to get an Ivy degree for medicine, physical science or law…maybe business…but why the hell for anything else?

What you're getting with an Ivy are impressive contacts and connections; are you really going to be networking with 20 year olds at 40? Doubtful. They're not even going to look up from their phone if you say hello, and you will make them hyperventilate with anxiety if you try to make eye contact. You can get that treatment at a community college for much less.

Why not save your money and your dignity and go to a "good" or "very good" school?

I don’t see the harm in it whether you ever use a degree you get there or not. Unless you’re imagining you may make friends among non-existent peers. I completed a BA at a non-ivy when I was more than 60 years old and it at least lowered the premium on my car insurance.

New tip, Dataloungers: don't go to college for lower car insurance premiums. It's actually not a very good deal when you crunch the numbers!

Go for it, OP. I went back to college ten years after I dropped out. I had the passion & did very well. However, make sure you are familiar with the technology you will be using in all aspects of school. Library & research systems, administrative tools, classroom & class-specific tools, apps etc. Read reviews of them so you can get a gist of what you'll be in for. It was my biggest stumbling block my first semester. I had dropped out in 1999 and returned around 2009. My academic advisor kindly gifted me my first thumb drive after he saw me pull a small case of 3.5 inch disks out of my backpack in his office 🤣

R10 is a great example of how a college education is not at all an indicator of intelligence, nor older age for wisdom.

I can see a lot of harm in it--to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But of course with the money your expensive degree could potentially save on car insurance, you might be able to treat yourself to an Applebee's early bird special once or twice a month.

It's all in how you look at things, I guess!

I’d be surprised if any Ivy or Ivy-adjacent would admit someone 40+ to their elite undergrad colleges. Some have a separate “continuing Ed” unit that offers a more general degree, is usually cheaper, classes at night or weekends, and are not taught by the big-name faculty. There may be exceptions (a friend skipped Radcliffe to become a soloist with the NYCB and when she retired did an undergrad at Columbia—such narratives are rare).

When I was at Harvard in the 80s, all freshman lived in the Harvard Yard, except for those in Pennypacker and another house whose name I forget. It is a Harvard tradition. There is no way OP would be allowed to live with 17 and 18 year olds in the Yard.

Why not? I could pass for 17 or 18.

[quote] Why not? I could pass for 17 or 18.

A bit past peak ripeness but otherwise intriguing.

I had a good friend who graduated from NYU at age 44. Sadly he died a few months after graduation.

In all seriousness, should I tell others my real age? I don’t want them to automatically discriminate against me, especially since I won’t really know many people yet. Maybe I should keep it a secret?

Yale has a program that facilitates enrollment of older students at Yale College. According to their website, currently enrolled students range in age from their early twenties to their late sixties.

It'll be hard to get into a good fraternity.

Assuming a graduate degree and others have, I don't see anything remotely odd about it. OP's question leads me to think he might expect questions on the investment versus return question.

If he's doing it as an intellectual pursuit, that's great; or maybe to change careers to something he always wanted to pursue but never did. There are genuine benefits of that if the OP has the means to pursue them without having to extract a certain percentage return on money invested.

Time counts, or should do, for someone in his 40s. If it's only money he wants, there's the question of is it worth it? If it's a passion, and a passion he can afford, how can the answer not be yes? If it's the former the time and money invested.weigh in very different ways than if it's a passion.

Colombia has a undergrad program for "non traditional" students, and it has been popular with veterans on the GI Bill.

I doubt you will be scoring any sorority girl pussy unless they have daddy issues.

This is a gay site, R24.