11–20 of 36 posts
No, 20 is not nowhere near too old. But, I'm not really sure about value of difference in top 1 vs top 10... But, personally I would consider the degree more if that is different. Will the new one be more interesting?
No, 20 is not nowhere near too old. But, I'm not really sure about value of difference in top 1 vs top 10... But, personally I would consider the degree more if that is different. Will the new one be more interesting?
Pretty much. My main problem is with socializing - will I be able to socialize with the 18 year olds I'll be living with?
A point that I haven't seen addressed in other comments is the cost. If the additional 2 years ends up costing you a lot more money then I would vote against it. If you are in a country where tuition/boarding are paid then that isn't a factor to consider.
As far as (1) goes, I had around 5000 students in my career (give or take). Some were starting college in their 20s (e.g. after working right out of high school, or having served in the military). But I had students starting school in their 30s, 40s, 50s (!), though the oldest tended to be people who were returning for a second degree (very often they wanted to teach, which is just wonderful). The majority completed their degrees. They seemed to get along with their younger peers pretty well, though that depends on personality. (I'm thinking of a couple of guys in their 50s who'd sit in the tutoring room happily studying with students who were young enough to be their grandkids.) It helps to not be too self-conscious ("I'm so much older than my classmates"), and to think of the people around you in terms of commonalities rather than differences (e.g. you're all students).
People who had been away from school for a while would probably have a bit of rust, but it was more than made up for by "life experience" - for instance, knowing what you want, understanding that you need to work at things (and being able to do it), having the ability to self-monitor (which seems to develop on average in the late teens to early 20s).
I'm not sure how much of the above is relevant to OP's situation, but I hope it helps.
No, 20 is not nowhere near too old. But, I'm not really sure about value of difference in top 1 vs top 10... But, personally I would consider the degree more if that is different. Will the new one be more interesting?
Pretty much. My main problem is with socializing - will I be able to socialize with the 18 year olds I'll be living with?
Why not pour yourself into something you love professionally and take some risk. Eventually you may develop a mindset that you're too old to task risks in life.
Sorry, I'm not big on traditional education since it's just a business model that locks people into debt they can't escape.
Life is the best university there is out there. Its admission is just time and effort.
Note: I'm a high school drop out so don't pay me no mind :)
No, 20 is not nowhere near too old. But, I'm not really sure about value of difference in top 1 vs top 10... But, personally I would consider the degree more if that is different. Will the new one be more interesting?
Pretty much. My main problem is with socializing - will I be able to socialize with the 18 year olds I'll be living with?
There will be plenty of 20-year-olds where you transfer, and no one will care what year you technically are. Don’t worry about that. College is not like high school.
As other commenters have noted, the big question is whether you want to spend the extra time in school (and spend the extra money for the extra time - college debt is serious business!) But you know your own situation best, and an extra couple years of classes can be spent profitably if you’re thoughtful about how you use them.
But, here’s another possibility to consider- finish undergrad at your current place, and then go for a Master’s degree at the more prestigious school? It’s an extra two years in either case, and then you have a whole postgraduate degree as well.