Senior Citizens Sign Up For Online Colleges!
Usually every spring there's some human interest story about a great-grandparent who is graduating with a college degree, often their first. While many will ooh and awe then quickly forget it, one should give their respect to those seniors. The truth is they are getting some very practical benefits from going back to school.
The simple truth is that not only are these retirees enriching their lives, they are also prolonging them. No less a prestigious institution than Columbia University proved that people over 75 who combine a regimen of light exercise, active reading and healthy diet live longer, better quality lives than those who sit at home and watch TV - and do so by as much as a decade.
The facts are showing that "old dogs" not only can learn new tricks, but get to be much older in the process. No, they aren't going for their doctorate in astrophysics or nanotechnology. More often they are supplementing their knowledge in areas they have always had an interest in.
As often as not, these elderly students are taking such courses as history, if only to enrich their love of literature or to keep up to date with the latest technological trends if they were engineers or some other form of STEM profession. Maybe they don't intend to get jobs out of their education, but they are enriching their overall lives.
What's even more encouraging is not only are a number of major institutions endorsing this behavior in spirit; they are also doing it financially. Companies such as Calgon have sent up special financial aid packages for people over the age of 35, and it doesn't discriminate if the person is over 62 either. Many universities offer senior citizens discounted admission rates, as low as $50 a class, although many of these classes are audit only. There are institutions such as the Janet Rankin Foundation, which has programs specifically set up for just this. Even governments have gotten into the act. Many U.S. states will wave tuition if the citizen takes the classes at one of their state schools.
Another interesting thing about seniors going to back to school is many are doing so online. A key reason is more and more seniors remember and used the Altair or Atari when they came out, and as such are already computer literate. While their minds may still be sharp as razors, their bodies often also can't stand the commute. With the cost of computers constantly dropping, it makes practical sense for them to take their classes from the comfort of their home.
Getting back on the longevity issue, many health advocates say keeping a brain stimulated is essential towards living a healthier life. By going and taking classes, writing reports and taking exams, senior citizens are giving their brains one very proper workout, thus adding as much as a decade to their lives.
So the next time you see an article about an octogenarian or older person getting a bachelors degree, realize this is more than just a human interest fluff piece. That senior is not only enriching his or her intellectual life, but adding ten more quality years to enjoy it and they may also be eligible for student loans.
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