College Seniors

Continued from page 5 adds value to class. Younger students understand that if a person over 60 is coming back to class, there must be something in this.”

Older students often appear more focused on learning than younger ones, she said. “They are always in the front row,” Ravi said. “They are never in the back. They are so eager. Their lives revolve around the schoolwork. They are always ready for class. All they are talking about is schoolwork.”

Plus, they bring their life experience to class. “I believe strongly that students learn from each other,” Ravi said. “I believe adult learners bring a lot to the classroom.”

Kennesaw State student Elena Jordan, who’s 63, sees the same thing in her classes. “I think our presence is a true enhancement of the learning environment,” she said. “The kids are great, but I think we add a little spice.”

Jordan says she’s working on her fourth degree. She graduated in the 1970s with a bachelor’s degree and a major in music, she said, then earned master’s degrees in computer science and business administration. She decided to go back to study Spanish, she said, after she tried learning the language by listening to tapes during her daily commute and decided she preferred learning in a classroom.

The biggest downside she sees for older students? All the sitting around required when in class or doing homework.

Kruszka saw that returning to college as a retiree meant diving into the hard work of college studies. And campus life for the older set wasn’t the zany good times pictured in some back-to-college movies. No frat parties or wild nights out. “This is not a Rodney Dangerfield situation,” he said. That was OK with him, though. “That’s not my style.”

At 71, Olyn Gee, a freshly minted University of Georgia graduate, finds college keeps him engaged as he ages. “If you’re a senior, you feel like you’re wasting your time,” he said. “[Attending college] is a great way to feel part of the community.”

Gee said he spent much of his life in metro Atlanta and worked at a variety of jobs, ranging from sales to taking wedding photos. So many young couples had their portraits taken at the UGA campus, he said, that he ended up spending a lot of time in Athens. Eventually, he and his wife moved to the Athens area.

When Gee found out that he could attend classes at UGA without paying tuition because of his age, he enrolled in a few. He liked them, so he kept going back for more. “You learn so much that you never knew,” he said. “Any course you take just opens your eyes up.”

Eventually, he had accumulated so many class credits that he was considered a college junior. He decided to start taking the science, math and language courses he needed to fulfill the requirements for a degree. He graduated from UGA in May with a bachelor’s in political science. Completing his degree took 7 ½ years, he said.

He plans to go back for more. “It’s free and it keeps you young,” he said.

At Kennesaw, soon-to-be graduate Kruszka also says he probably will be back for more in the future, too. Even after he completes work on the degree he started four decades ago, he said, he thinks he’ll keep on taking classes.

But for now, he’s thinking about what he should give himself as a graduation present to celebrate finally getting his degree.

After all, he said, the simple act of getting older shouldn’t slow you down.

“We can’t stop just because the clock is moving on,” he said.

“You’ve got to keep moving. I really believe that.”

To find out more about the state’s college programs for older students, go to gobackmoveahead.org or gafutures.org

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