![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2024\/05\/COMMENCE24-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe greatest fear was \u201cdriving through the college gates the first time,\u201d he recalled. Like many students his age, he said the studies were \u201crefreshing and enriching.\u201d He noted that returning to college can be intimidating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust have a go and don\u2019t confuse it with Judgement Day or listen to the naysayers,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pam Tomilson, 45, from Australia, graduated from high school in 1997. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was a terrible student, but when I decided I wanted to be a pilot, I chose to redo a year of my education and move from the country to the city,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her greatest challenge was self-confidence, but was surprised when her fellow students provided support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI knew I would enjoy the learning, but I never thought I would make lifelong friends,” she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She encouraged people considering a return to college to enroll immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Just go for it,” she encouraged. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Lazar Jovic UMPI YourPace Contributor PRESQUE ISLE, Maine \u2013 In the life of many teenagers, turning 18 means going to college. The next four years are filled with lectures, exams, and essays. Of course, there is a brighter side. There are sports clubs, drama clubs, and student exchange programs that can take you all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n
by Lazar Jovic<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UMPI YourPace Contributor<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine \u2013 In the life of many teenagers, turning 18 means going to college. The next four years are filled with lectures, exams, and essays. Of course, there is a brighter side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are sports clubs, drama clubs, and student exchange programs that can take you all the way to Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, this is not happening for many high school seniors. According to the U.S. Bureau of\u00a0 Labor Statistics, among recent high school graduates aged 16 to 24, around 60 percent were\u00a0 enrolled in college in October 2023. The situation is similar in Ireland. According to the 2022 Education at a Glance report by OECD, 63 percent of 18-24-year-olds are in\u00a0 education in Ireland. In other countries, the percentage of college students is much lower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In recent years, continuing education has become more popular. It is used to describe special programs for non-traditional students, often adults. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, many who don\u2019t go to college after high school don\u2019t give up on higher education. Some decide to put a framed degree on their living room wall decades after they leave high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shigemi Hirata is an example. Born in Japan in 1919, Shigemi is featured in the Guinness Book\u00a0Of World Records as the oldest university graduate. She received her degree in 2016 when she was 96. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Prosser, 64, lives in England. He completed his bachelor\u2019s degree in geography in 1981. However, literature and history are his passion. He started his studies again in 2009.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The greatest fear was \u201cdriving through the college gates the first time,\u201d he recalled. Like many students his age, he said the studies were \u201crefreshing and enriching.\u201d He noted that returning to college can be intimidating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust have a go and don\u2019t confuse it with Judgement Day or listen to the naysayers,\" he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pam Tomilson, 45, from Australia, graduated from high school in 1997. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was a terrible student, but when I decided I wanted to be a pilot, I chose to redo a year of my education and move from\u00a0 the country to the city,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her greatest challenge was self-confidence, but was surprised when her fellow students provided support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI knew I would enjoy the learning, but I never thought I would make lifelong friends,\" she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She encouraged people considering a return to college to enroll immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"Just go for it,\" she encouraged. <\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7376],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7981"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7984,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7981\/revisions\/7984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}