OWL = Older Wiser Learner
I’ve never felt so old as walking into a graduate school class and opening up your crisp notebook full of empty white pages, only to watch all of the twenty somethings whip out their laptops and start them up. So, I guess I am definitely an older learner, but not so sure about the wiser part. I’m in a Ph.D. graduate program currently for Clinical Investigation. It’s an interesting program designed for physicians who want advanced training in the design and implementation of clinical studies, including clinical trials. The problem is that the courses that are the backbone of the program are through the regular graduate school (with the exception of one series). This term I signed up for a course only to find out later that it is no longer offered but there is a similar class from 4-6 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Welp, Tuesday is my clinic day and I have to pick my kids up by 6 pm every day.
I’m so eternally grateful that I did most of my schooling right out of high school and straight through without any breaks. I have vague recollections of student who were also parents in college. I’m not sure how they did it. Trying to juggle all of the schedules, keep them fed, clean, and reasonably well mannered is a feat. This go round as an OWL makes me realize how right my mentors, parents and instincts were to just keep pushing. These cancelled classes are now much more inconvenient or even impossible to manage. So here I am, un-enrolled with credits needing to be finished. Hmmpf.
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