Everywhere I went, the answer was the same… “No ‘mature entry’ for a Master’s in psychology.” It became clear that I would have to finish my Bachelor’s degree, if I wanted the Master’s. I had heard that many programs of study would take mature entry and experience in life in lieu of a completed Bachelor’s degree, and so I figured it was worth a try. It had been nearly 30 years since I was last in college and I had had some training and experience in lay counseling, so I was hopeful. I certainly had the ‘mature’ part in place, as I was pushing 50 years! But, no way. No one was budging. So, I took a deep breath and applied for classes at Daystar University, in preparation for a transfer to the University of West Florida to finish my Bachelor’s degree…but in what?
I was right back where I was 30 years ago when I was attending the local community college, trying to make up my mind what to major in. You see, the problem was not that I wasn’t interested in anything, but that I was interested in everything! But I had to choose one major among the many interests. It was a more difficult decision 30 years ago, when I was just starting out. I loved children…I could study education. I had a keen interest in writing. Perhaps that was the way to go. But then again, I also loved music. And animals were always a favorite subject. Perhaps I could study veterinary medicine. But life has a way of helping you make decisions, and that was how it was with me. Over the years we lived and worked in Kenya, I realized I loved working with people. I had been helped through a crisis in my own life by the counsel of wise people in the Body of Christ and I realized that this was what I wanted to invest my life in doing – counseling, particularly in the Christian context. And so, I found myself back in school, majoring in psychology, and definitely the oldest person pursuing a Bachelor’s degree!
I was always a very good student, both in high school and the 2 years of college I managed to accomplish before getting married, so I entered with a fair amount of confidence. One of the courses I needed to take for my degree was statistics for social sciences and a prerequisite for this class was college algebra. Ugh. I never liked math of any sort, and it was my weakest area of study to boot, but I had no choice, so I signed up for college algebra at Daystar University, along with 1-2 other classes. So far, so good. These classes I was taking at Daystar, would help whittle down the number of credits I would need to squeeze into 2 semesters at UWF.
I sat in college algebra class in shock, gazing around, wondering if anyone else was as lost as I was. First, I was surprised that the textbook for this class had ‘Precalculus’ blazoned in huge letters across the front. Hey, wait a minute, I signed up for college algebra, not precalc! I checked with the teacher (ominously called a lecturer in Kenya) and yes, indeed, that was the textbook for the class. I did not have a good feeling about this. The first homework assignment, I worked and worked on diligently, only to come to class and find every single answer I came up with was wrong! I redoubled my efforts with the same dismal result. I had no idea what was going on in class, nor what to do about it. I never was very good at any kind of math, but I had never failed a class either. Surely in those nearly 30 years, I hadn’t forgotten absolutely everything about math! I stuck it out for 3 weeks and finally decided there was no doubt I would fail this class, so I withdrew. Now I was in a conundrum. I needed this ‘college algebra’ class to take statistics, but no way I could pass. UWF offered a college algebra class, but I could not take it and statistics at the same time.
I finally went to the registrar at Daystar and asked for advice. After listening to my tale of woe, she asked “Aren’t you a special student?” What’s that? Turns out a special student is one who is there for classes but does not intend to get their degree at Daystar. So, yes, I was (though I wasn’t feeling so special at that point). She then informed me that a special student could take any class they felt they could handle, so if I wanted to take Statistics first, then college algebra at UWF, I was free to do so. I was elated. I checked with UWF first and they had no issue with the arrangement, so I signed up for statistics at Daystar and planned to take the ‘prerequisite’ after, at UWF. Statistics wasn’t my favorite class, but I passed easily with a B+, the lowest grade I got on my journey to finish my Bachelor’s degree.
It felt weird being nearly 50, surrounded by people in their late teens and 20s. I got some weird looks too. But I don’t regret having to finish those 2 years surrounded by ‘kids’ (I like to joke that it took me only 32 years to get my Bachelor’s degree). I learned much more than the class subjects I studied. I learned about relating to university students. I found I was able to contribute much in class discussions due to my life experience, often making classes more lively. I felt like these young people were keeping me young by stretching my mind with new ideas and ways of doing things. I had to learn at least rudimentary technology to keep up. And it was in these college days that God was fanning into flame a call I had received from Him some years earlier, for the type of work I would be doing for the next 20 years. But then, that’s another story, for another time.
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