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My adult autistic son wants to know if he’s too old to attend a university in West Texas(UTEP) to pursue a bachelors degree in sociology or in a similar field of study, he will be turning 36 years old on October 21st. Any thoughts on this inquiry?
I saw this any earlier thread of yours:
Quote:
Quick questions about bipolar disorder( BP2)? Can somebody actually develop the disorder in my inquiry in the title text box above? And if people can, which gender gets it worse? Also which age group is more likely to experience the onset of such symptoms/which age group is more or less immune from developing this disease at all? By the way I’m a 35(almost 36y/o)male with an original diagnosis of infantile autism, if y’all need to know any more valuable information about me.
The answer to your university question is yes - you can definitely pursue a degree. Start part-time would be best.
The real question is how to find a living arrangement. You can't live in a dorm with crazy, noisy teenagers. So you'll need to find a better living arrangement suited for your disabilities.
The second real question is who will be your support group?
(1) You'll need a local therapist for talk therapy.
(2) A psychiatrist for your meds.
(3) You'll need social group so you don't feel isolated.
Bipolar is a tricky disease. It tends to come and go so having trusting people around you is important.
Will he live on campus or live in his own apartment?
It might be hard/next to impossible to live on campus.
I think this would be a non-issue for UTEP. The school doesn't have any traditional style dorms. They do have 3 student apartment complexes with different bedroom configurations from efficiency to 4 bedrooms. All of their apartments have full kitchens. On campus housing there is open to both undergrads and graduate students. Roommates are matched up by age and interest survey if the student wants the 2or 4 bedroom option. None of them struck me as having very convenient access to campus.
The autism is a different issue, but that would likely be an issue at any university and best to talk to the school's disability accommodations office.
Maybe being nearly 36 isn’t exactly “Old” but it is well within middle aged depending on who is being asked.
Such students are called "non-traditional students", and there are growing numbers of them in college classrooms these days. It's become fairly common.
I got a BA in my thirties and I remember I wide range of ages in different classes. Some were just starting out, some were looking at a 2nd or 3rd career. 36 is great!
OP, I thought YOU were almost 36? (at least from a previous thread of yours, in which you said you would be 36 in October of this year)
Now you have an almost-36-year-old son?
In another thread you were asking a question about the almost-36-year-old son of a neighbor?
It's really OK to ask questions about YOURSELF, you know.
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But no, 36 is not "too old" for college. I've been a college professor for more than 20 years now and I have wished many times that my college had MORE non-traditional students!
No, not at all too old. There are news articles about people sometimes getting their college - or even high school - diploma in their 80s, and people go back to school all the time.
My adult autistic son wants to know if he’s too old to attend a university in West Texas(UTEP) to pursue a bachelors degree in sociology or in a similar field of study, he will be turning 36 years old on October 21st. Any thoughts on this inquiry?
He is certainly not too old! He already has an associate degree. Why not get his bachelors' degree?
My adult autistic son wants to know if he’s too old to attend a university in West Texas(UTEP) to pursue a bachelors degree in sociology or in a similar field of study, he will be turning 36 years old on October 21st. Any thoughts on this inquiry?
What is his work history? Sociology usually attracts "people persons' and high functioning autistic persons are usually more prone to working with numbers, or things than people. Age is not a problem for attending school, but it can be a problem when achieving a life occupation.
The autism is a different issue, but that would likely be an issue at any university and best to talk to the school's disability accommodations office.
That's a point that should be explored--contact the school's accommodations office and talk to them about what your son would need to be a successful student, and what campus support services they offer. If he's 36, can he live independently, can he manage his own schedule--those are things to discuss.
Why is he too old? I didn’t return to college in any serious way until I was 46 or so. I had to take some high school courses at the community college because I had dropped out of high school about 30 years earlier. I started nursing school at age 49. I graduated nursing school at age 52. If your son wants to go to college, help him enroll if he needs or wants help. More power to him!
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