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I am curious to know if any of you have gone to university classes through the Osher program, which is in every state and affiliated with a university or college. I am a lifelong learner and crave interesting classes that are meant for adults over 50 on a pay as you go basis.
I am interested in history ... Preferably civil war. Also gardening, psychology, finances, historic preservation, old houses. I think I have to go to N or S Carolina or someplace east to find this, so am asking everyone if you have Osher in your area (or something like it) and you have tried it. It can be pricey ($50 a class for 3-4 weeks) but worth it in my book. Also a good way to meet people, have coffee, chat and get together at class. Osher also has social get togethers besides classes.
If interested, you can google Osher and see the universities that have started a program for seniors. Lifelong learning: keeping your mind alert and active.
I moved to my college town when I retired because I intended to take classes. I am not familiar with Osher, but I knew that in my state, over 60's can attend for free. The only cost was a $25 entrance fee, and of course, textbooks if you choose to buy them.
I was looking for a remake of my 70's experience. I was disappointed. There is no longer a paper catalog of courses. I finally chose two classes. We met for the first class and were told that we would meet again at the end of the course for exams. The work was assigned and turned in online. So much for stimulating discourse.
I like living here. I will try again when I find something that I think might interest me. In the meantime, I have joined an active book club through the county library and I am making friends of my neighbors.
Just my experience. I am going to look up Osher now.
Looks interesting, but appears that the only one in TN is at Vanderbilt. I like the nostalgia factor of being on my old campus.
Last edited by newcomputer; 07-05-2013 at 11:10 AM..
Reason: to add something
Richard Matturro, Ph.D., English; specialization in Shakespeare and Greek mythology; teaches literature at SUNY Albany; author of Tri-City Trilogy, completed in 2012, and three novels of the ancient world: Troy, 1989; Perseus, 2010; Medea, 2013.
i teach in an osher program through the university of delaware, and have done so for almost four years. i enjoy the teaching, have a very interactive/discussion based class, and based on the feedback from class members, the majority have found it a very positive experience. also there have been relationships made, certainly between fellow students, and i have made friends with some students who have been in several of my classes for the past three years.
for $140 per semester, a student can register for as many classes as they want, take part in several day trips throughout the semester, and become in involved in the thurs. lunchtime speaker programs. prior to teaching i took several courses in a life long learning program- not osher- at another college, and enjoyed the courses and the interaction with other students a great deal.
I just googled Osher and counted 118 campuses all across the U.S. which have Osher lifelong learning programs. There are a number of them in Southern California. I think it's a fantastic idea. For me personally I get enough intellectual stimulation through my extensive reading and through teaching chess every summer for five weeks (not at Osher). But that is not at all to denigrate the Osher classes. I think it's very important to keep our minds active as we age, and Osher is one avenue for that.
I moved to my college town when I retired because I intended to take classes. I am not familiar with Osher, but I knew that in my state, over 60's can attend for free. The only cost was a $25 entrance fee, and of course, textbooks if you choose to buy them.
I was looking for a remake of my 70's experience. I was disappointed. There is no longer a paper catalog of courses. I finally chose two classes. We met for the first class and were told that we would meet again at the end of the course for exams. The work was assigned and turned in online. So much for stimulating discourse.
I like living here. I will try again when I find something that I think might interest me. In the meantime, I have joined an active book club through the county library and I am making friends of my neighbors.
Just my experience. I am going to look up Osher now.
Looks interesting, but appears that the only one in TN is at Vanderbilt. I like the nostalgia factor of being on my old campus.
Here's an older news story on my program in East Tennessee. I picked my location based on this program.
I moved to my college town when I retired because I intended to take classes. I am not familiar with Osher, but I knew that in my state, over 60's can attend for free. The only cost was a $25 entrance fee, and of course, textbooks if you choose to buy them. .
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Does that apply to ALL Tennessee state universities?
As far as I knew at the time, it was state policy for Tennessee residents. I don't remember how I "knew", only that I read it somewhere and made plans to move here when I retired.
When I contacted my school, they had their own policy. It includes certain age limits related to working towards a degree, which I am not interested in. Otherwise, as I said, the $25 admission fee was all I paid.
The Osher and ORICL programs sound great. I would look into them if I was moving somewhere to take advantage of an educational program. I wanted to move back to the town where I went to school.
If you live near a state school, call and ask. It can't hurt.
You can go on the Osher website and pick your state. Then it will tell you where the Osher universities are. Then you can go to their website and even see what courses are being offered for the different semesters. And you can see the pricing, other social groups, lists of previous courses, etc. Osher is also known as OLLIE.
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