I expected younger students to notice our age. Instead, they noticed what we bring. When I asked younger students how they see older students at university, I expected to hear about the generation gap. But they spoke about depth. Life experience. Critical thinking. Support. Stability. One student even called us: “The mothers and fathers of the lecture hall.” I’m still not entirely sure whether that was a compliment… Several students told me that my presence calms them. Some a

My memory isn’t what it used to be. One of the biggest challenges of returning to university later in life is… memory. I used to read something and remember it. Now I read. Highlight. Summarize. Review. Make flashcards. And during the exam, I still sometimes wonder: “Have I ever seen this term before?” When I had to memorize a long list of medications, I looked at the list. The list looked back at me. And I thought: “No way.” I can’t do it… Studying later in life requires mor