Older students work hard to get back to school

By Sam Fran Scaavuzzo
Collegian Editor
September 27, 2006

Everyone has seen them in the back of the class. Like the Jolly Green Giant at a Troll Doll convention, they stick out like a sore thumb. The lesson goes on normally. Still, you wonder who that old dude in the back of the class is. “Is it someone’s aunt?”

“Is it someone’s mom?”

“I think it’s like a student teacher.”

These individuals are students like you and I, except they are older. La Salle, like many other schools across the nation, admits students outside the typical collegiate mold. Many individuals, ages 25 and up, are leaving the working world and returning to achieve bachelor’s degrees from institutions of higher learning.

In fact, according to a study conducted by the U.S. Dept. of Education, 41 percent of students are beyond the age of 25. More specifically, 2.9 million students above the age of 35 are attending college, according to the National Journal of Statistics. Not surprisingly, this area is the fastest growing age bracket among students.

At La Salle, students like Dan McPhillips and Lisa Kingsboro-Rose are returning to college or starting their studies at an advanced age.

For McPhillips, a 32-year-old political science major from Bucks County, the experience is interesting.

“Sometimes I do get funny reactions from students,” McPhillips said. “Also, it’s always odd to be in class when the professor is younger than me.”

A graduate of Archbishop Wood High School in Upper Moreland, Pa., McPhillips attended Bucks County Community College after high school, but dropped out to get a job.

“I did some construction and retail, and eventually became the assistant manager at Home Depot,” said McPhillips. “I worked so long, I decided to take a chance and go to school.”

Graduating from Bucks CCC in 2002 with an associate’s degree in social behavior, McPhillips transferred to La Salle and has been taking classes ever since.

“I really liked the small class sizes at La Salle,” said McPhillips. “It also doesn’t hurt that my uncle [Brother Thomas McPhillips] is a chemistry professor.”

Kingsboro-Rose, on the other hand, never went to school before La Salle.

“When I graduated from Delaware Valley High School,” Kingsboro-Rose said, “college wasn’t an option. I had to take care of my family. Now, however, it’s me who I have to take care of this time.”

Students may be familiar with her, as she works in the Connelly Library five days a week. However, she also teaches at a local elementary school in Mt. Airy during the week and Sunday school at Agape Baptist Church on Wadsworth Avenue. She came to La Salle with the hopes of obtaining a degree in psychology, with a minor in education.

“I love working with kids, and if I can teach them better, it’s worth it,” Kingsboro-Rose said.

Her experience with La Salle has been different because of her job here. Unlike McPhillips, she has never felt like an outsider here.

“Everyone goes about their business as usual,” Kingsboro-Rose said, adding, “I have noticed in night classes people are friendlier, more laid back.”

Both of these students balance school with work and relationships. They work long hours to be able to afford going back to school at such a well-known university. However, like any student knows, school can be a strain on our physical, financial and social beings.

“Actually, I just got out of a relationship,” McPhillips said. “Going to school year-round can be tough on your social life.”

Despite setbacks, both are thrilled to be at La Salle. “I know I’m busy, but so is everyone else in the world,” McPhillips said. “Now I have a chance to get a better career and make more money.”

Kingsboro-Rose adds similar sentiments. “I’ve learned so much from every teacher here, even the bad ones,” she said. “There are some teachers I never want to be like, and that will make me a better teacher.”

scavuzzos1@lasalle.edu