A Second Look

I haven't been able to shake the feeling that I need to give yesterday's post a second look. The reason is, despite my argument that being an older student isn't harder, it really is. But it's harder in a different way than you might imagine.

Generally, when people find out I'm a medical student, I get two kinds of comments. The first is enthusiastic and followed by a vigorous handshake. Whether it's expressed verbally or not, these folks like the idea of an age-group peer tackling four years of medical school and residency beyond. The second one seems to focus more on age itself as an obstacle to be overcome: "At your age?" I think comments like this are unintentionally influenced by what I believe to be the mistaken notion that as we age, we should seek comfort rather than challenge.

I had a friend in nursing a few years ago who, when I asked about her late hours, replied, "I'll have plenty of time to sleep when I'm dead." I liked that and I still do because, taken metaphorically, it suggests life is about being engaged, aware, and sensitive to what's going on around us. Age isn't about withdrawal, theories of human development notwithstanding, it's about becoming better at living. Or at least it ought to be. I feel certain my geriatrics professor, an extremely young and active 60 something, would agree completely.

So, back to the business of hardness. Yes, it is hard being a student and for me, a medical student. It's also hard for my classmates, all of whom are sleep-deprived at this point in the school year. We study long hours and exam-related stress is very real. But this is true no matter how old the student may be. Trust me, the younger ones don't get through this without the same blood, sweat, and tears as the older ones.

What makes it harder is learning and applying new ways of study, throwing out what worked thirty years ago and no longer applies. It's a matter of adapting and that is somewhat harder the older we get. But whether young or less-than-young, the moment we cease adapting to change, that's when we really start to get old. From that perspective, it's easier being a student at my age because it puts me in a position to have to adapt and continue growing. And the more you do it, the more proficient you become, and the easier it gets. In that sense, being a student now is far easier than it was when I was younger. If you are a mid-life student, I hope you'll take a moment to weigh in on this subject and leave a comment. I'd like to read what you have to say.