that tricks you that way. Actually older people who go back to school are the ones whom profs love to have in their classes, because they are highly motivated & bring lots of experience.

And in regard to the GRE, nowadays there are great study guides, & you can practice taking sample tests over & over until you’re comfortable with the test.

The real question is not whether you can do it. You can. The questions are more along the lines of

1. Do you enjoy studying? Would you be able to maintain your motivation?
2. Are you looking at a program that would qualify you to do some kind of work that you really want to do?
3. Or (also valid) are you considering a program that would simply be very enriching for you personally?
4. Once you’re done, would you likely be making enough bucks to pay off student loans?
5. At the deepest level, is God calling you to this?

What Ruth G. said is exactly correct. At my university, and in our program, we have a lot of re-entry students (especially in pre-nursing), and I love love LOVE having them in my class. They add so much life experience and really help make the class about collaborative learning and not so much about grades or texting your friends.

Mrs. Monotreme returned to graduate school at age 45. She graduated at 52. We lived in Mississippi at the time, and the local paper did an article on her. I teased her that it should be headlined “Oldest Living Confederate Graduate Student Tells All” but the paper didn’t go for it.

If this is what you want to do, then you should do it.

Perhaps you could try signing up for just one class of some type – wouldn’t even have to be a class for credit – just to get your feet wet again, build up your confidence, and chase away some of that nervousness. I took a Spanish class this winter/spring and it was really an eye-opening experience. At first, it was sort of hard to learn in a formal setting – lecture, textbook, homework. After a few weeks it felt natural again.

Whatever you decide, do what you love. That’s the most important thing. Follow your passion.

EVERYTHING you want to do in life, someone stupid has done. Whether it is raise a child, learn to cook the perfect pasta, become a politician, or go back to school after a period away; there is someone you can look at and think, “THEY pulled this off? You’re kidding.” It’s my “Stupid people do this” theory. ...if THEY can do it, you KNOW you can! ...the fact that you’re hesitant means you’re aware of the challenges and obviously thoughtful of your other commitments. ...just the kind of person who can manage the process (be it long or short) of earning a Masters Degree.

Do what you love, and never look back. If you think you want this- go for it. And good luck!