BeepBeepBoop

*walks in*
*looks around*
*walks right back out*

I just started Karen Armstrong's Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence. So far it's shaping up to be as insightful and thought-provoking as her other work.

Update: was accepted today off of the funding waitlist for the IHPST at U of Toronto... I almost had a heart attack when I read the email. So excited. I wish everyone luck, and thank you for the encouragement from other past waitlisters!

I've heard this too, and it makes a lot of sense. There's usually a kind of confidence that age and experience bring -- a kind of confidence that you only get by living through stuff. When you know that you can make it through things like death, divorce, layoffs, financial hardships, and any number of bad things that come your way, you learn that you have the strength to deal with the more "academic" problems. I complain about my age a lot, but there's also a large part of me that is grateful for having all of the benefits age and experience have wrought.
Yep! To some degree you have to walk the walk in academia -- be professional, be cultured, have decorum etc. -- but unless you truly want it to (which is a valid choice), you can't let it define who you are. You can love heavy metal, hockey, and horror movies (this is a totally, completely, utterly fictional example, of course ) and still produce excellent scholarship and be a model academic, after all.

I was laughing so hard at this...this whole discussion seems to be the theme of my my week. I had a guy on Twitter say he couldn't believe I'm an adjunct prof because I look too young. Like he wasn't accusing me of lying. I used this exact scene with a message that says, "What do you think happens the day women hit 30? Their faces melt off like the Nazis looking at the Ark of the Covenant?"

That name is thanks to my brother who waited so long to have kids that I became a grandma first. To keep the kids from being confused, we went with Auntie Grandma! ?

Last week, on my 51st birthday, I was accepted into a PhD program for School Psychology. I am beyond happy. I had a 20 year, very successful career before returning to finish my BA 2 1/2 years ago. My children are grown (my youngest getting his BA one week before me) and my husband and I are able to relocate. I feel incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity at this stage of my life. I am doing this for myself and because I want to make a difference. I hope to enter the world of academia since I would love the opportunity to conduct research and train future school psychologists. I love my exposure to younger students and I think it provides a mutually beneficial relationship. In addition, I am hopeful that I am setting a great example for my kids and my 8 year old granddaughter. Can you tell that I am loving this??  Congratulations to all of the "older" students posting here.