I recently had a number of conversations with one of my friends who was thinking about attending law school about a decade after he graduated from college. This friend makes a great living in his current career, but he felt that his job was easy and that he was not getting too much mental stimulation with the work he performed on a daily basis. As such, this friend decided to apply to law school, not necessarily because he wanted to practice law, but more for an academic challenge and to earn a coveted credential. Although students should not usually earn a degree if they do not wholeheartedly wish to enter the field related to that credential, attending school for a challenge makes sense in a number of circumstances.
Student debt should be top of mind for anyone attending school for a challenge. People who enter school later in life may have less working years to pay off student loans, and may have financial responsibilities that they did not have when they were initially a student. In addition, student loans might not be worth it if it does not help you enter a field that you really wish to enter.
As a result, those attending school for a challenge should either be offered a full ride to attend school or close to it. In this way, the student does not risk too much financially by attending school for a challenge. Of course, if you have someone else willing to pay for school, or significant financial resources, you may be able to pay for school for a challenge without borrowing debt. Nevertheless, for most people, this is an important consideration.
It may be difficult for people to find out if they will be offered a full ride or significant scholarship money before they apply to schools. However, there are some ways people can discover this information. Prospective students can review admissions data to determine if they would be competitive at a school, and accordingly, may be offered scholarship money. Moreover, many online forums discuss admissions data and the amount of scholarships that are offered for people with similar admissions data. Scholarship determinations may differ from cycle to cycle, so it is important to do your research to ensure you apply to schools that offer the best chance of receiving aid.
I have friends who tried attending school for a challenge in all types of fields. For instance, I have a friend who is a physician but is attending business school for a challenge and to earn a credential that may be helpful in her future career. Moreover, I know several people who seemingly are attending law school for a challenge, and this is a popular choice for people who wish to earn a degree for an academic challenge. Individuals typically do not need to have a set academic background to attend law school, and law students come from all walks of life and ages. Moreover, people might enroll in various master’s programs in order to learn about a topic of interest and have an academic challenge.
Of course, there are certain programs in which attending school for a challenge does not generally make sense. For instance, medical school is normally not pursued for a challenge. This is because medical schools typically require pre-requisite classes, an intense entrance examination, interviews, and other barriers to entry. It would not be fun or even feasible for someone to go through all of these steps to enter medical school merely for a challenge.
Some universities even offer flexible programs which would be extremely convenient for people attending school for a challenge. People who wish to earn an academic credential for a challenge are unlikely to give up their current work to pursue this degree. As a result, it is best for such individuals to pursue their studies through evening programs and other flexible approaches. Many law schools and some business schools offer part-time and weekend courses meant for working people which makes much sense for individuals who have careers and are merely pursing their studies for a challenge.
In addition, some universities have “executive” programs and other initiatives aimed at nontraditional students, which could also benefit people attending school for a challenge. In such programs, it is more likely that students would be placed with others who might be nontraditional students who also have careers. In this way, students can network better and find support with likeminded individuals who might be in the same stage of their lives as those attending school for a challenge. Individuals should do their research to see if there is a nontraditional program in the field which they wish to enter to earn a degree mostly for the academic challenge.
It is completely understandable how life is sometimes boring when individuals do not have clear-cut goals and academic stimulation. As such, attending school for a challenge makes a lot of sense, and if I was not so busy, I would seriously consider doing this. Of course, people need to be careful about student debt, and students should either be able to pay for school outright or receive generous scholarships. However, so long as financial considerations are taken care of, attending school for a challenge can be a fulfilling experience for many types of people looking for a change of pace in their lives.