To most people around her, Robyn Nickell had it all: a husband, three children, a real estate license and a great newspaper job.
But Nickell still felt incomplete. So at age 46, she returned to school for an undergraduate degree in art education.
“With my family’s encouragement, I finally listened to my heart and enrolled at the University of Memphis,” Nickell said.
Nickell is not alone. Many women are returning to school later in life to earn degrees and update job skills. Traditionally, older women returned for graduate degrees. But now, more and more middle-age women are attending college as undergraduate students.
There are 658 women age 40 and over enrolled in undergraduate programs at the University of Memphis, compared to only 274 male students in the same age range, according to the Office of Institutional Research.
One such woman is Charlene Bryant, 49, who is working on a degree in elementary education after spending 25 years raising her children and working part-time in accounting.
“It seemed that, as a mom, I always felt like a teacher,” Bryant said.
One issue older women face is attending classes with students who are the same age as their own children. Both Bryant and Nickell have children who have graduated from college.
For the most part, they enjoy the interaction with younger students.
“It gives me a new perspective on things outside of my family,” Nickell said.
A common complaint voiced by their younger classmates is the fear that older students, who usually take their studies seriously, will ruin the grading curve.
“An older woman in one of my Spanish classes was annoying because she always acted like she knew more than everyone else,” University of Memphis student Erin Patterson said.
The curriculum poses its own special challenges. Many older students are required to take classes on subjects they already know. For instance, they question the relevance of such requirements as a Fitness and Wellness class directed at incoming freshmen.
Another unique challenge is juggling the responsibilities of school, family and work. Time spent on school affects the entire family.
Both Bryant and Nickell said their husbands initially supported their return to school. Even so, they found themselves doing as much as before, in addition to their course work.
The stress took its toll, and Bryant’s marriage eventually broke up.
“My return to school was not the only cause of my divorce, but it was a contributing factor,” Bryant said.
Nickell had to justify her return to school to her husband more than once.
“I had to explain that this wasn’t something frivolous,” Nickell said.
Earning income while attending classes is another challenge. Bryant said she is fortunate to be able to focus on her classes without the outside pressure of a job.
For Nickell, landing a position in the sales and advertising office of The Helmsman allows her to work on-campus and avoid an additional commute.
Although Bryant and Nickell both have older children, other older students must juggle childcare when they return to school.
Currently, the University of Memphis Child Care Center, located in the Central Avenue parking lot, offers reasonably priced day care.
Soon the school hopes to expand services to school-age children with a recent grant received to establish after-school care, according to William E. Porter, assistant vice-president for student life and dean of students.
The grant will offer music, theatre and art for children while their parents attend classes.
University President, Dr. Shirley Raines, is concerned with helping more women return to school. She has formed focus groups to discuss issues like this and is re-evaluating class schedules.
“Scheduling more evening and weekend classes as well as short-term, intensive courses of study is one solution,” Raines said.
For both Bryant and Nickell, the return to school has been a positive change in their lives. Both said their previous life experiences have prepared them for their new challenge on campus.
“Life changes,” Nickell said. “ I have to change with it.”
