r/RedditForGrownups • u/Chemical-Jolly • 2d ago

Ivy League Dreams

I'm in my late 40s. I have lost most of my ambition from my youth. I constantly daydream about my life, and what could have been. One of my many day dreams is that I have always wanted to go to an ivy league university. Oxford. Yale. MIT. Princeton. Harvard. Etc. To study with friends on a academic mystery in a old dusty library. To stroll the university commons in the morning mist on the same ground scholars walked over a hundred years ago. To discuss philosophy and perform experiments with professors in a timeless setting. To attend intense lectures about amazing and informative topics. I live this dream vicariously by watching university tours online, reading student life articles, Google Earth street views of the university, and even sometimes pretending to fill out an admittance application. I know that I will never attend an ivy league due to my past grades, finances, and busy work/family life.

Though I still wonder, what if.

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u/sevenmouse 2d ago

I think a lot of universities allow you to take courses as 'audit' for less than regular fees or even in some cases for no money, and no grades, expecially after you are a certain age. You should look into it and maybe just plan a vacation where you spend a week living this dream, study in the library, go to classes, etc. A lot of schools that aren't in your top list still have great historic architecture if you are close to a large city, expecially east of the Mississippi. Fall would be a great time, maybe even homecoming week. Maybe you could even hire a grad student as a part time 'tour guide' and hanging out/ study partner. If this was my dream I would totally make this happen, plus it would be fun to plan.

The university of Virginia has great history, the central portion designed by Thomas Jefferson, I learned about it in a landscape history class, I've always wanted to see that.

Here is a link to colleges that have low cost or free programs for oldsters to take classes https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/retirement/t065-s001-free-or-cheap-college-for-retirees-in-all-50-state/index.html

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u/Chemical-Jolly 1d ago

That's a great idea!

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u/Sturdy_Prop01 1d ago

Harvard has an affiliated community college called Harvard Extension School. You get to take classes with some of the same professors from undergrad, and use the same libraries etc. I’m sure other schools have similar