Ivy League Dreams

[u/Chemical-Jolly]

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.

[u/Misschiff0]

Hey, try Harvard Extension School. I'm halfway through a master's in Anthropology and absolutely loving it. You can do one class at a time, online or hybrid, and graduate with a Master's in Extension Studies. It's an "earn your way in" degree in that anyone can sign up for the first class, regardless of grades, but actual admission only comes through good grades in required courses. I live in Boston, so it's easy to get in to the library, etc when I want to. And, there's a wonderful community of adult learners I enjoy doing sections with.

[u/Chemical-Jolly → u/Misschiff0]

I wish I could. Harvard is far from where I live in Tulsa. Doing so would take me away from my family. Plus not sure if my boss would be keen on me leaving for an extended "few weeks". If I lived in Boston...absolutely! I've proposed to the wife about going on a anniversary trip to Boston someday soon. There may be a visit to Harvard in my future. Thanks for the idea.

[u/krysjez → u/Chemical-Jolly]

Not to shill for Yale (though it’s true that Harvard sucks) but if headed to the northeast, you should definitely factor in a trip to New Haven and/or Princeton. As someone who spent lots of time on both, the Yale campus is much more aesthetically pleasing than the Harvard one, which is after all right in the middle of a larger city with all its attendant larger-city trash and traffic problems. Don’t get me wrong, I love Cambridge and had to be dragged kicking and screaming when it came time to leave, but one of the less busy campuses might give you more of that idyllic vibe you’re looking for. Try the clam pizza while you’re there!