The Experience of Returning to School, Essay Example

The experience of returning to school as mature student to pursue my Bachelor’s degree in Business has taught me that life experience represents a valuable tool in an academic environment.   I feel blessed to have the opportunity to widen my understanding of the world around me through both my classwork and the diverse variety of people that I’ve met.  Although I may not have the idealism and energy of my more youthful peers, I have spent time in the working world that will enable me to understand my courses in terms that are applicable to real life situations.

One of my strongest assets, both for myself and for everyone that I encounter, is my ability to find the positive side of any challenge, obstacle, or difficult situation.  I have spent a great deal of my free time over the last twenty years working as a volunteer in my community, and these opportunities have shaped both my worldview and my attitude.  It is something of a cliche to say that age is just a number, but one of the reasons that cliches resonate is because they contain an element of truth.  As a volunteer in a senior citizen’s home, I have met older people who have given up on life and those who remain energetic, positive, and optimistic.  I feel privileged to have had the chance to meet people who have had such a wide variety of experiences, and each one of them has demonstrated the importance of making connections with the people around you.

As a college student, I intend to carry on the lessons that I’ve learned from those seniors by developing strong relationships with my fellow students and teachers.  I also hope to inspire other people to take an active role in their community by engaging in volunteer work.  The world can be as large or as small as we make it, and I know that my desire to pursue higher education will help me build on the foundation of volunteerism that I already possess.