First Day of School: An Adult Student

"Today is the first day of school," Deborah thought, as she gathered her books together. "Here goes."

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her keys, purse and jacket and got out of the car. It had taken a long time for her to find a parking spot in the huge, university parking lot.

"This place looks like jungle city, but it sure is beautiful up here!" The university was located on a slope, high in the Canadian Rockies. "Wow! Look at this view. It is totally amazing."

The university was huge too, with an enrollment of over twenty thousand, full time students. Deborah had no idea how many part time students were there.

The first day of school was potentially terrifying for Deborah, who had been born in a small town in another province.

"I am not a child," she said. "I know I can do this."

Deborah was determined to get her university degree, if not two degrees. She had just turned forty years of age and knew that returning to school as an adult student, was going to present a challenge to her.

"I don't know anything about anything else, other than my job," she told the young student counselor who interviewed her. "I am probably twice her age," she thought.

"You will have to go on academic probation for the first three months. If your marks are up to par, then you may enroll as an adult student."

Deborah was shaken up. That was the last thing that she had expected.

"But I had really good marks, when I was young. Look at my transcripts!" she protested.

"That was over twenty years ago," the counselor responded. "This is a different era and you are so much older now."

"Forty is not that old," she thought to herself.

But, Deborah knew that time was going to fly by, whether she had something to show for it, or not. Ten years down the road, she would be fifty. 

"What a scary thought!" Deborah was determined to succeed. "The first day of school cannot be any worse than starting kindergarten. I have another twenty five years until retirement and I will do it in style."