At that age when many think it is necessary to stop and stop doing things, many others want to stay more active than ever. Whether to take on a new challenge, fulfill pending dreams, confront something they had never done, stimulate their mind or feed their passion for learning, seniors go to the classrooms of Spanish universities, where they resume or begin their studies for the first time. superiors.
The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities annually publishes statistics on students enrolled in educational centers in Spain. However, no data is recorded that would allow us to establish a more precise classification by age range, encompassing all those over 30 years of age in a single group. The sociologist, professor in Human Geography and president of the International University of La Rioja (UNIR), Rafael Puyol, assures that, at least, it is possible to observe certain trends. "In regulated undergraduate studies, for example, there is a growth in senior students, although the figures are modest. However, there is a significant growth in the number of students in the so-called senior or experience universities, programs specialties present in practically all the universities in the country".
On the other hand, the expert maintains that continuous training is also growing, essential so that older people can update knowledge and skills. "There is research that shows that, every year, a million professionals see their knowledge, skills, and abilities outdated, so it is important to train throughout life. Therefore, although universities are offering this training continues, probably not in sufficient proportion.
In addition to all this, the online university, especially after the pandemic, has become an educational modality that is increasingly becoming present at all ages, with the bulk of its students being over 30 years old.
Studying again is a very personal experience. For Montserrat Lacalle, an expert psychologist in older people and collaborating professor at the Psychology and Educational Sciences Studies at the UOC (Open University of Catalonia), studying gives them "positive collateral effects such as avoiding loneliness and isolation, favoring interact with people of their age or a different age, and helps establish goals and routines.
The expert adds that we could say that it allows most people to remain active, and it is important that what they do makes sense to them, or that it responds to a longing they have had for a long time. This way they also gain the added satisfaction of achieving a goal or proving that they still can. Lacalle affirms that "a person ages and faces his aging in the same way in which he has lived. If he has always had motivation to learn, he has set goals, he has made an effort, he has had a plan, he will continue to do so at this stage as well" .
"On the first day of classes I arrived at the university and I thought that signing up had been a mistake. Although I knew how to get along among young people because it coincides with the age of my children, I thought that I had no use there. I felt out of place, since the whole environment was very different from mine. I was a mother, I had worked, I had been in the military, I had responsibilities, while my classmates were of an age to get their degree and have fun." This was what Conchi Cruz felt when he arrived at the classroom on the first day of classes for the Psychology degree at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). "The weeks went by and I said to myself 'why not?'. I have never given up, so, at least, I have to try. I want to give that example to my children. And here I am: I have already been studying in University".
Conchi, four years after becoming a mother of twins, had to abandon her military career in the Army because she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. Her children, who are now 20 years old and are also university students, were the ones who encouraged her to take the call for admission to university for those over 45. "I had volunteered several times, and then I realized that people needed to talk "I chatted with everyone, but then I was left wondering whether I had said the right thing, whether I was helping them with something or not, and with the feeling that how am I going to help without knowledge?" That, along with her passion for the brain and human behavior, were the compelling reasons why her idea for her future is to sign up for more permanent volunteering, and help as a psychologist.
Nobody said it was easy. Although, according to psychologists, the brain can be exercised at any age, the digital divide and mental agility, in general, are a small handicap that university seniors recognize having. "It's costing me," Conchi admits. "I understand everything in class, I associate everything well when they explain it to me, but it is difficult for me to remember it afterwards. Before I had a lot of ability and I am still very demanding."
While studying a degree is one of the natural paths for a kid who graduates from high school, doing so at 55 not only has merit, but usually has a personal story behind it. José Antonio Ruiz San Román, professor of Sociology and Public Opinion at the Faculty of Information Sciences at the UCM, maintains that "losing your job (unemployment is very hard on middle-aged people), pursuing a degree that you need to Improving professionally or taking the leap to a university degree after vocational training are some of the reasons that can move seniors to study at university. But they can also be a divorce, retirement, having more free time, wanting to leave home. or, simply, because they feel alone. There are those who are also seduced by the idea because, for some reason, they had to disengage from studies in their youth and now want to return."
"I don't want to do a degree, I don't want a new career. That would make sense if I wanted to practice or do a doctorate. I'm just looking to learn things that I like and motivate me." Raimundo Navarro, at 67 years old, has been signing up for courses and training cycles at senior universities at the Complutense, Rey Juan Carlos and Carlos III universities in Madrid for 12 years. "I go for the love of knowledge, because I want to know. You become interested in a topic, then you start to see the ramifications and you realize that you want to know three thousand more things."
The options multiply. The Senior University of the Complutense University of Madrid, for example, which is Raimundo's headquarters, has an offer this year of about 60 courses and has 4,000 enrolled, a figure significantly higher than the 80 with which it started 25 years ago .
This educational format differs depending on the university, but, in general, they consist of a cycle whose only requirement is to be over 50 years old and in which priority access is given to those who do not have university training, and another, with short and Monographs for people over 50 years of age, with a university degree or who have passed the first cycle. Senior universities have the flexibility that the degree does not have, they are few hours, you can choose, and they do not require a traditional evaluation. "No exams!" Raimundo is happy.
He has more than 35 years of working life as a telecommunications engineer, developing his knowledge in institutions and companies. He retired early at the age of 61, after an ERE. "I don't regret the decision, nor anything I've studied, nor what I've worked on, but I don't think everything ends with retirement. Retiring and doing nothing is a living death, so "You have to dedicate yourself to things that you like. I have already convinced a friend to sign up for class."
He himself has taken his advice to the letter: in these years, he has taken courses in history, philosophy, literature... "I wouldn't start studying mathematics, chemistry, physics, or anything I already studied. This semester, for example, I am signed up for four humanistic courses and some undergraduate subjects, which I can attend as a listener. I want to continue studying as far as my body and mind allow me. I know that I will have many things left to learn, but I have learned not to get frustrated by it, to understand it without anxiety.
Marcos Roca, director of the University for Seniors at the UCM, affirms that these programs are not only academic. "They also promote intergenerational relationships, with short courses to which young people are invited free of charge, national and international trips, solidarity projects... That is to say, there is a lot of cultural extension." In-person presence gains a lot in this type of initiatives, but, according to the expert, one of the lessons that the pandemic has taught us is that there are truly people who need this virtuality, because they have no other way to study if it is not online, since Whether due to family obligations, work obligations or distance.
This is the case of Juan Antonio Blanco Ramos. He is pending the last two subjects and the final degree project in the last year of Psychology, at the International University of La Rioja. "Due to different life situations, I was never able to start my higher studies; sometimes for work reasons, other times for family reasons. Now that my children are older and that life has provided me with valuable experiences, I have decided to resume my training," Explain.
The beginnings were complicated for Juan Antonio. "I had not studied for many years, and it is difficult to change routines and start new projects. Fortunately, I managed to progress in my studies, which allowed me to advance with my social and educational motivations, as well as with other personal needs, such as being active and to feel participatory. With this, learning is becoming much more attractive and exciting for me."
Juan Antonio works as an official of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja, and his work activity and family life have forced him to create nightly study habits and establish realistic expectations. He has the unconditional support of his wife and his children. "I like to involve them in everything I'm learning and it also helps me get their opinion on certain topics."
Ruiz San Román maintains that when an older adult arrives in the classroom, he is one more, and an interesting dialogue is generated between generations, as long as "each one remains at his age, contributes his experience, but without arrogance; knows how to intervene, but also keep quiet, and don't want to seem like you know the most. They are different planets: when they are talking about music, hobbies, names and places, they don't fit together."
Sometimes, they meet at the library to do or divide up work, although there are also different objectives: young people want to form groups to socialize, with their usual friends or even to make new ones with whom they can later go out. Conchi does not see herself there: "After class, I have to go home, make dinners, do the bills, etc. I have never gone out with them, but I don't think it would be my place either, because maybe it seems to them that they are with their mother" .
Raimundo meets up for a drink with the professors or his classmates from the Senior University and also with the undergraduates. "For years I have not identified myself with the age that appears on my ID, so the age difference is not a problem." He doesn't remember having older classmates as an undergraduate. The oldest were always the teachers; Now, these can be up to 30 years younger than him.
Participation in class is a characteristic that teachers appreciate. Rafael Puyol, from UNIR, maintains that "the younger ones are more passive, they listen, but they participate little. On the other hand, the older ones intervene more, they ask and give their opinion, they do their jobs, they fulfill their tasks, they are students with attitude and with very high attendance and performances that they themselves consider satisfactory. They are the students that one as a teacher would like to have in all classes." Intergenerational symbiosis only enriches the classroom. As the sociologist says, "when there are different ages, the classes are enormously creative, because they bring together interests, attitudes, aptitudes and varied knowledge."
