Charlotte Ryan|Deputy Features Editor
It was outside of a lecture room on a cold Tuesday morning that I had my first conversation with a mature student on my course. Amanda Gannon was already chatting animatedly to a small gathering of fellow students when she complimented my matching red lipstick and nails, immediately winning my utter adoration. Even though she effectively made the first move in a social situation that was still foreign to us first years, a year later she still reflects on how relieved she was that I was so forthcoming. While manoeuvring the social scene in college is undoubtedly difficult for many students, it was only then that I considered how much more taxing it would be for a mature student given the perceived lack of common ground. It’s with this in mind that the new Opt In Pin initiative has been launched in Trinity.
The Opt In pin was conceived by Mature Student Officer for 2013-14, Janet Mulroy during her time in the position and has been put into practice this year. Although Janet has passed the position onto Margaret Whelan, she remains largely in charge of the project.
“We are going to be marginalised by virtue of our age so I wanted something subtle that would empower students”.
The pin acts as a tool to help mature students integrate themselves better into the areas of college they want to be active in, and to alert the college community to this desire to be approached and included in a way that an age difference might restrict. “We are going to be marginalised by virtue of our age,” says Janet, “so I wanted something subtle that would empower the student”. Just as with other students, when a mature student comes to college for the first time there is a sense of excitement and optimism that too often is quashed by the difficulty of navigating social life.
Amanda Gannon, an English Studies SF student, recalls feeling that intoxicating first rush of anticipation when walking through Front Square. “I was definitely very excited to be starting college having waited several decades for the opportunity to pursue my passion for literature”. While the circumstances certainly differ from the average student fresh off the CAO conveyor belt, the same sense of expectation rings true. Marian Hyland, another English Studies SF student, states “Initially I had no expectation other than to be excited by the fact that I had achieved something great by being offered my place at Trinity, a lifelong dream opportunity which I’d believed I’d missed”. Just like any other student, Marian’s giddy pride was tempered by what new challenges lay ahead: “I was very optimistic and curious as to what would be expected of me”.
Indeed adjustment was necessary when faced with the academic demands of College. The panic felt by most students at long reading lists, prices of textbooks, essay seasons and the apprehension of an exam format you’re not yet used to was made worse by the demands of family and home life. “Academically it did take some time to retune my old grey matter for college work, and trying to balance all my other obligations – two teenagers, a house to run and a semi-employ – required military type strategies,” states Amanda. Marian felt the same level of pressure, exacerbated by the loss of her mother in Hilary term of her first year though she says her course tutor and department head “offered a great degree of understanding and support”.
“There is often a stereotypical image as to what a college student looks like, some mature students fit this image but many do not”.
It’s to be expected that with such responsibilities a mature student’s social life would suffer, but more often than not their social life is interrupted purely by being older. As Margaret Whelan says, “There is often a stereotypical image as to what a college student looks like, some mature students fit this image but many do not and this group is often overlooked when student events are being run”. Margaret even recalls being mistaken for a lecturer in tutorials, “On one occasion a man continued to talk to me despite the fact that I told him I was a student”. Janet maintains that it’s down to your personality and “how far you’re willing to put yourself out there”. Though as with any first experience in a new social scene one bad experience can almost destroy your confidence.
Luckily, Amanda’s first time socialising with a fellow classmate was a positive one: a girl on her course invited her out for a burrito, that most sacred of social institutions. However, the sad fact remains that a mature student can often be isolated from social circles. Marian recalls how at the start she “often felt very alone and vulnerable” but states that “in turn this helped me gain a greater threshold of resilience, a vital element for us matures!” An integral part of the college experience for many people is the thrill of socialising; a student should never have to develop a thicker skin just to get through it, mature or otherwise.
A student should never have to develop a thicker skin just to get through socialising, mature or otherwise.
It is this issue that the Opt In pin is directly trying to remedy through both its simplistic symbolism and backing network of students that illustrate just how eager mature students are to be considered in college affairs and events. As it stands, this year’s batch of pins have already run out signifying how welcome the initiative is. It is also a positive suggestion at how it may be established in the college system in years to come. Janet is eager to insist that the pin is also not just reserved for mature students only, but for anyone that identifies with the message of the pin which is arguably a lot more than one might think. Mature student issues, those of representation and participation, are essentially the same as larger student issues and it’s time to start treating them as such.
Photo by Sarah Morel
