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AT 46, RON SPARLING was an ambitious account executive earning a lucrative salary. Despite his success in the business world, however, something was missing. “It always seemed like I was swimming against the tide because I didn’t have my bachelor’s degree or my MBA,” he says. Now an English major, Sparling is one of more than 100 undergraduates age 28 to 65 who entered USC last fall. Most are transfer students from junior colleges. Many have given up jobs and dipped into their savings to attend USC.
They represent a small but important faction of students, according to dean of admission Joseph P. Allen. “They are particularly motivated. I think their younger peers can learn a lot from their experiences,” he said.
Brenda Robison, 43, enrolled at USC after working for more than two decades at an engineering firm, most recently in upper-management. To keep advancing, she needed an MBA. – which meant getting a bachelor’s degree first.
“In business, I had to work twice as hard as my colleagues with degrees. Writing well was especially difficult,” says Robison, now a business major taking a leave of absence from her job.
IT ISN'T ALWAYS EASY for older undergraduates to transition from workers to full-time students. “Getting into the college routine was torturous at first,” says creative writing major James Ruff, 31, who had been an electrician for years. “Time management skills had to be figured out.”
Taking final exams struck terror in Sparling. Sitting in classes with students young enough to be his own children was another adjustment. Some of the collaborative aspects of undergraduate learning eluded him. Sparling’s years in the competitive business world had made him a go-getter. “I was very confrontational at first. I realize now that I have to check my ego at the door,” he says.
There’s a difference socially, too. “I’m not going to frat parties or socializing. I’m strictly here for school and that’s about it,” says Ruff.
But the motivation behind it all is universal: “My goal is just to be a student and enjoy the process of learning,” says Sparling.
“I’m doing it for me – no one else,” echoes Ruff. “I have a real thirst for knowledge. The more courses I take, the more I realize how much there is to learn.”
Dog Days
in the City
This town’s going to the dogs, literally. In Harmony, Fla., urban planners have designed an animal-lover’s utopia. Among the amenities: dog parks with their own waste disposal systems, a human-animal wellness clinic, pet-sitting, wildlife rehabilitation and training for service dogs. “The ways we can make cities more friendly to animals also make cities more sustainable,” said USC geographer Jennifer Wolch, commenting on the project in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Wolch makes no bones about the importance of bringing urban dwellers cheek-to-jowl with furry friends. “This distancing of ourselves from nature is really damaging,” she says.
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