More and more retirees are exchanging trips and being at home to fulfill one more dream and return to the university classrooms. In Spain, this phenomenon has its own name: the silver students. These are men and women who, after a lifetime of work, decide that it is never too late to learn.
Only in the programs designed for seniors there are more than 40,000 enrolled throughout the country. 66% are women and the majority fulfill a dream that in their youth they could not afford due to lack of time or resources. They do not seek to exercise or compete, but rather what work or taking care of the family took away from them: the pleasure of learning.
However, there are those who go further and embark on studying an official degree alongside young people of 18 or 20 years old. According to the Ministry of Universities and the INE, some 10,500 people over 60 years of age are currently studying an official degree or master’s degree. Law, History, Philosophy or Art are the favorites.
The Association of University Programs for Seniors (AEPUM) defines this trend as a “silent revolution” that combines culture, mental health and socialization. In just a decade, university students over 60 have grown by 25%, while classrooms are losing some young people due to the decline in birth rates.
“I didn’t see any sense in resigning myself as a retiree”
Silvia Maggio is a 72-year-old Argentine who is a clear example of this movement. A psychologist and nurse by profession, she discovered that retirement was not what she imagined. “When I retired, I started doing everything that retirees find fun: traveling, going to the gym… but I was very bored. I didn’t see the point in resigning myself to living as a retiree,” she confesses to Chain 3, Argentine media.
That is why he decided to start a new university career. This time it would be Law at the National University of La Matanza. He did it with a cane in hand, but with a determination that caught everyone’s attention.
“It gives you the head at any age. You put the ‘no’s. If I could do it at 72, anyone can. I have nothing extraordinary other than the perseverance of going, not missing and reading a lot,” he explains. Silvia paid for her studies with her retirement pension, taking advantage of scholarships, university cafeterias and public libraries. He is clear that “he who wants to study has all the tools.”
During the five years of his career, discipline was imposed: no networks or distractions. “I stopped playing cell phone games and subscriptions. I was just studying.” However, the pandemic was the only obstacle he faced, since he did not have a computer with Internet, but he resumed classes and graduated taking up to five subjects per semester.
Experts agree: studying from the age of 60 improves memory, delays cognitive decline and combats unwanted loneliness. Although Silvia was constantly questioned, telling her that “she was crazy or why study at this point,” she trusted her to achieve her dreams.