I am one of the oldest students in most of my classes, and it shows. Sometimes, I am out of touch with the latest technology. I don’t know the lingo.

I even look old school. I come to class each day with my backpack and sack lunch. The other students come with laptops and iPads.

Luckily, they don’t mind teaching me. One of my classmates gave me an iPad tutorial and taught me to download applications specifically for our nursing courses.

If your home computer is like mine, and crashes when you need it the most, owning a portable device like the iPad is a lifesaver.

My younger peers also reminded me of an old school study tip: to use the tutors on campus and the library.

Math isn’t one of my strongest subjects and to have a tutor on campus helps me a lot. Now, instead of spending two hours on math, I spend one hour with the tutor. On days that I can’t meet the tutor, I use online tutor websites, such as www.MyMathLab.com.

As much as I feel out of place for being older than most of my classmates, my seniority can also come in handy. Most of my classmates know I am an older student and they help me out if I am struggling. On the flip side, I have something to offer them too. Some of my fellow students have told me that they look to me as motivation to do their best in school. So, if you’re like me and feeling a little self-conscious of your age – remember just because you don’t understand what younger people are saying, doesn’t mean they don’t have something valuable to say. And who knows, by listening to them you may gain their respect and in turn be able to teach them something too.