I wanted to share the story of my recent experience attending university in person. Back in 2020 — which is hard to believe was already four years ago — my mother and I had just transitioned my dad into a nursing home. When he first went in, we visited him every day, but over time, those visits became less frequent.
With Dad settled into the nursing home, I found myself at a crossroads. I wasn’t doing anything at the time, and I needed to decide what direction I wanted my life to take. For years, I’d thought about earning money by writing letters to government departments and elected officials and using their responses to create artwork that I could sell. It was always my “secret weapon” — an idea I believed I could make something of.
The problem was, I didn’t fully understand copyright laws, which would make pursuing that idea much more complicated than I initially thought. When I have the funds, I still plan to consult with an intellectual property lawyer to explore my options.
In the meantime, though, I knew I needed to focus on something else — something that would help me develop a career. I didn’t want to go back to temping; I wanted something new.
At the time, I had fallen in love with the TV show Ancient Aliens. I was fascinated by their stories, ideas, philosophies, and perspectives on almost everything. They often made compelling arguments, focusing on the idea that what we know as “gods” were actually ancient astronauts who came to Earth and genetically modified the hominins who were already here — creating the humans we are today.
There are countless theories and interpretations on the show, but that gives you an idea of their central message. Watching it lit something up in me. I wanted to research the places they visited, speak with the people they interviewed, and immerse myself in those mysteries. More than that, it inspired me to start writing — to take those ideas and weave them into science fiction stories of my own.
I began reading classic science fiction novels like War of the Worlds, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Time Machine, and Frankenstein, along with more modern books like Carl Sagan’s Contact. I thought to myself, “I could do that.” I could take inspiration from Ancient Aliens and build my own stories around those possibilities.
Instead of going back to university to study creative writing, I started thinking about studying astrophysics. I wanted to really understand what I was writing about when exploring ideas around aliens and the universe. The only problem was, I had absolutely no scientific background. To enrol in physics and mathematics courses, there were introductory subjects I’d need to take first, and for a while, I thought studying astrophysics just wouldn’t be possible for me.
Then I discovered the University Preparatory Program (UPP) — a one-year course offered by Adelaide University. Technically, I could have gained direct entry into a Bachelor of Science and then transferred into astrophysics using one of my Certificate IV qualifications. But because I had no foundation in science, I decided to apply for the UPP, which had a dedicated science stream.
The course covered introductory physics, biology, chemistry, and geology — everything I needed to build a basic understanding of scientific principles. Completing it would grant me direct entry into the Bachelor of Science, which I already qualified for, but I saw the UPP as a way to prepare myself properly and give myself the best chance of success.
The course was free, but they took it seriously, and it attracted a lot of younger people — some who didn’t get into their desired courses, some who needed prerequisites, and others who hadn’t finished Year 12. So, at the beginning of 2021, in what was my 40th year of life, I embarked on the UPP.
I was at uni four days a week, and I was older than most of my lecturers — but I loved it. Back then, I was already struggling with my sleep, so I usually drove into the city. Sometimes, during breaks between classes, I’d nap in my car in the parking lot… at least until I realised just how dodgy some of those car parks really are.
One day, I was parked on the top level of the old David Jones car park, and while I was napping, I woke up to find a group of about ten young men standing nearby, smoking cigarettes and pot. They looked like they were up to no good. I got out of the car and felt incredibly intimidated. They spoke to me a little, but I just walked away quickly and didn’t look back.
Another time, I was parked in the car park at the end of Rundle Street near Café Brunelli’s. While I was waiting for the lift, there were two young guys nearby who looked completely out of it — high on something — and they were smoking, too. An older man waiting with us told them to put out their cigarettes. They ignored him at first and got into the lift still smoking. The older man got really angry, and eventually, they put the cigarettes out. I honestly wish I’d just gotten out of the lift altogether because those two were scary, but the older man’s presence made me feel safe.
I know I’ve sidetracked a bit here, but those car parks attract some truly dodgy people. If I owned one, I’d have a 24-hour security guard on duty. I’m actually surprised I haven’t heard of more bad things happening there — although I do remember hearing about a woman who was raped in one once, and sadly, it didn’t surprise me one bit.
Anyway, I lasted a full year walking around like a zombie at Adelaide Uni while doing the UPP. We studied subjects like essay writing, computer studies, Indigenous studies, and culture. It all felt pretty basic to me — not because I had any prior education in those areas, but because of my age and life experience.
I ended up getting really good grades in everything, which made me feel great, and I especially loved the science component. One of the absolute highlights of that year was hiring a tutor. Initially, I brought her on to help me with math, which I needed for astrophysics, but we also covered a lot of the science I was doing in the UPP.
My tutor is hilarious. When I first met her, she was 19 years old, and I found her on a tutoring website. The second I saw her profile, I knew I wanted her. She was wearing a hijab in her photo, and her description said she’d been dux of her school. She had this confident look — like she might have a bit of an attitude — and I liked that, so I reached out, and she became my tutor.
She’s from Iran, and because she was an international student, she couldn’t study medicine as she’d hoped, so she chose nursing instead, which she’s now completed. Over time, we became like family. She would come to my house sometimes three times a week after uni and even during holidays. She can be a little feisty — but as I always tell her, that’s what makes her the dux!
She would take the bus to my house, and either Mum or I would drive her home every night. She’s also a writer, and one of the things I love most about her is that her first book was about a princess who was also the head of an army — a strong, unapologetic character.
Sometimes after uni, we’d go to the museum together and wander around. I’m sure people thought she was my daughter — and honestly, I don’t care. I wish she was.
Being an older person among so many young students meant people often made certain assumptions about me. Most people I spoke to thought I was married with children, and even one of my science lecturers made a comment in class one day about having kids. He looked straight at me and said, “Is that right?” I just nodded because there wasn’t time to explain, and honestly, it was easier than going into the whole story.
When I finished the UPP, I felt like it was one of my greatest achievements — mostly because it had been so hard to attend classes while running on almost no sleep. A couple of times, I actually fell asleep in class and apologised to the lecturer afterwards, explaining that I was dealing with sleep issues. I should have just told them I had narcolepsy, even though I don’t, because it would have been a lot simpler.
That one year at Adelaide University was honestly my best year of study. I know I was much older than most of the students, but I loved it. I even started attending lectures at the Astronomical Society and the Field Geology Club, which I absolutely loved, though I have stopped going now because of my sleep problems.
At uni, I also joined the Mature Aged Students Association and somehow became their Equity and Diversity Officer, which didn’t actually involve doing anything, but it was fun to meet other mature-aged students. Most of them were postgraduates, and I really enjoyed hearing about their journeys.
I wish I could do the UPP all over again, and honestly, if I could, I would in a heartbeat.
After the UPP finished, Mum went to London to stay with my brother for three months, and I stayed home to look after the cat. We only had one cat at this point. During that time, I made 1,000 paper cranes and spent hours listening to audiobooks, which I loved.
Uni started again in February 2022, and I was excited to dive deeper into science. I initially majored in physics with plans to transfer into astrophysics. In the UPP, I had been the oldest student, but there were at least a few other mature-aged people around. This time, though, in my science classes, I was the oldest by more than 20 years. There wasn’t a single other mature-aged student in any of my lectures or tutorials.
The classes were also incredibly challenging. Unlike the UPP, where I could manage the workload, I quickly realised that physics was on a completely different level. I knew I wasn’t going to scrape through this one. I didn’t have the maths background I needed, and even if I had a tutor working with me every single day, it would have taken me a lifetime to catch up.
I hate admitting that because I’ve always believed that anyone can do anything at any time if they put in the effort. But I had to be realistic about my age, my circumstances, and the time it would take to master something so technical. That’s when I started thinking about why I wanted to study astrophysics in the first place: it was because I wanted to write science fiction novels.
So, I made the decision to transfer into a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Creative Writing. I completed a few subjects in that degree through to the end of 2022 at Adelaide University.
I’ll stop there for now and continue tomorrow with where I’m at in my current studies and creative projects.
