Just a year ago, I used to ask my little daughter the same question almost every evening: "Have you finished your homework, dear?"
Today, the conversation has changed. Now she looks at me and asks, “Baba, have you finished your homework?” Sometimes, she smiles and adds another innocent query: “If you present well in class, does your madam give you a chocolate too?”
Her questions always make me smile. But they also remind me how much my life has changed. After nearly a decade away from university education, I returned to Tribhuvan University as an MPhil-PhD scholar in sociology. In doing so, I discovered that becoming a student again was not simply about attending classes. It changed the way I understood studenthood itself.
Like many professionals who return to university after years of work, I arrived with certain assumptions. I assumed that age would create a distance. I thought professional identities, positions, and personal backgrounds would naturally create invisible barriers among classmates.
My classmates came from different backgrounds. We varied in age, career path, responsibilities, professionalism, and life experience. Some had just completed their master’s degrees, while others had returned after years of experience. Some colleagues were in their early thirties; others were in their late thirties and forties. Among us were teachers, civil servants, development practitioners, entrepreneurs, and fresh graduates. Outside the university gates, we occupied very different positions in society.
Within a few weeks, those differences began to fade. Once we stepped inside the classroom, professional titles and background no longer mattered. We were no longer managers, teachers, civil servants, or development professionals. Our backgrounds remained outside the classroom door. Inside, everyone was simply a student undergoing the same experience. We all struggled to understand difficult concepts and complex theories. We all worried about presentation and assignment deadlines. We all hoped to perform well. The authority and confidence we carried from our workplace and background disappeared when confronted with unfamiliar concepts and difficult academic discussions.
Reflecting on my university years in my twenties as a full-time student, my understanding of studenthood was simple and more straightforward. We almost belong to the same background- full-time students. This time, I realized that university classrooms are a great equalizer, where professional hierarchy and background temporarily lose their authority, making everyone equal participants in the learning process.
As a sociology student, I found this striking. The university was assigning us a new social identity - student. Our occupation became secondary to our shared academic role. The classroom expected the same responsibilities and commitment from everyone regardless of age or profession.
I also realized that the essential characteristics of studenthood remain remarkably consistent. Just like my younger university days, there were the jokes shared and gossip before class began, whispered conversations and laughing during breaks, and late-night discussions with peers. We exchanged notes, recommended readings, reminded each other of deadlines, and encouraged one another before presentations. These shared routines gradually turn classmates into friends. Age matters little when everyone is trying to finish the same assignment.
Returning to university also revived memories I had almost forgotten. Carrying a backpack and attending class on time. The sleepless nights to understand theories. The endless reading. The anxiety of presentations in class. The relief after the submission of assignments and exams. The only difference is that now I experience them with a little more patience and appreciation.
From a sociological perspective, studenthood is less about age and more about a shared social role. Regardless of whether someone is twenty-two or forty-five, everyone who enters the classroom accepts the same responsibilities and faces the same challenges.
In Nepal, we often associate education with youth. As society is changing, professionals return to universities to upgrade their knowledge and pursue higher education. Many people seek new qualifications in the middle of their careers. Lifelong learning has not become an exception; it has become a necessity. Our understanding of studenthood should change accordingly.
Now, when my daughter asks me about my homework, I no longer hear it as a playful question. For me, this is a gentle reminder that learning is not limited to age group. My daughter carries her schoolbag to school, and I carry mine to university. Our age and classrooms are different, but we both belong to the same category of student. She worries about finishing her homework, and I worry about completing my assignments. She feels nervous before her exams, and I feel the same anxiety before presentations and examinations. She studies to do well in class, and so do I.
Ultimately, studenthood is not an age, but a shared social identity shaped by common roles, responsibilities, and human experiences. Everyone who enters a classroom becomes part of the same learning community and belongs to the same category.
