A mature approach

I enjoyed the three articles ( Study History, October) offering advice and tips to students hoping to plan a future in history. The advice was constructive, but most of it was aimed implicitly at younger potential students and all of the illustrations were of younger students, although there were three advertisements solely for postgraduate study in the pages around the articles.

After a career in the NHS and academic posts related to healthcare, I completed a part-time MA in the history of medicine at Oxford Brookes University at the age of 65. This was one of the best things I did around the time of retirement, and has led to involvement in a number of historical projects and publications. I have friends who have also started to study history at a similar life stage, and I have been fascinated by the topics they have researched, from sewage to boatbuilding! Additional advice and tips would be relevant to us oldies, particularly around choosing either a full or part-time option, and crucially the timetabling of teaching sessions to fit in with work.

Less of planning a future based on the past, more of enjoying a present based on the past! John Hall, Oxfordshire