By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: My chair is so young! How do I cope?

 — Feeling Ancient

A: An older “nontraditional” student, Marlene had returned for her doctorate after three of her four kids were grown and on their own. She held down a full-time job in medical billing, her youngest was now in high school, and her husband still looked forward to her dinners. So Marlene embarked on a lifelong dream—with her husband’s encouragement and promise to do some of the cooking, she enrolled in a doctoral program. She was extremely bright, and we were working together on her Proposal.