Woman in China, 50, gets into postgrad law school by studying books left by son who failed same test

A 50-year-old woman in China who became disfigured and depressed after an accident has started an exciting new chapter in her life as a law student.

The woman, who goes by the name Yang Yan, was admitted into the postgraduate law school of Southwest Forestry University in Kunming, China, in July, South China Morning Post reported.

She had studied the books used by her son, who had failed to pass the same entrance exam about two years ago.

Since graduating with a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Shanghai's prestigious Tongji University in the 1990s, Yang has longed to get a master's degree.

In 2023, after her son had failed to get into law school, Yang was sorting through his books and review materials.

She thought that since they would only sell for little money, and she wanted to study for a master's degree, she could give the exam a try, Jiupai News quoted her saying.

Coping with depression

In 2013, an accident at work left Yang with serious burns on her face and arms.

"My left arm lost all its function while luckily, my right arm still kept half of its function, enabling me to study," she said, as quoted by SCMP.

Due to the scars on her face, she would wear a mask when she goes out.

She described the period right after the accident as "painful", Jiupai News quoted.

She had post-traumatic stress disorder and took antidepressants for a year.

However, her son and husband gave her strength and accompanied her to check-ups.

Yang also actively found ways to cope, including turning to studying to occupy her mind. When she studied for an accounting exam, she found that it helped her forget her worries.

She subsequently took up some bookkeeping jobs, which she said did not earn a lot of money, but gradually improved her condition.

"I did not give up on myself, and tried my best to get through [the pain]," she said.

Studying for law school

In 2021, Yang left her job, unable to continue due to her depression and PTSD, according to SCMP.

About a year after that, she decided to study law, with the encouragement of her son and husband.

"I took the test while my son looked after me. I am happy with the conversion of these two roles," she said.

When people asked her why she did not choose a different subject, she explained that at the time, she had not known the law programme would be so challenging, Jiupai News quoted her saying.

She had flipped through her son's books and felt that the content was not difficult, and hence made the decision.

The most difficult part of the exam was English, she shared, as she had not used English in close to 30 years, and so had to practically relearn the language by memorising words every day.

She learnt every subject on her own, with the help of the Internet.

Initially, she applied for a full-time programme at a university in Shandong province, but missed the cut-off by ten points in December 2023.

However, she was encouraged that she could achieve such a score with just several months of studying, and believed that if she went to a university with an easier exam, she would be able to pass.

Although the exam she later took at Kunming's Southwest Forestry University was also challenging, Yang did well — she not only passed but ranked first in her cohort for the part-time law programme.

Never too late

In an interview with Haibao News, Yang said, "It's never too late to start a new chapter in life, only the regret of never having started. At 50, I choose to find resonance in youth. Why do I want to take study a master's degree at this age? Maybe I want to make up for the regrets of my youth, maybe I want to set a good example for my child, or maybe I simply just want to keep learning."

Her story has earned praise and admiration from netizens, who left comments such as, "Life has endless possibilities that should not be limited by age," and "Indeed, it is never too late."

Yang wrote on her social media, "I once had an accident, became disabled, lost my job, and got depressed. Now at 50, I will start a new journey to pursue my dream of a master’s degree in law."

Top images from Yang Yan