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Feeling insecure about starting uni at 20

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum but the correct one doesn't have the anon option.

Basically, I resat a year of a levels, came out with excellent grades, and went to uni. However, due to a condition of personal and health complications I had to leave.

Now on a unplanned gap year where I'm working and saving, I've got an unconditional from a different uni on a course I will enjoy. However, I will be a 20 year old fresher, and will have just turned 21 by my third term. Meaning I will have just turned 23 by the time I graduate.

My main worries are that I won't fit in with 18/19 year olds and they'll see me as 'the older guy', and that I'm generally 'behind' my cohort in life. My age group will be going into their 3rd year whilst I'll just be starting my first. PLUS people younger than me will be ahead of me in life and that just feels depressing tbh.

Thoughts? ? ? ? :frown:
Honestly you have nothing to worry about, I know people who are 21 and 22 and they fit in just fine. In our group there is a 28 year old and we treat her no different, age is just a number at uni and nobody cares how old you are. You really have nothing to worry about :smile:


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I'm in the same position ,starting in September, age 20 and honestly it does make me upset that next year practically all my friends will be graduating. However I did notice that you can barely tell the age difference at uni especially when it's only going to be 1/2 years
No one is going to care, and they won't even notice unless you tell them and start making a big deal out of it.
I know a 30 year old who stayed in halls.
Its all good man :smile:
Reply 5
Original post by jawsontheflooor
I'm in the same position ,starting in September, age 20 and honestly it does make me upset that next year practically all my friends will be graduating. However I did notice that you can barely tell the age difference at uni especially when it's only going to be 1/2 years


Same. Re the age thing I think that's definitely true as biologically theres not much difference between an 18 and 20 y/o. I'll just have to shave every as facial hair adds a solid 10 years to me!
Reply 6
I went to college so we had a few mature students. It was weird for us for the first week as we'd just come from high school/kids only places, but after that initial week we really couldnt give a damn, the mature guys were awesome! At uni I'm sure nobody's gonna care...

Spoiler

Original post by Anonymous
Same. Re the age thing I think that's definitely true as biologically theres not much difference between an 18 and 20 y/o. I'll just have to shave every as facial hair adds a solid 10 years to me!

Also I am worried about having to explain dropping out of uni before to everyone at freshers then again to employers sigh
But haha yeah hopefully it'll all be fine, good luck!
Nobody will take any interest in how old you are, and there's not much difference between 20 and 18 anyway.

Besides, lots of people take gap years etc.

Don't worry about it.
Original post by Anonymous
Sorry if this is in the wrong forum but the correct one doesn't have the anon option.

Basically, I resat a year of a levels, came out with excellent grades, and went to uni. However, due to a condition of personal and health complications I had to leave.

Now on a unplanned gap year where I'm working and saving, I've got an unconditional from a different uni on a course I will enjoy. However, I will be a 20 year old fresher, and will have just turned 21 by my third term. Meaning I will have just turned 23 by the time I graduate.

My main worries are that I won't fit in with 18/19 year olds and they'll see me as 'the older guy', and that I'm generally 'behind' my cohort in life. My age group will be going into their 3rd year whilst I'll just be starting my first. PLUS people younger than me will be ahead of me in life and that just feels depressing tbh.

Thoughts? ? ? ? :frown:



I'm in the same position, doing A2 and just turned 20. So by the age most people graduate-21, I'll be doing my first semester and true that does scare me a little bit too. But hey look we haven't given up on our dreams and that's what matters. As long as you don't make it a big deal and bring it up more and often, you'll be fine.
Some of my best friends at uni were a couple of years older and I didn't even realise/know they were older for a few months in first year!
Original post by jawsontheflooor
Also I am worried about having to explain dropping out of uni before to everyone at freshers then again to employers sigh
But haha yeah hopefully it'll all be fine, good luck!


With everyone at Freshers' I just plan on being vague and saying "medical complications", hoping that people will think that it must be something rather 'personal' but nonetheless beyond my control. Employers I doubt will even ask as I'll just say I wasn't sure what I wanted to study or something so took a gap year. It's easier for me because I retook a year of sixth form, but it could work for you too.
I think you're over estimating what percentage of the students are going to be 18/19, i think you'll be surprised how many people will be older.
A
lso, it's just one year more, that's nothing really, you might find that some 18 years olds are more mature than you and that some 30 year olds are less mature than you.
Omg people go to uni at all different ages. Nobody actually cares about how old you are (not in a rude way). My flat mate in first year was 20 when he started, nobody thought he was old or made a big deal out of it... I even had people in their 30's and one woman who's now 60 on my course and they went to fresher events...
Yeah seriously nobody cares. I started uni when I was 23. My best friends ended up being a group who started uni at ages 18/19/19/21. From my course there was a wider range, and although most people were 18-20 in first year, at least 10-20% were early to mid 20s like me and a few others were 30s or older. We all got along great.

Age really had zero impact on anything.
I will be starting uni at 25 this sept if I get through. If not, I will have to try again. It took me awhile to get to where I am mentally, but really age is not a deciding factor. Sometimes it just means you had more time to decide what you want to do, and try to do it as well as you can. You are hopefully not just older, but more mature as well, so that should translate to your uni work and lifestyle. Do what you want to, and do it well :smile:

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