[Leanne2511]

Hi everyone, this is my first post on the forum, so apologies if I'm in the wrong place!
I'm 20 years old and turn 21 in November, currently going into my final year at college in a few weeks studying for my national diploma in Animal Management. I took a few years out after school to work full time, in order to save for a car allowing me to travel the 25 miles to college I always ruled out the idea of studying for a degree, however the idea has become more and more appealing over time.

My main concerns are...I'll be 22 a couple of months after I start my first year of uni. Is this too old? (I feel like I've done everything a bit late, although I had no choice but to really with the distance I have to travel into college).

And will it be worth doing a degree in my chosen subject? It will more than likely be Animal Management and Behaviour or Zoology. Opportunities after these kind of degrees are scarce I'm aware, and the increase in tuition fees is making me even more pessimistic.

I'm very dedicated to my college course and naturally have a very strong passion to work with animals but sometimes this isn't enough! Any advice or guidance is appreciated

Many thanks

[watermelon_juice]

Not at all. I'll be 19 for first year. People genuinely won't care, at all.

[JXamie]

No, you're not.

[Jabberwox]

I'll be coming up 21 when I start. You're never too old.

[pickled onion]

Of course not. The oldest person on my course is in their 50s. Your life has only just started at 22!

[Wick3d]

It's never to late.

[Stanley90]

25 miles to get to college? Where d'you live? The desert?

And 22 is not old at all

[Phatzo]

yep, definitely too old

[Leanne2511]

(Original post by Stanley90)
25 miles to get to college? Where d'you live? The desert?

And 22 is not old at all

Haha, no I live in Stoke On Trent and go to Reaseheath College which is in Cheshire.

[Stanley90]

(Original post by Leanne2511)
Haha, no I live in Stoke On Trent and go to Reaseheath College which is in Cheshire.

Why do you travel that far man?

[Leanne2511]

(Original post by Stanley90)
Why do you travel that far man?

It's the closest place to me that does that course

[Fraine]

There's people at university who are in there forties or fifties like my dad was when he went back to college and then university. So 22 is definitely not too old as there's plenty of people on my course who are early twenties and it's actually people who've just left college and are 18 who are minority I think rather than the people who are slightly older, at least from who I've met

[Joinedup]

Not too old

IMO zoology is less limiting to you future career - ferinstance this well known economics journo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Ridley
did his first degree in zoology

[sweeter than a cherry pie]

Definitely not too old. There will be many mature students older than yourself, and no-one really cares about age at uni, especially if you all get along. Seriously, don't worry about it.

[Lucius_Louis]

hahaha 22 isn't old.....On my college course there was a 40 year old iranian man and a 25 year old south african women. We all got along, my point being that people really don't care about other peoples ages or nationalities it's only personalities that matter.

[BrushieDuck]

I started last year (at 26) and it's been great! No problems so far!

[llacerta]

One of the girls in the flat opposite me in halls turned 22 about four months after we started university...Funny thing was, we just assumed she was 19 or 20 (because everyone living in those flats had had at least one gap year), but until it was her birthday, we hadn't realised that she was a bit older than us! It really made no difference at all (aside from us teasing her and calling her granny flaps, sometimes.) But aside from that.

[arno111]

(Original post by Leanne2511)
Hi everyone, this is my first post on the forum, so apologies if I'm in the wrong place!
I'm 20 years old and turn 21 in November, currently going into my final year at college in a few weeks studying for my national diploma in Animal Management. I took a few years out after school to work full time, in order to save for a car allowing me to travel the 25 miles to college I always ruled out the idea of studying for a degree, however the idea has become more and more appealing over time.

My main concerns are...I'll be 22 a couple of months after I start my first year of uni. Is this too old? (I feel like I've done everything a bit late, although I had no choice but to really with the distance I have to travel into college).

Many thanks

Ive just turned 23 and am starting uni in a few weeks. Im glad i didnt jump straight to uni from college. Its been great having various jobs, saving up money, travelling etc. Whilst i was working full time all my mates were at uni and now that they have finished im going. It took me a long time to figure out what i wanted to do and as of january i decided off to uni i go. Another good thing bout being a mature student is that they let me in with no A levels and pretty poor gcses but because i have relevant eork experience.

[AspiringGenius]

(Original post by Stanley90)
Why do you travel that far man?

I know people who travel from Bideford in North Devon to Exeter College (nearly 40 miles aay) every day. The strange thing is they have a sixth form college in Bideford

[Leanne2511]

(Original post by arno111)
Ive just turned 23 and am starting uni in a few weeks. Im glad i didnt jump straight to uni from college. Its been great having various jobs, saving up money, travelling etc. Whilst i was working full time all my mates were at uni and now that they have finished im going. It took me a long time to figure out what i wanted to do and as of january i decided off to uni i go. Another good thing bout being a mature student is that they let me in with no A levels and pretty poor gcses but because i have relevant eork experience.

Sounds like me! I think I would have lost me drive if I'd have gone into college, then uni straight from school, so the time I've took out working has given me more motivation (and money!) to do what I want.

All in all I'm really glad there are a lot of twenty-somethings at uni, I definitely feel better about the idea now