Is 21 late to enter into University

Greetings !Is 21 late to enter into University, especially the Cambridge University in UK and Harvard University and MIT in USA?

Reply 1

d-m1

Its never too late :smile:

Reply 2

Natasha_Faye

21 is not too old at all. Some people go to university in their 30’s and 40’s. You could always apply to a mature college (eg. Wolfson) at Cambridge so that you’re not with a bunch of 18 year olds.

Reply 3

ShahKhan

Original post by m-k1

Its never too late :smile:

But still what would be the norm?

Reply 4

winterscoming

I started at 24, and on my first day there I met two other people on my course who were 26 and 29.

Of course, most people on your course will be 18/19, but not everybody feels ready for it at that age. Even students who do join at 18/19 sometimes arrive at university without having really decided what direction they want to take in their life, which often leads them to end up quitting their course and wasting the chance.

Being a few years older might feel a bit strange - especially if you're used to being around people your age, but hopefully it means you know that you are ready to be a student, you know exactly why you're going and what you want out of it, so that can be a huge boost to your motivation.

Reply 5

Unknown-99

No way. Loads of people take time out before going to University. 21 is still really young by the time you graduate you would still only be 24/25. Every university has a wide range of people from all over the world and different ages. I know people in their 50s at my uni who wanted a change of career. It's never too late.

Reply 6

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

Original post by ShahKhan

But still what would be the norm?

Obviously 'the norm' is to go directly after leaving school or after a gap year. However, many people now take a couple of gap years or even more and start a degree much later in life. Cambridge is no different from any other university in being able to accommodate that.

Reply 7

d-m1

Original post by ShahKhan

But still what would be the norm?

yesss it would be normal, there’s a whole range of people at uni and are 23+, most people wouldn’t be able to tell if you were 21 or 18 unless you told them anyway

Reply 8

username2752874

Original post by ShahKhan

Greetings !Is 21 late to enter into University, especially the Cambridge University in UK and Harvard University and MIT in USA?

No. I mean a lot of medics leave university at 24. If you want people your age to hang out with, look for grad, med, dent or mature students. Shouldn't be too hard

Reply 9

Doones

Original post by ShahKhan

Greetings !Is 21 late to enter into University, especially the Cambridge University in UK and Harvard University and MIT in USA?

It's absolutely fine for Cambridge (and UK universities generally).

Cambridge even has 4 colleges specifically for mature applicants. Although such candidates can apply to standard age colleges too.

Posted from TSR Mobile

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 10

choleCcarknif3r

Original post by ShahKhan

Greetings !Is 21 late to enter into University, especially the Cambridge University in UK and Harvard University and MIT in USA?

Not even close! I started at 20, and that's still young. There's a 27 year old student in the flat next door to me, and plenty of mature students across the world that are older than yourself. You won't even be considered old at uni, never mind 'too old'

Reply 11

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by Doonesbury

It's absolutely fine.

Cambridge even has 4 colleges specifically for mature applicants. Although mature candidates can apply to standard age colleges too.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Quite right, but I'm not sure how receptive American universities in general are to older students.

21 is not that old anyway so perhaps it won't matter (especially if the OP has used the past few years to do something exceptional). But from what I've read, top American unis tend to treat mature students (people in their mid-to-late 20s+) differently, often the degree they receive is slightly different (e.g. the diploma is in English rather than Latin), and classes are taught by different people. Brown and Yale appear to be the exception, through their Resumed Undergraduate Education and Eli Whitney programmes, they treat older students by and large the same as traditional-age students.

Reply 12

qasim-96

I know a few people at my uni who 21-23.

Reply 13

Doones

Original post by Snufkin

Ah fair enough - thread was in the Cambridge Forum so I was answering more with that in mind. I'll edit my reply :smile:

Reply 14

Claire461

I will be 70 when I graduate in the Summer. No one cares how old you are. I get along with all the students in my year - 18year olds+ I have grandchildren the same age as some of them and I've been their student rep for the last 3 years. Don't worry about it. X

Reply 15

ManLike007

Original post by ShahKhan

Greetings !Is 21 late to enter into University, especially the Cambridge University in UK and Harvard University and MIT in USA?

You're never too old to learn. You'll always find people who are older than the typical age you'd expect students to be studying in that academic year.

Reply 16

Know Your Enemy

Of course not! 21 is still pretty young like another user said. Just because most people go straight after sixth form doesn't mean this is the best option; not everyone's ready at 18/19, and that's okay. I get that it would feel a bit strange but sometimes, taking a gap year and going a bit later is the best option. It depends on you and whether you're ready.

When my sister was doing Midwifery at USW, she said there were people there in their 30's/40's/50's who wanted a career change (also mentioned by another user). There are plenty of mature students in every university so you'd still be quite young compared to other students. My sister is nearly 30 and she's considering going back to uni, so it's never too late.