Starting uni at 20
Hello! I’m currently 19 and will be starting uni in 2024 bc of a CAS delay issue (I’m an international student) my place is confirmed and my deposit is paid. I was already feeling anxious that I’ll be too old at 19 and now that I’ll be starting at 20 I feel like a complete loser. Though this is an opportunity for me to do apprenticeships and work to save up I can’t help but feel like a an ancient relic when I do finally go. In my home country it is quite normal for people to be university students in their mid 20s but I feel like it’s different in England/London where I’ll be studying. Fundamentally I know it’s not that big of a deal because I’m chasing my dream no matter what but the feeling of incompetence still creeps around my head.
Original post by Jossbna
Hello! I’m currently 19 and will be starting uni in 2024 bc of a CAS delay issue (I’m an international student) my place is confirmed and my deposit is paid. I was already feeling anxious that I’ll be too old at 19 and now that I’ll be starting at 20 I feel like a complete loser. Though this is an opportunity for me to do apprenticeships and work to save up I can’t help but feel like a an ancient relic when I do finally go. In my home country it is quite normal for people to be university students in their mid 20s but I feel like it’s different in England/London where I’ll be studying. Fundamentally I know it’s not that big of a deal because I’m chasing my dream no matter what but the feeling of incompetence still creeps around my head.
Hi!
Don't worry about your age. It's not a big deal at all as you said. Many people do such. I'm doing the same because I had other priorities before my university life. Same in my home country too where students start their university life either in their late 10s or early 20s because they're kind of forced to do so due to some stupid rules and regulations. When I arrived in the UK for the first time, I was also a bit surprised to see home students commencing their university journey at the ages of 16, 17, and 18 since I wasn't accustomed to it.
Fundamentally I know it’s not that big of a deal because I’m chasing my dream no matter what but the feeling of incompetence still creeps around my head. This is what I really liked hearing from you. As long as you're chasing your dreams, age shouldn't bother you. When you reach your desired destination, you won't think twice about your age then because you'll achieve what's more important to you. So, just don't stress about it.
(edited 7 months ago)
Hello!
As the above poster has suggested, I would try not to worry about this. I started uni when I was 21 and was really worried at the time, however there are lots of mature students at uni of all ages and once you start it won't be as nerve-racking as it may seem.
As the above poster has suggested, I would try not to worry about this. I started uni when I was 21 and was really worried at the time, however there are lots of mature students at uni of all ages and once you start it won't be as nerve-racking as it may seem.
Original post by Jossbna
Hello! I’m currently 19 and will be starting uni in 2024 bc of a CAS delay issue (I’m an international student) my place is confirmed and my deposit is paid. I was already feeling anxious that I’ll be too old at 19 and now that I’ll be starting at 20 I feel like a complete loser. Though this is an opportunity for me to do apprenticeships and work to save up I can’t help but feel like a an ancient relic when I do finally go. In my home country it is quite normal for people to be university students in their mid 20s but I feel like it’s different in England/London where I’ll be studying. Fundamentally I know it’s not that big of a deal because I’m chasing my dream no matter what but the feeling of incompetence still creeps around my head.
It's really not a big deal. Many people on my course started the degree at 21, 24, 25 etc. So starting at 20 is really not the end of the world, there will still be many people your age or older, and the rest won't notice or care.
Just to offer some reassurance I have just started uni and I’m 43 so if you’re a loser then I don’t know what I am or the other people in my cohort who are 36, 39 and 40. Go for it!!
Original post by Jossbna
Hello! I’m currently 19 and will be starting uni in 2024 bc of a CAS delay issue (I’m an international student) my place is confirmed and my deposit is paid. I was already feeling anxious that I’ll be too old at 19 and now that I’ll be starting at 20 I feel like a complete loser. Though this is an opportunity for me to do apprenticeships and work to save up I can’t help but feel like a an ancient relic when I do finally go. In my home country it is quite normal for people to be university students in their mid 20s but I feel like it’s different in England/London where I’ll be studying. Fundamentally I know it’s not that big of a deal because I’m chasing my dream no matter what but the feeling of incompetence still creeps around my head.
I started uni at 28, and I have never had any issues at all, I get along with the whole class and there is even one man who is 60 on my course. You usually find there is a mixture of ages on university courses, we had a mixture of mainly teens & 20's, and then some 30's, 40's etc.
Don't let it worry you, you are chasing your dream, and that is all that matters.
Good luck!
-Victoria
Wrexham Uni Rep
Original post by Jossbna
In my home country it is quite normal for people to be university students in their mid 20s but I feel like it’s different in England/London
No, it's exactly the same in London, England and the UK in general. People start university when it's the right time for them, there is no age limit. Most likely you will find students way older than you in the same university or even in the same course. I know someone who recently got a BSc degree at the age of 70!
You said feeling like an ancient relic, just imagine that person or when I started my masters at 36, sometimes I felt like the dad of some undergrad students on campus, but I didn't worry at all about it.
(edited 7 months ago)
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