uni at 20
starting uni of glasgow this sept as someone who just turned 20 after not really wanting to go uni the past two years and worried about making friends and getting interships/work.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
Reply 1
Original post by Anonymous
starting uni of glasgow this sept as someone who just turned 20 after not really wanting to go uni the past two years and worried about making friends and getting interships/work.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
Don't worry it is only 2 years in your life you will have forget about it if you go and have a good experience at uni
Reply 2
Original post by Anonymous
starting uni of glasgow this sept as someone who just turned 20 after not really wanting to go uni the past two years and worried about making friends and getting interships/work.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
Hi there,
20 is still so young and I would have loved to have actually had those 2 years to think about what I want to go into and get some life experience. I think that it can actually be a great advantage! You'll have the best time. Can I ask what you're studying?
All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep
Reply 3
Original post by CardiffUni Rep
Hi there,
20 is still so young and I would have loved to have actually had those 2 years to think about what I want to go into and get some life experience. I think that it can actually be a great advantage! You'll have the best time. Can I ask what you're studying?
All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep
20 is still so young and I would have loved to have actually had those 2 years to think about what I want to go into and get some life experience. I think that it can actually be a great advantage! You'll have the best time. Can I ask what you're studying?
All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep
Yep 100%
Reply 4
Original post by CardiffUni Rep
Hi there,
20 is still so young and I would have loved to have actually had those 2 years to think about what I want to go into and get some life experience. I think that it can actually be a great advantage! You'll have the best time. Can I ask what you're studying?
All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep
20 is still so young and I would have loved to have actually had those 2 years to think about what I want to go into and get some life experience. I think that it can actually be a great advantage! You'll have the best time. Can I ask what you're studying?
All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep
I'm studying maths and economics
Reply 5
Original post by Anonymous
starting uni of glasgow this sept as someone who just turned 20 after not really wanting to go uni the past two years and worried about making friends and getting interships/work.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
Hi,
Don't worry at all! People go to university at loads of different ages, in my first year we had people from 17-27ish and the people who were a little older I didn't know until weeks in when it happened to come up in conversation. At university it's not a big thing at all and people (in the best way) just don't really care. You'll also probably find a lot of people in the same situation as you!
Honestly, I'm sure you'll have a great time! If you have any other concerns / questions please feel free to ask!
- Jessica
3rd year, Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)
Reply 6
Dude, I started uni at 21. Didn’t hold me back. Chill and enjoy your time (when you’re not stressed)!
Reply 7
Original post by Anonymous
starting uni of glasgow this sept as someone who just turned 20 after not really wanting to go uni the past two years and worried about making friends and getting interships/work.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
Hey there 😀
First of all, congratulations on starting at the University of Glasgow this September! It is a fantastic achievement, and you should be proud of yourself for taking this step, no matter when you decided to do it.
It is totally normal to feel a bit anxious about making friends and finding internships or work, However, here is the thing: everyone’s journey is unique, and there is no right timeline for going to university. You made the decision that was best for you at the time, and that is completely valid.
Personally, I went on a year-long student exchange and extended my studies with another year. I am starting my third year soon but I am super excited to be back and meet new people 🤩
Just remember to be yourself. Chat with classmates, flatmates, and people you meet in the societies or at events. Everyone is in the same boat, trying to make friends, so it is easier than you think to strike up a conversation.
The University of Glasgow should have a career service that can help you find internships and part-time jobs. They can also help with CV writing and interview preparation. Do not hesitate to ask for help! Those services are for us 🤗
I hope it was helpful 💪 Feel free to reach out if you have any questions 😉 You can also chat with me or other students directly through The Ambassador Platform.
Best of luck with everything, and enjoy your time at Glasgow,
Julia
Psychology student
De Montfort University
Reply 8
Original post by De Montfort University
Hey there 😀
First of all, congratulations on starting at the University of Glasgow this September! It is a fantastic achievement, and you should be proud of yourself for taking this step, no matter when you decided to do it.
It is totally normal to feel a bit anxious about making friends and finding internships or work, However, here is the thing: everyone’s journey is unique, and there is no right timeline for going to university. You made the decision that was best for you at the time, and that is completely valid.
Personally, I went on a year-long student exchange and extended my studies with another year. I am starting my third year soon but I am super excited to be back and meet new people 🤩
Just remember to be yourself. Chat with classmates, flatmates, and people you meet in the societies or at events. Everyone is in the same boat, trying to make friends, so it is easier than you think to strike up a conversation.
The University of Glasgow should have a career service that can help you find internships and part-time jobs. They can also help with CV writing and interview preparation. Do not hesitate to ask for help! Those services are for us 🤗
I hope it was helpful 💪 Feel free to reach out if you have any questions 😉 You can also chat with me or other students directly through The Ambassador Platform.
Best of luck with everything, and enjoy your time at Glasgow,
Julia
Psychology student
De Montfort University
First of all, congratulations on starting at the University of Glasgow this September! It is a fantastic achievement, and you should be proud of yourself for taking this step, no matter when you decided to do it.
It is totally normal to feel a bit anxious about making friends and finding internships or work, However, here is the thing: everyone’s journey is unique, and there is no right timeline for going to university. You made the decision that was best for you at the time, and that is completely valid.
Personally, I went on a year-long student exchange and extended my studies with another year. I am starting my third year soon but I am super excited to be back and meet new people 🤩
Just remember to be yourself. Chat with classmates, flatmates, and people you meet in the societies or at events. Everyone is in the same boat, trying to make friends, so it is easier than you think to strike up a conversation.
The University of Glasgow should have a career service that can help you find internships and part-time jobs. They can also help with CV writing and interview preparation. Do not hesitate to ask for help! Those services are for us 🤗
I hope it was helpful 💪 Feel free to reach out if you have any questions 😉 You can also chat with me or other students directly through The Ambassador Platform.
Best of luck with everything, and enjoy your time at Glasgow,
Julia
Psychology student
De Montfort University
Yeah it was, thank you.
I'm just worried I'll be out of place for my age but as I've read through countless forums, age isn't too noticeable.
Reply 9
Original post by Anonymous
I'm studying maths and economics
I see. It can be a challenge to get internships in this area, however, being at university will only increase your access. I'm unaware of details at Glasgow, yet there should be an entire career service available to you and being a students is a great way to have the time to invest into introductory unpaid work experience around your studies, and demonstrate your interest and passion.
Let me know if you have any questions!
All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep
Reply 10
15
Original post by Anonymous
starting uni of glasgow this sept as someone who just turned 20 after not really wanting to go uni the past two years and worried about making friends and getting interships/work.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I’m starting restarting uni this September and I’ll be 21! So don’t worry, I worried too for a while but realised it’d be immature for anyone to say anything. Everyone lives life at their own pace!
Reply 11
Original post by Anonymous
starting uni of glasgow this sept as someone who just turned 20 after not really wanting to go uni the past two years and worried about making friends and getting interships/work.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
Hi there,
I started Uni when I was 20 too! Try not to worry about it too much as it doesn't matter at all when you get to uni.
I felt like this too before I went as I was worried that everyone would be 18 and would think I was strange for being older, but the reality is that you aren't that much older and there is such a mix of ages at uni that nobody even notices and I didn't find it affected my time at all. In your flat, people will ask how old you are but after that it won't really get mentioned or be a thing at all and some of them might be older too. In my first year flat, a few people were 19 or 20 which was nice as I felt like it wasn't just me.
On my course, I found the same thing that with the people you make closer friends with, you will likely tell them your age and then it won't be mentioned again. There will be much a mix of ages on your course, some people will be 18 and some mature students could be late 20s or older which makes it feel like less of a big deal. A lot of people do gap years too so there will be plenty of people who are 19 or 20 and lots of people on your course might not even know how old you are so it won't be a big deal.
I think that doing a gap year or two is a great idea, especially if you really didn't want to go to uni initially as you probably wouldn't have enjoyed it or done as well as you can do so it is well worth waiting until you feel like you are actually ready to go. I also found that this time helped me to get away form education for a bit so I was ready to actually start doing uni work and assignments after A Levels and it also made me change my mind on the course I was doing so I thought it was a really good thing for me to do.
Something that helped me before I moved in to my flat was to join the group for my accommodation and find some people in my flat this way. We then had already introduced ourselves to each other and I found that knowing I had already told them how old I was helped me as I wasn't worrying about it after that!
I hope some of this helps ad you will have a great time
Lucy -SHU student ambassador.
Reply 12
Original post by Anonymous
starting uni of glasgow this sept as someone who just turned 20 after not really wanting to go uni the past two years and worried about making friends and getting interships/work.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I started uni at 22 turning 23, I was worried about starting and if I'd find any friends but I'm now on a placement for my 3rd and I'm really enjoying it all! It took me a few months to get settled in but once I had I'm glad I came. I found my friends through part-time bar jobs and they were all similar ages, everyone on my course were all different ages to so that really helped
Reply 13
Original post by Anonymous
starting uni of glasgow this sept as someone who just turned 20 after not really wanting to go uni the past two years and worried about making friends and getting interships/work.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
Hi there,
I can understand your worry but for the most part, I would say this is rarely ever going to be an issue if ever at all. University has a mix of people from all sorts of backgrounds and ages and it is very common to make friends from a mixture of age groups. In terms of internships and work, the same would apply as it typically isn't a strict requirement to access these.
I would advise you to not be so worried about fitting in or being able to secure jobs as a university is a place to learn, gain experiences and get a degree. This is the most important thing in what opportunities you would be able to access and your age will not be a deciding factor in this.
Best wishes,
Lancaster University Student Ambassador,
Glory.
Reply 14
Original post by Anonymous
starting uni of glasgow this sept as someone who just turned 20 after not really wanting to go uni the past two years and worried about making friends and getting interships/work.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
Congratulations for getting into university!
Starting university at 20 is completely normal, in fact there is a huge variety of ages at university! I started university when I was 18, however about half my class is older than me! Many are in their 20's, some in their 40's. In fact, by having some more life experience in-between school and university may benefit you.
Hopefully you found this helpful, please feel free to ask me any questions,
-Sophia (Business and Management)
Reply 15
Original post by Anonymous
starting uni of glasgow this sept as someone who just turned 20 after not really wanting to go uni the past two years and worried about making friends and getting interships/work.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
Hi,
There is loads of stuff to get involved in no matter your age. Check out the events run by the two student unions (GUU and QMU), all the clubs/societies on the SRC page: https://www.glasgowunisrc.org/clubs-socs/find/ , and all the sports clubs through GUSA: https://www.glasgowunisrc.org/gusa/clubs/ . There are be loads of people in you position as well, so please don't worry you will meet people like you!
All the best,
Anoosha MSc Earth Futures
Original post by Anonymous
starting uni of glasgow this sept as someone who just turned 20 after not really wanting to go uni the past two years and worried about making friends and getting interships/work.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
Hi there,
Starting university at 20 is not unusual, and it’s great you’ve chosen to begin when it feels right for you. Making friends at Glasgow will come naturally through classes, societies, and social events. Join clubs that match your interests; it’s one of the best ways to connect with like-minded people.
For internships and work, Glasgow University has excellent career services that can help you find opportunities. Start attending career fairs and workshops early, and consider part-time jobs or volunteering to build experience.
Remember, everyone’s journey is different, and starting now doesn’t make you an “idiot”—it shows self-awareness and determination!
Thanks & Regards,
Coventry University Student Ambassadors
Reply 17
Original post by Anonymous
starting uni of glasgow this sept as someone who just turned 20 after not really wanting to go uni the past two years and worried about making friends and getting interships/work.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
I feel like an idiot for not going earlier but at the time I really didnt want to.
Hello,
I'm guessing that you are a few months into university now and I thought I'd just add to the posts that have already been written. Age doesn't really matter too much at university as you will meet people who are straight from school having just done their A-Levels and other students who are double your age and some older again. I've had people in seminars who have been retired and in their 60s who did not go to university at 18, instead getting a job and working, but it's something they have always wanted to do and once they retired they enrolled. Everyone is treated equally as though we are all the same age, so it really doesn't make any difference. When I started the Masters degree at Chester University I was a lot older than the others in my class but I never felt as though I was, they always included me on nights out (I didn't live in Chester like they did) and didn't exclude me. As self conscious as you might be feeling about being a bit older, your friends in class really won't and the chances are they won't even notice until you point out to them.
I hope it's all going well and you're enjoying your studies,
All the best,
Jess
PhD English
University of Chester
Reply 18
Original post by Anonymous
Yeah it was, thank you.
I'm just worried I'll be out of place for my age but as I've read through countless forums, age isn't too noticeable.
I'm just worried I'll be out of place for my age but as I've read through countless forums, age isn't too noticeable.
Hi there,
As you should have probably started university already, we just wanted to check on you!
How are your experiences so far?
Thank you,
Ilya
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