worried about starting uni at 21

Hi everyone, so I have taken two consecutive gap years for the past two years due to financial issues meaning that i couldn't start university. I will now be going to university this year and i am kind of scared. I will be 21 when i start, and i will be turning 22 soon after i start. My main worry is not being able to make friends since majority of people start at 18/19, will i be considered too old??? I would really like to form some really close friendships in univeristy since that will be the last school phase i will go through and my previous school phases havent been that great so i would like to make the most out of this last school phase. I know some people do start university later but as i know so far is that the majority of first year students are 18/19. I also plan on moving into a student accom and I'm scared that people may be weirded out that a 21 year old is living with a bunch of 18 year olds. if anyone was 21 or older in their first year of univeristy, i would really appreciate some insight as to how the experience was of making friends, and living in accomdations where most of the people are younger than you, and were/are you still able to make the most of uni lif despite your age. And if anyone who did start university at 18/19, and met people who were older than you, what were your thoughts on meeting the people who are older than you who were in the same year with you. Thank you to all who decide to read and respond to this !!!!!

Hello,Im going to Uni this year in sha allah and there is no need to worry about your age.I have done some programmes with unis such as kings this year and you would be surprised by how much people are old. A student in the uni said most people dont take age into a factor when making friends and most people dont really care as they are all mature.It is totally fine and you will also meet people way older so no need to be stressed.Hopefully you have a great time.

No-one actually cares how old you are at Uni - it isn't like school - and there will be plenty of people who are not school-leavers, promise.

Hi everyone, so I have taken two consecutive gap years for the past two years due to financial issues meaning that i couldn't start university. I will now be going to university this year and i am kind of scared. I will be 21 when i start, and i will be turning 22 soon after i start. My main worry is not being able to make friends since majority of people start at 18/19, will i be considered too old??? I would really like to form some really close friendships in univeristy since that will be the last school phase i will go through and my previous school phases havent been that great so i would like to make the most out of this last school phase. I know some people do start university later but as i know so far is that the majority of first year students are 18/19. I also plan on moving into a student accom and I'm scared that people may be weirded out that a 21 year old is living with a bunch of 18 year olds. if anyone was 21 or older in their first year of univeristy, i would really appreciate some insight as to how the experience was of making friends, and living in accomdations where most of the people are younger than you, and were/are you still able to make the most of uni lif despite your age. And if anyone who did start university at 18/19, and met people who were older than you, what were your thoughts on meeting the people who are older than you who were in the same year with you. Thank you to all who decide to read and respond to this !!!!!

Hi there,
I completely understand why you would feel nervous about this, but honestly, as someone who's closest friends at uni were 19, 21 and 25 on starting our course - first year of uni is ageless and everyone all blends into one group. There is very little difference between an 18 year old and a 21 year old and so its likely that people won't even know that you're a little older than them. All everyone is really interested in is meeting new people and making friends, and in my experience age does not even come into it!
Hoping this adds, best of luck 🙂

Hi there!
I took two gap years before I started uni and was 20 turning 21 in my first year so I thought I'd answer this to try and put your mind at ease a little bit.
I was also worried before I started about the same things, so I completely understand where you are coming from, but try not to worry as it will honestly be fine! I found that there wasn't really a different between me and my course mates or housemates who were 18/19 and I didn't notice it at all. When I told people I was 20 they were surprised most of the time as they wouldn't have known there was a difference in age either. People really do not care at all about age, same as I didn't care that they were younger than me as the difference between 18-22 is nothing really.
There were also lots of people on my course who were older than me too and we were all friends in one group really so again, don't worry as there will be people older than you too. Again, it made no difference and we all formed a group regardless of age so I doubt anybody will care. Same in your halls, there will be people of different ages so it won't matter at all!
I hope some of this helps,
Lucy -SHU student ambassador 🙂

Hi everyone, so I have taken two consecutive gap years for the past two years due to financial issues meaning that i couldn't start university. I will now be going to university this year and i am kind of scared. I will be 21 when i start, and i will be turning 22 soon after i start. My main worry is not being able to make friends since majority of people start at 18/19, will i be considered too old??? I would really like to form some really close friendships in univeristy since that will be the last school phase i will go through and my previous school phases havent been that great so i would like to make the most out of this last school phase. I know some people do start university later but as i know so far is that the majority of first year students are 18/19. I also plan on moving into a student accom and I'm scared that people may be weirded out that a 21 year old is living with a bunch of 18 year olds. if anyone was 21 or older in their first year of univeristy, i would really appreciate some insight as to how the experience was of making friends, and living in accomdations where most of the people are younger than you, and were/are you still able to make the most of uni lif despite your age. And if anyone who did start university at 18/19, and met people who were older than you, what were your thoughts on meeting the people who are older than you who were in the same year with you. Thank you to all who decide to read and respond to this !!!!!

Hi there @deniiak
It is not uncommon to take multiple gap years or foundation year before starting university 🙂 I am sure you will find students from different backgrounds and all walks of life! I myself spent a few years working before starting university and only started as a mature student 😉
Wishing you the best of luck for uni life and hope you meet wonderful people!
Zhi En
(Kingston Student Rep.)

Hi everyone, so I have taken two consecutive gap years for the past two years due to financial issues meaning that i couldn't start university. I will now be going to university this year and i am kind of scared. I will be 21 when i start, and i will be turning 22 soon after i start. My main worry is not being able to make friends since majority of people start at 18/19, will i be considered too old??? I would really like to form some really close friendships in univeristy since that will be the last school phase i will go through and my previous school phases havent been that great so i would like to make the most out of this last school phase. I know some people do start university later but as i know so far is that the majority of first year students are 18/19. I also plan on moving into a student accom and I'm scared that people may be weirded out that a 21 year old is living with a bunch of 18 year olds. if anyone was 21 or older in their first year of univeristy, i would really appreciate some insight as to how the experience was of making friends, and living in accomdations where most of the people are younger than you, and were/are you still able to make the most of uni lif despite your age. And if anyone who did start university at 18/19, and met people who were older than you, what were your thoughts on meeting the people who are older than you who were in the same year with you. Thank you to all who decide to read and respond to this !!!!!

Hi everyone, so I have taken two consecutive gap years for the past two years due to financial issues meaning that i couldn't start university. I will now be going to university this year and i am kind of scared. I will be 21 when i start, and i will be turning 22 soon after i start. My main worry is not being able to make friends since majority of people start at 18/19, will i be considered too old??? I would really like to form some really close friendships in univeristy since that will be the last school phase i will go through and my previous school phases havent been that great so i would like to make the most out of this last school phase. I know some people do start university later but as i know so far is that the majority of first year students are 18/19. I also plan on moving into a student accom and I'm scared that people may be weirded out that a 21 year old is living with a bunch of 18 year olds. if anyone was 21 or older in their first year of univeristy, i would really appreciate some insight as to how the experience was of making friends, and living in accomdations where most of the people are younger than you, and were/are you still able to make the most of uni lif despite your age. And if anyone who did start university at 18/19, and met people who were older than you, what were your thoughts on meeting the people who are older than you who were in the same year with you. Thank you to all who decide to read and respond to this !!!!!

Hey!
Honestly I really feel for you reading this… I had very similar worries before starting uni, so you’re definitely not alone!!
I was a mature student too… I was 27 when I started university and I was absolutely terrified that I’d be too old, wouldn’t fit in, and wouldn’t make friends. I genuinely worried I’d feel awkward or out of place the whole time. But I couldn’t have been any further from the truth.
One of the biggest things I learned really quickly is that uni has such a huge mix of ages. Yes, there are lots of 18/19 year olds, but there are also people in their early 20s, late 20s, 30s and beyond. Age just wasn’t a thing anyone cared about. Everyone was there for the same reason and that mattered way more.
To put it into perspective, my two closest friends from uni are 22 and 37. We got on so well, supported each other, laughed constantly, went out together, studied together… and our ages literally never crossed our minds. Our whole cohort got on really well too, and age was never a factor in friendships or group dynamics.
I didn’t personally stay in student accommodation, but one of my closest friends (who was 22) did, and she had zero issues making friends with younger students. She went out with them, lived with them, and had a great time. Honestly, most 18 year olds won’t think twice about you being 21… they’ll just see you as another fresher who’s new and figuring things out like everyone else.
One thing I really recommend is joining societies. They’re honestly amazing for meeting like-minded people because you already have something in common, which takes the pressure off making friends. Through societies, I also met loads of students from other courses… all different ages… and again it just felt very natural.
The biggest thing I can say is that age genuinely won’t matter as long as you put yourself out there and get involved. Talk to people, say yes to things, join stuff that interests you. Everyone is new and looking for connection, regardless of their age.
Studying later in life was one of the best things I’ve ever done, and I honestly believe you won’t regret it for a second. You’re really not too old at all… if anything, you’ll probably find you’re more confident, more self-aware, and better able to enjoy the experience.
You deserve a really positive uni experience, and from everything you’ve written, I truly think you’re going to have one! You’ve got this!
Good luck! Sophie 🙂

Hi @deniiak
I see you have had some wonderful replies!
I definitely agree that it does not matter what age you enter university, there is such a diverse range of people. There are a lot more mature students than people think. When I began university my class ranged from about 18-50 year olds. When it comes to university, people of all different ages make friends, so don't let this worry you!
I hope this helps, please feel free to ask me any questions,
-Sophia (University of Lancashire)

Hi everyone, so I have taken two consecutive gap years for the past two years due to financial issues meaning that i couldn't start university. I will now be going to university this year and i am kind of scared. I will be 21 when i start, and i will be turning 22 soon after i start. My main worry is not being able to make friends since majority of people start at 18/19, will i be considered too old??? I would really like to form some really close friendships in univeristy since that will be the last school phase i will go through and my previous school phases havent been that great so i would like to make the most out of this last school phase. I know some people do start university later but as i know so far is that the majority of first year students are 18/19. I also plan on moving into a student accom and I'm scared that people may be weirded out that a 21 year old is living with a bunch of 18 year olds. if anyone was 21 or older in their first year of univeristy, i would really appreciate some insight as to how the experience was of making friends, and living in accomdations where most of the people are younger than you, and were/are you still able to make the most of uni lif despite your age. And if anyone who did start university at 18/19, and met people who were older than you, what were your thoughts on meeting the people who are older than you who were in the same year with you. Thank you to all who decide to read and respond to this !!!!!

Hi everyone, so I have taken two consecutive gap years for the past two years due to financial issues meaning that i couldn't start university. I will now be going to university this year and i am kind of scared. I will be 21 when i start, and i will be turning 22 soon after i start. My main worry is not being able to make friends since majority of people start at 18/19, will i be considered too old??? I would really like to form some really close friendships in univeristy since that will be the last school phase i will go through and my previous school phases havent been that great so i would like to make the most out of this last school phase. I know some people do start university later but as i know so far is that the majority of first year students are 18/19. I also plan on moving into a student accom and I'm scared that people may be weirded out that a 21 year old is living with a bunch of 18 year olds. if anyone was 21 or older in their first year of univeristy, i would really appreciate some insight as to how the experience was of making friends, and living in accomdations where most of the people are younger than you, and were/are you still able to make the most of uni lif despite your age. And if anyone who did start university at 18/19, and met people who were older than you, what were your thoughts on meeting the people who are older than you who were in the same year with you. Thank you to all who decide to read and respond to this !!!!!