"Help! I'm Old!"

I've been reading through TSR again recently and found a lot of threads I can really relate to:

I'm starting Uni this year and I'm 20 - what are people going to think?

and

I'm 25 and want to live in halls - will they allow this? Will people think I'm weird?

Last year, that's pretty much what I was thinking too. When I started last year (and moved into halls) I was 25 and worried how I'd get along with everyone else. The simple answer is "pretty well".

Classes and Lectures
These are the easy bits. In lectures, there is usually a sea of people there and you're pretty much just a face in the crowd. Just sit down, shut up and pay attention! Similar thing in classes really - nobody is going to care how old you are because (if they have any sense) they'll be paying more attention to the class. In both cases I wasn't the oldest person there by a long shot. I know all courses will be different, but there were a number of older students in most lectures I went to and nobody paid any real attention to this.

Making friends/Social stuff
Again - not a big deal. The trick is to talk to any and everyone! Worried you'll have nothing in common with your coursemates? Well, you're all at uni - that's a good start! My uni mates are a mixture of people much younger than me and other mature students (my age and older) and they're all surprisingly similar once you get talking! The only time my age came up at any point was during a conversation about 21st birthday parties and I pointed out that mine was a few years ago. Their reaction? "Oh... cool. So anyway...." and that was it. The thing to remember is that it's only going to be a big deal if you make it one!

Halls
Another thing I've seen worrying my fellow mature students is the question of living in halls. Personally, I loved it so much I'm going back into halls this year. Yes, it can be a bit noisy, but most of the people there are fairly reasonable and will shut up if you ask! For me, halls are a massive help! They're close to where I need to be, so there's no massive commute every day (just a short bus ride or relaxing walk!) and they're catered which means no washing up! That frees up a LOT of extra time!
As for being the oldest in halls, that wasn't a problem for me. The halls I was in had people from all years (including a few postgrad students) so I wasn't the oldest and just kind of blended in and got on with it. I've heard that some halls try to group older/mature/postgrad students together in one part of the hall, away from younger students - but I couldn't advise on which halls do this (TSR is the place to ask though! Someone will know how to find out!)
If you think you might be the only older student in halls (unlikely, but possible!) I think all you can do is front it out. Don't make it in to an issue - nobody else is likely to. If you do end up with any hassle because of it, halls have staff who are there to sort these problems out - talk to them.


Whatever you do, don't let age get in the way if you want to go to university! So far, it's been the best decision I've made - I had a fantastic year and can't wait to start the next one. Based on my own experiences, I'd encourage anyone else who is considering it to go ahead and at least try uni - preferably by jumping in with both feet and not giving a damn what anyone else thinks of them for it!

26 days and counting!

I've been trying to keep track of what I've done so far and what I need to do. There's a nagging feeling of "I've forgotten to do something" that just won't go away. So I've been double-checking my done and to-do lists...

Done:
-Gotten my acceptance letters from Nottingham Uni and UCAS to confirm I am defiantly on the course.
-Signed, returned and heard back from Student Finance about my loan/grant. I know how much I'm supposed to get and when it should turn up.
-Applied and had a confirmation email about my accommodation. I'm really happy I got my first choice for accommodation. It *is* one of the more expensive halls, but it looks so nice and everything is included, so even if I over-spend I still get dinner and internet!
-Filled out and sent in the form for my Uni card (dodgy photo and all!)


To-do:
-Sort out a new bank account. I'm still comparing at the moment. I'm considering either Lloyds or NatWest - although I've had horrible problems with NatWest in the past.
-Bursaries. I'm not too sure what to do about these - I don't think I can apply until I get there, but a bit of extra cash would be nice if I'm eligible for it!
-Packing. I'm trying to keep down the amount of stuff I'll be taking. I think two bags of clothes and two boxes of other stuff (books and gadgets mostly!) should be enough. And two guitars - I play in a band where I need my electric, but I'd like to have my 12 string acoustic with me because it's my favourite!
-Pick my modules. I have a choice between learning Ancient Greek and Latin or "Working With Translations". I'm very tempted to take Greek and Latin - even though it sounds like more work and I'm terrible with languages anyway! I'm hoping there'll be someone I can talk to before I decide or at least someone that'll tell me if I can switch if it all gets too much...
-Shop. I don't need much - pens and paper, a couple of books (it looks like there's only two books I really *need* this year) and new socks - I'm really running out of socks at the moment! There are a couple of other things I'd really love to have, but don't really *need*. I've been looking for nice posters - I know there are always posters for sale when you get there, but I've got my heart set on the sort of stuff they probably won't have. Been looking for a poster of the cover of Hawkwind's "Space Ritual" album (either version) - not much luck so far! Another thing I'd really like is a couple of really big floor cushions - just so I can turn my bed into a sofa and feel like a proper grown-up! Finally, silly as it might sound, I'm trying to figure out if I need a chair or not! There's a desk in the room, but I don't know if there's a chair and I'd feel a bit strange asking! I'm planning on taking my camping chair just in case - at worst, I can make do with that until I can pick up a nice, cheap chair from somewhere!

I'm still not sure what else I need to be doing!