Is Age Really Just A Number? What It’s Like Being A Student In My Mid-Twenties

In the UK, mature students are defined as being ‘any student aged 21 or over at the beginning of their undergraduate course’. That in itself may express to you the peculiarity of being a mature student among a sea of younger students. 21 is not old, or often particularly mature! Yet, interrupting the educational pipeline can be a double-edged sword. The number of mature students taking up full-time university courses is multiplying, however group-specific issues such as problematic access to higher education and higher drop-out rates, continue to plague this older, smaller, population of students.

Twenty-four and in my second year of university, I have a first-hand understanding of the turmoil which can come with being a ‘mature student’. In fact, I have even previously contributed to the higher drop-out rates. Whilst some difficulties may be easier to predict, such as financial and lifestyle adjustments, I have found others more perplexing, like the internal conflict I feel between my age and my circumstances.

Returning to education after having a full-time job was very disorienting. It’s a different mode of operating, being a student, compared to being an employee. During university term time, the pressure is never really off. There is always something to be done, whether that be readings, studying, deadlines or a meeting with a professor.  Re-entering the education system is definitely a process of learning to adjust to the  continuous pressures which exist as a student. Simultaneously, you have to figure out how to enjoy yourself and maintain a social life beyond the educational pressures. Prior to this big change, I had been living at home. This meant that a decent amount of my salary was disposable income (some went towards saving for university). In other words, I had a little bit of financial and personal freedom from a generally undemanding full-time job. Life went from being able to travel, having access to a car, and regular pub evenings, to then worrying about the price of a shandy (£7.50 is daylight robbery); weighing up how many eggs I could afford and late, gruelling evenings in the library! 

In contrast to my previous life, university life felt a little bleak at times. I felt this perhaps more acutely, too, in a place like London, a city which is labelled ‘a playground for the rich’. Much of what London had to offer, including even humble activities such as going for a coffee, felt out of reach. And locations I used to love visiting when I was younger, such as Camden, felt as though they were a caricature of themselves, as authenticity had been traded in for profit. Struggling financially is of course a common university student experience, spanning all ages, however after the sweetness of a salary – albeit modest – the student reality tasted bitter. 

We are constantly reminded by the news, social media or by friends about how difficult it is, especially as young people, to find our place in the job market right now. Being an older student, whose peers have established a career for themselves, the pressure of time can feel claustrophobic. It can feel as though you should have life figured out complete with a printed and laminated 5 year plan! Not to mention the emails from the careers department reminding me I should be implementing what feels like a million extracurricular networking opportunities and internships in order to land a decent job (I am grateful to have such a great careers service, but it can feel very overwhelming).

It’s easy to compare where you could be in life had you gone to university earlier. A few years ago, I felt as though I had time to figure out what I wanted to do, but the sense of urgency becomes louder every year. Having more responsibilities in your mid-twenties can mean that exploring different life possibilities feels out of reach, and that we need to make the decision that is most sensible or financially viable, rather than taking the time to figure out what is right for us. We have been encouraged and discouraged all at once, making this process all the more confusing as both a young professional and a student in my mid-twenties. 

However, what I have taken from conversations with those older than me, is that this feeling of having life ‘figured out’ never really comes for many people, and that’s okay. It’s almost liberating in a way. We can never predict the opportunities which might arise, the people we might meet, or the ways we might change, and there’s no age limit to these things. Your dream career at 20 can absolutely change by 33, or maybe even 21. Life is an ongoing project and university has granted me experiences that wouldn’t have been possible for me otherwise. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by comparison about what I (sometimes) feel I should be doing, I’m grateful for all of the knowledge, opportunities, friends and life lessons I’m learning which will help me in navigating the world beyond university.

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• mental health