I have always been one of the older students in the class. My birthday is in October, which naturally makes me one of the first in my grade to have a birthday. When I was younger this seemed super cool to be one of the first to reach the new age, double digits, and becoming a teenager. When I moved to the US, I wanted to transition into senior year, which was the year I should I be; however, because of the ACT/ SAT, applying to college, making friends and generally adapting to my new life in Los Angeles, I decided to go into school as a junior.
Even though I’m older, I don’t see the extra year at school as a waste or an annoyance. That extra year allowed me to settle into American life, make the best of friends and meet my boyfriend. Academically, I learnt new skills and developed myself as a student and as a writer. Reflecting back there would be no way I could physically fit everything into one year.
Was this a good decision? It was one of the best ones I have ever made. If anyone was in this position I would highly recommend they do the same. Now you might be wondering if there was someone else in my grade who was the same age, there has to right? Well I went to a small school but there was one person whose birthday was in the summer. Making this decision made me the eldest in the grade. At first it felt uncomfortable, within the first few weeks of my new school if you didn’t already know me as the new British girl, I was the new girl who turned 18 as a junior.At college everyone assumes I’m 18 or just turned 19, when in reality in only a few months I will be turning 21. When I tell someone I’m 20 I can immediately see their confusion and they want to know why. The weirdest thing for me is when I talk to a junior and they find out I’m the same age as them. Naturally I do have to admit that sometimes I have moments when I get jealous of students who are the same age as me that have 1 or 2 years left of college. By the time I graduate I will be 23, turning 24.In our society we are so quick to assume and judge someone without knowing all the facts. Every day we are exposed to ageism in Hollywood and advertising. Rarely do we some older people advertising a product for any age. In January Nicole Kidman used her acceptance speeches as a time to talk to about the issue. In 2016, Meryl Streep told Wall Street Journal “I remember as I was hovering around 40, I thought each movie would be my last, really. And all the evidence of other 40-year-old women at that time — this is 27 years ago — would lead you to believe it was over.”
At the end of the day it doesn’t matter how old you are. We should not jump to conclusions without knowing all the evidence. Ageism should not be part of our society, we all need to be aware of it and make sure we don’t partake in it.