How does this work for academic year/university?

[kmo0416]

If someone was born in August of 2006, that means that when they were at school their classmates were born between September 2005 - August 2006.

Anyone born after August 2006, was a year group below them; anyone born before September 2004, was a year group above them.

Growing up, a person born in August 2006, would have been socialised with their age mates ie those in their year group. They would have done GCSEs/A-levels at the same time; gone to university at the same time (unless they didn’t go or took a gap year); would have taken part in the same championships and competitions due to the same age etc. This means they would have much in common.

When someone born in August 2006, was at school and in say, Year 13, for example, they would have likely thought they had much more in common with other Year 13s than someone in Year 12, even if that Year 12 was born in September 2006 (so only a few weeks after them).

This is as such person, even though a few weeks younger, would have been behind in terms of a year of education; would not be eligible for the same championships or competitions if they were based on year group etc.

All of this leads people to strongly identify with their academic age mates.

So, I wonder how this functions in university. Imagine if someone took a gap year and so the majority of the students in their cohort were not their age mates so a year group below, even if only a few weeks or months younger, they would not be their age mates. So, would this mean that such a person would profoundly find it difficult to relate to or understand such people because they weren’t part of the same academic year group?

How hard do you find it to relate to people who are not your age mates?

Gap years are common before starting uni. And so are friendships with people from other year groups at school Didn't you go to house parties/ do hobbies?

It's decades since I was at university but it just didn't feature in conversation. Lots of students see university as a fresh start and to some extent they reinvent themselves when they start. I think my son did.

Whilst you might have a point for the very short years of childhood/school years, surely this ends as soon as you enter the workplace or join clubs etc as an adult?

Nobody goes through life surrounded only by people of their age. In my work team alone we range in age across a 20 year span. We all get on just fine and ‘relate to each other’ well.

And to answer your specific point about uni - I took a year out, people in my hall and on my course ranged from straight from A Levels (so a year below me in school terms) to people like me with one or two years ‘gap’, to mature students of 35/40+.

You are way overthinking this. Most people have met and socialised with people outside of their school peer group - family, cousins, neighbours, work mates, sports teams, social groups. Even if they have had a very sheltered upbringing, then when starting university there will be a natural mixing and meeting of new people in a new environment - you make new links based on the circumstances, it’s fine.

From my experience, it wasn’t a problem, or even anything we thought about. Lots of people take gap years. There are also people who are a year ahead (Scots and those who are just a year ahead). There are also mature students.

You also do socialise with the years above and below you, particularly through shared sports/interests.

My husband was exactly in the situation you describe. He was born in late August, so less than a week older than the year below. He worked in industry for a year before going up to college.

As others have said, you then are exposed to a wide range of ages through work and social activities. I sing, and have choir friends ranging in age from late teens to 70s.

But even if you throughout your life you end up working with and socialising with people of different ages, to what extent, do you fundamentally “click” with someone of your age group?

For instance, imagine if you are 55 years old born in August 1970. Would you instantly click with people born between September 1969 - August 1970 and see them as “one of you” while finding those born in 1971, 72, 73, 74 etc a bit different? Even if you eventually get to know them well and get on with them, is there still a bit of initial awkwardness?

As you get older then I’ve found getting on with people is more to do with shared experiences than when you’re born.

No.

As I get older I find I get on best with people younger than myself.

OP I don’t know how old you are, but age gaps are less relevant as adults. DH is a two years younger than me (we have been together for 23 years so clearly it’s been fine).
People easily have friends who are roughly their same age/generation. My best friend is two years older than me- we did our PhD together.
DH’a best friend is a year younger than him, most of my friend circle is somewhere between 1-4 years older or younger than me.
As you go through life these school class based differences become inconsequential.

I get on better with dogs that aside.
I went to university when I had just turned 17 (August birthday) didn’t have any impact.

My eldest (hopefully) is going to university having just turned 18 they have friends of all ages.

No.

Because you don’t know when they’re born to that minute detail. And it doesn’t matter because as per PP, you’re connected around shared interests or you’re thrown together at work and need to be able to relate without awkwardness for good team working.

I am 1972 born. I click with anyone from 27 to 60 (these are the outer ages of people in my closest social circle). I have friends who are also in their 50s but I couldn’t tell you if they were in the same school year as me (as we went to school in completely different parts of the country and literally in the last century!!).

Were you born in 2006? I'm assuming you must be young to not realise that no one pays any attention to your school year once you've left school, it's totally irrelevant

No one's life experience is limited to the things that happened between certain ates of Septembers to Augusts, that a very strange thing to think

The summer born school difference is largely lost by the end if primary school in terms of educational impact. I’ve had a long term
relationship with somebody 5 years older and 10 years younger. I think the 10 year spot is where cultural references really diverge. However, you can be friends with people of all ages.

Your point is only valid if the school aged child had never attended clubs outside of their classroom.
My DD for example is involved in 2 drama groups and 1 dance group. She speaks fondly about a couple of girls who are 5 years younger than her: she enjoys the big sister role. She also has friends in the two academic years younger and the 2 years older than her.

I remember feeling a bit like you describe, but I was more restricted as a child. I have a memory of having a girl in the year above me come round to play. I remember feeling grown up. For me, it was unusual to socialise with another child in a different year group. It's very limited

It’s not as if each year at 31st August/ 1st Sept a new type of person is born, or, slightly more seriously, the world into which they are born radically changes, is it?

The only context in which exactly which year one is born in comes up as an adult in any meaningful way is when discussing things that do change (slowly though), like what was in fashion, what pop groups you liked, or what children’s programmes you watched. Or perhaps whether you remember a big event like the moon landings, 9/11 etc.

Does that help at all?

I had friends outside school who would have been in years above and below me at school (they usually went to different schools). The same is true for my DC.
In some cases there was a sister who would have been in my school year but I was much closer to a younger sister in the year below.

so there was nothing unusual in having friends in Uni and beyond from a range of school years.

You are way overthinking this.
don you have friends of different ages? Are all your friends in exactly the same age as you? Whether someone competed in chess in your cohort or the one above or below you in a different region won’t mean they won’t connect. They still both enjoy chess. It football or whatever.

at uni you meet people of all ages. Many many people are 1, 2 or 3 years older and then you get actual mature students who are 5-10-30 years older.

Also many children have siblings older or younger so they will naturally mix and have things in common with people of those ages too (well, depending on how they get on with their siblings, to an extent).

Why would you have any awkwardness? People a few years either side of you would have had exactly the same experiences as you. Same music. Same fashion. Same political events. Same weather. Same everything.

are you very very introverted and have no friends OP. I struggle to understand how you have got to adulthood without mixing with anyone not in your academic year.

Or care you very young? My bestie was in the year below me (she is almost exactly a year younger than me). My other closest friends are around a 5-6 year spread.

and you wouldn’t instantly click with someone just because they were in your academic year anyway.

Short answer is that it doesn't make an iota of difference after you have left school.

Having had DD later in life I made friends with people at the same life stage as me, so I have friends who are 10 years younger than me. Through a hobby group and the charity I volunteer with I have friends ranging from 15 years younger to 20 years older than me because we have common interests.

No. DH would have been in tge year below me at school if we had attended the same schools. Never any awkwardness here.

DC2 was born in August and has a range of friends of different ages. DC1 took a year out before starting Uni and it’s not been a problem as far as I’m aware. In fact in their first year everyone in their flat had taken a gap year.

I may be about to blow your mind a little here, OP, but you do know that Sep-Aug school intake is not everywhere? Scotland uses Mar-Feb (no “summer-born” issues here).

Anyway what strangeness you are speaking, no one cares what year group you were.

One or even two years age gap at uni isn’t going to make a difference at all. I’ve been to uni twice. Once at 18, my best mate on my course was 26.

Then I went back to uni at 28/29 and was best friends with a 26yo but also very good friends with the 2x 17yos on the course. I was married with a kid so didn’t join them out clubbing but we went on holiday together, hung out inbetween lectures. They both seemed quite mature and were nice. We were a small cohort of 9 so guess we all had to get along.

im a university lecturer now and in most of my cohorts we have a massive age range. From 18yo to late 40s. Yes the 40 yos don’t hang out with the 18yos but the ones in their mid/late 20s could veer in either direction.