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?

Possibly the issue is that the OP considers themself too good for a foundation year at Cambridge and is looking for a reason to decline it.

But either way, they’ll be a year older next year. So they either take Cambridge Foundation this year, or a (😲) non-Oxbridge offer this year, or throw themselves into the lap of the gods for a different Oxbridge offer next year. (I hope I’m remembering this correctly?)

I can’t recall if the OP has any reliable real life support or advice. I suspect they’re disregarding anything sensible that they’re told, and hoping to receive different counsel here.

My kids had a “eww… the year below!” attitude when at school but their part-time jobs taught them how “unnatura”l the school system is and in the real world, age matters less so a 17 year old can be friends with a 21 year old.

My dd took a gap year before uni and is dating someone a school year younger but in the same uni year. She’s got over the school squeamishness that dating someone in the year below is almost like grooming.

My twins are 13 (14 on 30 August so right at the end of the academic year) and go to lots of activities like a theatre group and cadets where there’s a mix of ages. They make friends across the years so have 12 yo friends and 15 yo friends. I certainly had friends in older years at school so I’m not sure I recognise the attachment to year group you describe.

It becomes irrelevant pretty much as soon as you leave school & certainly by the end of uni.

For most people you then identify with people at the same life stage eg newly qualified in your job, more experienced in your job, pregnancy mum's, school mum etc & they are naturally a wider age range than a school year

By the time you get to 40 the only time you care about your school year is at reunions with school friends.

This a weird premise.

my DD has a part time job as a lifeguard, alongside her Y13 (as of Sept) studies. Everyone lifeguarding has to be over 16 but can be any age. She is friendliest with her colleagues aged from 16-25.

my other DD competes in a sport based on birth year, not academic year. We are currently away at nationals - her age group for competing is a 2 year window, anyone from 01.01.2010 to 31.12.2011. Those are her peers in this context.

I went to uni straight from school in Scotland at just turned 18 while my best friend I met in freshers week was English and had a gap year so was nearly 20. We had more in common as freshers together than not but the extra life experience of the gap year kids was evident. I was lucky I’d done some extra curricular travel and volunteering while at school.
After graduating I have no affinity to my year group. I did a 4 year degree and then masters but started work with people with phds so much older. My friendship group ranges mostly over a ten year bracket but I have older friends I’ve made at work and younger friends from the school parent group.

It matters not a jot at uni! Many have gap years, there are mature students. All will be well

Who said they are more intelligent or have more knowledge. Even at a younger age this isn’t true. I have a child who can academically cope with an older class but is socially not as mature. Same with anything. My son plays music and has close friends two years above and below. Same for my more sporty son.
The actual school year isn’t correlated to people getting on.

Also not every country starts school at the same age and finishes at the same age. The country I went to school in finished in Year 12. It didn’t mean I couldn’t ‘click’ with those who had completed Year 13 and came to Oxford. Or that I was behind.

Also age and school year are also not the same. DH and I are two years apart but one school year apart since I am from another country. In the real world you socialise with people of all kinds. You may get on with people ROUGHLY your age, I have more in common with people in their early 40s than 30s but that’s to do with the life stage we are at. One of my closest colleagues though is 35 and 8 years younger than me!

I took a gap year and I’m a September birthday so I was almost 2 years older than some of my uni friends. Didn’t make a bit of difference 🤷‍♀️

No. As we get older age difference mean less. Many people take gap years. Maybe even two. Or switch degree starting Y1 again. My DD took a year out before uni. Counts not one but - I don’t think any have asked her age.
By the way my son was late July and my stepson August born. They associated with their year group. Some if their closest friends were October and November born, but it didn’t matter.
It si happens that I skipped a grade - born in March but was a year younger than others born in March. It didn’t matter to me - I matured alongside my classmates. And yes I left school two months after I turned 17 and started uni a few months later.

I agree with others it might be that you get answers that help you, if you actually post what you are concerned about.

Nobody old enough to join a forum on the internet can seriously think people spend all their lives only mixing with people in the same school year as themselves.
I mean, even in Primary school people mix with other aged dc - neighbours, cousins, friends at Church, friends at Cubs or Brownies, friends at the Childminder or after school club, etc etc etc. The 'range' of different age people you mix with expands more and more as you age, via jobs and interests, and indeed going to University, for those who go.

Why not tell us what you are worrying about ?

You couldn’t be overthinking this more

This is such a weird post! Is this AI asking?

Yes, you would expect people to be generally more knowledgeable about a subject having studied it for longer not because of the age of the student!

I started Uni at 21 and was housed with mature students, I soon moved in with my first year mates as I wanted to get wrecked as we were at the same educational stage not age.

As soon as you step outside a classroom you realise connections are made by having something in common not by virtue of being in exactly the same school age group (and even then there would be much variety between actual school experience / culture & home life / area lived in etc….)

Are you serious? People who’ve taken gap years before joining university don’t only hang around with other people who’ve taken gap years desperately seeking out people in the second year who left school at the same time.

University is a new experience, so what they’ve done before doesn’t matter, everyone’s experiencing it at the same time, no matter whether they are 18 or 19, and whatever month the year they were born in.

@kmo0416having read some of your previous threads as well as this one your anxiety seems a bit out of control. Are you planning on seeking any support from your GP?

My daughter was born near the beginning of September (Not Hogwarts Term Time First day but close) so she's starting university at 19! She's almost a year older than one of her dearest friends. It's just how it goes.

this is not my experience of School (Primary or secondary). My Yr 3 daughter has good friends the year below and the couple of years above from activities/hobbies. She also socialises really well with her friends younger and older siblings. In fact she considers her best friends little sister to be her friend too.

in secondary it’s more pronounced however still lots of friends in different years and across different schools and activities .

i genuinely don’t think this is a thing

TheGlamour · Yesterday 19:39

Possibly the issue is that the OP considers themself too good for a foundation year at Cambridge and is looking for a reason to decline it.

Ahhhh. It's that poster. All makes sense now!

My daughter had a gap year doing a foundation course and started at 19. People on her course ranged from 17 (Scottish students) to mid 20s. She made friends with those she just clicked with regardless of age.

Let’s hope so. This poster has some serious issues.

@kmo0416 this current thread should be of immediate interest to you:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/highereducation/5370629-southampton-publishes-clearing-grade-requirements?utmcampaign=thread&utmmedium=appshare

Read.

Oh. I hadn't realised it was her again.

I went straight to uni from A-levels, but I can't say there was any difference between people my age and those at maybe 21/22. The only difference was the mature students, like a guy who was 38 who seemed like my dad. But I don't generally have a problem relating to people of different ages, it's more how their outlook is. I'm in a relationship with a much younger man, it's more about whether you gel with people, and most people on my course were people like me who I could get on with.

I was barely eighteen when I went to Uni. It didn't stop me making friends of all ages. We all just went down to the student bars and no one cared about age. On my course we literally had students of all ages.

Quite. It's not going to be age that is the problem.