When I was a teenager, I always said I would never go to uni. I don’t know how I knew I wasn’t going to follow the traditional path but it just never felt set in my cards that after college I was going to go to university. But that’s not to say I didn’t apply. I went to countless open days and even attended an interview to the university that I accepted a place in, it was just deferred a year for after my year out in New Zealand.
However I never made it to that university and a part of me is glad. Although I know I would of loved it and the subject I was going to study at the time, I just wasn’t ready to commit to my future so soon.

Now that I’m older and I’ve climbed the retail ladder to where I wanted to be currently, I’m now looking at university. But university at 25 is a lot scarier than university at 18.
For starters, I have rent and bills and savings and life plans that I need to finance and cant live off student allowance so I need to look futher into my options, can I survive on a part time job or do I do online university or part time university alongside a full time job?
Second, I haven’t been in education for 7 years, and it’s a long time to be out of a class room to step back in, but I know people 10years older than me that have taken the plunge back into education and honestly they have inspired me that I can do it too.
Thirdly, will I pick the right course? What I studied at college isn’t what I want to study now, although some aspects are similar and have helped me in life and will help me through my new studies it’s a different field. So whats to say I will make the right choice in my studies now?
Nothing will. Although I applied to university last year for a course and found out that residents cant attend university under resident status till 3 years in the country so If I wanted to go I would have to fork out the money myself or go under international student which would double the cost. Although this information sucked it made me really research more courses and what I wanted to study and in actual fact the course I applied for last year isn’t what im going to apply for next year.

Ive wrote countless posts about being a teenager forced into the system that is carved out for us, high school, college, university, job. And about how it didn’t fit to me, I don’t know if that’s because non of the family I grew up with went to university, neither did my parents and it was just embedded in me that I didn’t follow that style and there was no pressure to follow that style. Or if it just was not meant to be. The experience ive gained from the real world over the past 7years is more valuable to me now and it’s the reason I am now looking at university with no pressure. Its making it more enjoyable and excitable to apply and attend than I would have been at 18/19.

Now im not bashing those who followed the path layed out for us by society as I know many have loved their university experience and have gone on to be successful now. My point is to not feel guilty if that path is not for you and youd rather wait until you’re ready to go back into education, which you may never do. Its fine. There is no right and wrong despite what society may tell us sometimes.

Ill update you guys on my uni at 25 journey next year when I can officially start applying.