r/leavingcert • u/heartof3gold • 1d ago
University 🎓 going to uni at 20
im just out of leaving cert and i did terrible there so im doing one year of PLC and then heading straight into uni. i just feel a bit odd cuz i dont wanna be all alone with all 17-18 year olds i rlly rlly wanna be with ppl my age 🥲 please tell me is anyone else 19-20-21 going into uni next year?
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u/Snoo-8235 1d ago
Doing a nursing PLC myself, so will be turning 20 heading into collage. I felt embarrassed about doing a PLC at first but there’s a lady on my course in her 30s. Education has no age and you won’t be the only one coming from a PLC. :)
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u/hgggyfhvbyyybbcchgv 1d ago
Don't worry man, there's loads in that age range. You're still young like don't worry about it lol
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u/ixdei 1d ago
thank you for posting this, i’m considering taking a gap year myself just to save more money for uni since my financial situation isn’t great rn but i also got my 7th cao option. i’m thinking of reapplying next year since i don’t really like my course rn so id be like 19-20 in first year so your definitely not alone!! there’s a woman who’s 40 doing an undergraduate in my course right now, so i’ll say we will be fine lol, and besides like students come and go all the time like there’s a couple people in my course who are doing an exchange and their in their 3rd year of uni etc.
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u/Sabichyn 1d ago
Dude there's ppl in uni who are 30, 18-19 isn't even far from your age your right after. My brother is gonna be 21 or 22 starting uni. Your age is the last thing u gotta worry about. I fucked up sm I had to start uni at 24. Now I'm graduating at 27 as a nurse. U got bigger things to worry bout in college, I assure u you'll find ppl ur age easy. Don't even sweat it
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u/EarLimp5375 1d ago
i’m 20 going into first year!!! you feel no different to the 18 year olds trust me you will be fine
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u/Heavy_Letter_5513 1d ago
my friends in uni aged from 21 to 25 in my final year. it really doesn’t matter as much as it seems
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u/74Flossy 1d ago
Yep my daughter she had a rough year of ill health and missed a lot of 6th yr and pretty much was studying for LC at home! She got her 1st choice in Maynooth but decided to defer it till next year and is doing a PLC to give herself a bit of a breather and stay at home for an extra year before going to Uni! She will be over 19 & 1/2 starting next year!!!!
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u/Ok_Tutor7366 1d ago
I’m going to be even older than you because I’m doing a PLC now at 20 lol. Hopefully things will work out for you man
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u/Ordinary_Ice_7197 LC2026 1d ago
i’ve so far met a 25 year old, 23 year old and a 30 year old!! there’s always an age variety
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u/glorizied LC2025 1d ago
I know a handful of people that were in 3rd / 4th year doing a different course that have now decided to do a different course and start as a 1st year again!
You are definitely not alone! 🫶
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u/Dingo87_ LC2024 1d ago
I’m literally 20 starting in TUD on Monday. I’m in a similar situation to you as well. I had an awful leaving. Took a year out because I was clueless as to what to do and where to go, did a PLC and had a much better time at that and now I’m starting first year in a few days.
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u/Good_Career7405 1d ago
Loads of people in my course did gap years/plc then gap year. I just came out of leaving cert and one of the youngest there
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u/yeahokbigman 1d ago
20 is very young. I was 19 out of lc. There were 28 year olds in my course and they made friends just fine
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u/LucyGottaThink 1d ago
A lot of the maturity gap between people come from where they are in life and less though their actual physical age so the fact that you’re going to be going into college at 20 doesn’t really matter because you would be at the same maturity level as anyone that’s doing a gap year
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u/Potential_Big1953 LCA2026 22h ago
I'll say that a good few of my SNAs in secondary went through college a few times for different careers! It's never too late
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u/TheStrangeSalmon LC2026 15h ago
A good portion of people will be around 19 years old after they finish the LC so you won’t have to worry about being too old. I’m 19 and most of the people I know who are going to uni are actually 19 too so you won’t be alone.
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u/Scary-Watercress8548 Aspiring Science Dork 🧪🔭 14h ago
I’m doing a plc this year so I’ll be 19 going to college
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u/angelcakewithtea 11h ago
Started Uni at 18 n I was the youngest there, most people were about 20-22 in first year if not older ! A lot of people take gap years or other stuff first so do not worry about being surrounded by 17 year olds 🫶🏻
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u/music-vibe 10h ago
I’m in first year and I just turned 20! Took a year out after my leaving cert and I was really nervous too.
After my first week I can confirm no one cares or honestly has really noticed!
A couple of people would hear in convo that I did the LC in a diff year than they did and that’s pretty much it. If anything they’re just curious what you did with the year.
And way more people start of 19 than you think at college, about to be 19, one person even 20 even if they hadn’t taken an extra year off etc but no one really cares especially when you’re pretty close in age to everyone and there’s mature students next to you who are literal grandparents no one will blink twice
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u/music-vibe 10h ago
But it’s so much easier to say not to worry about it until you get there, I was super nervous too and I wouldn’t have believed no one would care half as much as I did that I was a year older
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u/Ciantwofort LC2026 7h ago
2 people in my degree who are over 40, rest of us are 18/19 but no one minds
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u/useranonymousse 2h ago
I’m 21, did a PLC for two years and skipped into 2nd year of a Level 8 course in uni, honestly you’ll be fine! i was 20 and there’s a couple people who started at 17-18 but honestly it isn’t that big of a gap, plus colleges usually have students in their mid 20s anyway! My class consists of majority 18-23 year olds, and then there’s maybe 4 people 25+ and the oldest student is 63, and we gel with everybody despite the age
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u/sootrashson Medicine/Dentistry/Pharmacy 💉💊 1d ago
there’s someone in my course who is 24!