20, the new 40?!

Almost every time I tell someone at college that I'm taking a gap year, I get a seemingly negative response. People will ask me why. "Why would you wanna do that? Surely you just want to get uni over and done with?" or even better "But that means you'll be OLD when you start university!!!"

Yes, that's right. Because 20 is old. 

There seems to be an obsession with age in this country, and an equal obsession with seeing university, or education in general, as an obstacle in one's path towards a career, as something preventing you from living, something which should just be done and dusted, swept under the carpet so we can move on with the most important part: earning money. 

From what I've experienced, this is a very British, and modern, outlook. In 2010 I started college, choosing IB over A levels (I'll write about my experience in another post some time- I have quite a lot to say on the topic). In August the following year, just before starting my second year, I decided I couldn't do it any more. And so in September, I started A levels from scratch. That makes me a year older than I "should be". Big deal, right? Wrong. Apparently, the fact I'll have turned 19 by the time my A2 year ends is horrific. People have genuinely asked me whether I feel out of place in my classes because of my age. Sorry...what? I'm one year older, not 20 years older!!! Why should I feel any different?

In many countries, finishing school at 19 is pretty common. In Spain, if your grades at the end of the year are not good enough, you have to retake the year (this is called repetición del año). So this means, theoretically, a person graduating from a school in Spain could be aged from 18 to in their mid-20s. In Germany, until recently, all Abitur (German equivalent of A levels) students graduated at age 19, after 13 school years instead of 12. This is the same in some other European countries. So what is this obsession we have in this country with finishing school at 18, and going straight on to uni? 

As I said at the beginning of this entry, taking a gap year seems to remain a taboo in the UK. Teenagers are worried they'll be too old when they start university. I really think this reasoning is pathetic. Do you honestly think students go around during Fresher's Week asking how old you are, and if you're above 19 they say "sorry, we can't be friends. You're too OLD."? Come on. In many countries, people don't go on to start university until their early 20s. In fact, in some countries, it's recommended to take time out beforehand, to do voluntary work or military service, which act as a transition stage from the immaturity of a recent school child (let's be honest, no 18 year old can holistically be classed as an "adult") to someone with enough maturity  to start a degree.

I think people need to change their attitude to age in this country. After all, it's just a number. (or as a friend once pointed out... it's actually a word!)