Okay so, I’m 20 years old and I’m in the process of earning my GED, and Preparing to take the ACT and SAT to get into My Dream College Alabama State University, And I’m Kinda wondering if I’m I waited a little late to decide on on going to a university. Like I really wanna live on campus and Interact with people and learn how to be a more independent adult away from family where I have to figure stuff out on my own and I wanna know, do y’all think I’m too old to be going to a university ??
You are still young. You are definitely NOT too old to go to university.
In my experience students who are a few years older are usually better students. I was certainly a better student after I had worked a job for a couple of years.
Good luck and best wishes. I hope that this works out well for you.
You are not too old!! By a long way you won’t be the oldest in your class. You will have the advantage of a little more maturity than many of the other first years
Go for it!
Congrats! Go for it! You’re still young.
My husband started college at 22. He went to a small SUNY college. His high school years were an academic disaster. To this day he doesn’t remember if he even took a math course in HS.
He loved his four years in college. Graduated Summa cum laude, and went straight through to get a PhD. My oldest son appears also to be a late bloomer academically too, having done pretty much nothing during his age 13-22 years but then turning it on big time at 22.
Go for it. You will not be alone in your choice and I suspect you will be among the more high achieving students, given your maturity level and being in college for the right reasons.
I teach a lower level core course at a fairly selective university, often discussed around here on CC. It often seems to me that a majority of the students are really not ready to be there. Their dazzling resumes seem to be a reflection of the game our ‘system’ insists they play, showcasing their willingness to compete rather than their eagerness to learn. You will do great!
Definitely not too old! Congratulations on working towards making your dreams happen!
You are not too old!
I assume you are applying to enter in Fall 2020 since the deadlines for 2019 have passed. You can find info on how to apply on their website https://www.alasu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions and you might want to contact a recruiter https://www.alasu.edu/our-recruiters
You might want to consider if the Bridge Program would be helpful – see https://www.alasu.edu/admissions/undergrad-admissions/bridge-program
I grew up in Israel, and you only attend college after your military service. So people rarely attend college before the age of 21. Since many who attend college also spend a year or two after the army travelling or working, many start at 22-24.
Many students take a gap year, or even two years or more before going to college and do very well. The class of 2022 at UIUC, which has a younger demographic, had over 36% who were older than 18 (mostly in the 19-20 range).
In my experience as an instructor, students who start later do better, on average, than the students who start at 18.
I love, love, love that you are planning on college after your GED!! Keep working toward that. The GED prep program that I teach in is based at a community college so many of our students transition into credit classes there. That could be a route for you to consider. If you are studying in a formal GED prep program, there should be a College and Career Coach or a Transitions Advisor (or maybe even another job title) whose whole job is to help you determine the best next steps. If you are studying on your own, make an appointment with the admissions office at Alabama State U, and speak with the person responsible for applicants with GEDs. That person will be able to help you sort out the way to get to your goal.
At 20 or 21, I don’t think you would be too old at all to live in a regular undergraduate dorm, but ask if there is an age limit for those dorms. Some colleges and universities will put older freshmen into grad student dorms.
If you mean Big Picture “a little late” then no way, your life is on track and that can be a very natural next destination. If you mean a little late for this fall, then yes. They’re on campus and classes started over a week ago.
@mikemac and @happymomof1 are correct in suggesting an appointment with an AL State admissions person to lay out a plan. This is totally doable, so engage the school and start moving.