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We can deal with numbers, right?

15/01/2018

Gazing over the crowded common area packed with residents from my student building, I took a moment to contemplate all that was awaiting me in 2018. Quartile two was yet to finish and three and four seemed too far away and too daunting to think about. There were talks about career plans, the big 'where to go now', summer travels and rather frighteningly, my nineteenth birthday was looming.

Indescribably, the last one jumps out as one of the largest milestones. Because I am, relatively speaking, kind of young for a third year Bachelor student. And given my age, third year education sounds way more adult than I feel.

Back when I started fresher’s week, I cannot describe the lengths I’d go to avoid conversations about age. It was already daunting that this environment was completely new, but I didn’t want to stick with the ‘child’ title that had become synonymous with me during high school. And frankly, one or two years does make a huge difference with teens in the way you think, act and relate to other peers. And it really has the potential to leave you feeling disconnected amongst fellow freshers.

When I actually turned eighteen last year, I remember some random acquaintances asking me "how I had turned eigtheen for the third year straight” and "how something was fishy”. Their shocked faces on learning I was sixteen back then will forever be etched in my memory. Although no matter how detached you think you’ll feel, in my experience age is completely irrelevant and forgettable. Just think about your entourage, and how many ages you actually know of. As it follows, age doesn’t matter, unless it matters to you.

Whether you’re 16, 20 or 36, getting enrolled in this course at this point of time means you’ve got to deal with the same challenges and navigate your way through. And besides, if you want to stress over numbers, we’ve always got that Calculus assignment or the Probability & Statistics deadline to fret about.

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