Before September Ends

It's July 22nd. It's sixty-one days until I enter the next phase of my life, surrounded by dozens of 18-year-olds. Thousands of 18-21s in fact. How so? I'm a mature student.

After the twists and turns of life in general over the years, the last academic year was spent proving myself to various universities (and, well, myself) by completing an Access to Higher Education diploma. Generally it was not at all difficult, other than stepping up the effort when the slow trickle of work in the first term become an almost overwhelming torrent in the second.

The course is complete, my academic aptitude proven, and in due course I will be confirmed to study at degree level. This is in equal measures both exciting and terrifying. Exciting because it's a new challenge, and at last I will be able to begin the real work toward my degree. Terrifying because of the entirely alien environment I will find myself in.

I hated most teenagers when I was one, in the main because I was rubbish at being one. It is this thought that provides me with the majority of my concerns. I now know most teenagers are great (in their own hormonal, smelly, noisy, outspoken, excitable kind of way) but how on earth do I keep up without making a prize tit of myself? No doubt there will be many occasions upon which I will be the most shining prize tit there ever was, and I may even enjoy the moment, and I don't mind that concept too much. But the question is of course, how do I ensure I will not become the 30yr-old equivalent of The Inbetweeners, turned away at parties, talked about behind hands in the canteen, and pitied by the cool kids... well... ALL the kids?

And the answer? Stop giving a shit. That's it, in a nutshell. It took a while of internalised panic over many weeks to reach that conclusion, but once I'd told myself to grow up, get a grip, and remember that most of the people of 'regular age' on campus are going through their own similar panic (with the added burden of being hormonal, smelly, and excitable) I was fine. Sure I'll still make a tit of myself, but there will also be many moments of personal triumph, new friends to be made, and fantastic new experiences.

Oh, wasn't that nice? Man panics but it all turns out swell in the end. Still as nervous as a bubble at a hedgehog farm though!

Finally - Just to reassure you that this isn't necessarily going to be a blogologue, spilling voluminous essays of tedious nonsense of some bloke's daily life. Sometimes there will be stories to tell, and sometimes I will just be passing observations on current events. If something catches my eye and I have something to say on it, I'll say it. So please consider adding this blog to those you watch, and I'll try to keep it entertaining.