By: Catarina Gonzalez

For most freshmen, this may not be as relevant. But for those of you who were hesitant to explain why you are older than most at Welcome Week and did not want to go through the trouble of explaining why, this one’s for you.

Recently a Reddit user on r/McMaster posed a question on making friends at McMaster as a 20-year-old freshman — what are the challenges, experiences, and the general consensus regarding the age gap?

McMaster’s subreddit community is a dedicated space for students, staff, alumni and future students to facilitate discussion about various activities, events, disciplines and streams, and ask questions regarding life at Mac or in Hamilton.

I initially missed the thread but I saw it a few days later and it led me to consider the challenges I’ve faced myself as a mature student.

After taking a gap year to focus on working and earning the money to pay for school, I applied to McMaster the following year and faced the same anxieties and concerns as the poster — would I fit in? Would I be too old to relate? Would I be able to make friends?

Though I was only one year behind in the game, the gap gave just gave me more time to multiply the normal stresses that most first years have earlier on.

I didn’t want to feel like an outsider in the first week, and was afraid to come out to the Welcome Week events that I presumed would consist of only fresh high school graduates.

Thankfully, McMaster had several helpful events in order to facilitate social ABC.

After taking a gap year to focus on working and earning the money to pay for school, I applied to McMaster the following year and faced the same anxieties and concerns as the poster — would I fit in?

Welcome Week was just one way to create a networking platform and help create the “life long friendships” that the university experience is supposed to come with

A few helpful Reddit users chimed in and gave their perspective on what it’s like to be a freshman after 20 years old. Most of the users offered a positive outlook and advantageous advice like being able to purchase alcohol for parties (but definitely not for underaged students), and having more life experience than most of your peers.

A few users suggested that most of your peers can’t even tell the age difference usually, and once you get over the initial awkwardness of introducing your age along with your year — people generally didn’t really react or care.

Not unlike high school, the student climate at McMaster is very relaxed and students from different years and disciplines intermingle socially.

Most of us can thnk of a few of our current friend taht we have made in our first year, and for the most part, you are probably unaware of the age gap between fyour group of friends.

Typically when meeting someone, they only ask about your program and not your age, so it wasn’t that difficult to avoid sharing your age and reiterating the reason why you may be older than the bunch.

Above all else, the best advice given in this thread was one user suggesting battling insecurity about your age with confidence — focus on staying true to yourself, and enjoy being able to walk into the LCBO without worrying about whether or not your cousin’s ID looks similar enough to you to pass it off legitimately.

The general consensus is in from this growing McMaster community: people probably won’t even notice, and if they do, they probably won’t even care.

Remember, the university experience is what you make of it. No one needs to know your story if you don’t want to share it.

And to all McMaster freshman of all ages, good luck in your friend-making university experience and remember: it is an experience so don’t be afraid to get out there and enjoy not being ID-ed.

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By: Yara Farran

I’m a first year. I’m the girl who’s probably asked you (yes, you specifically) how to get to the Student Centre from BSB/Hamilton Hall/Faculty Hollow and the like. I’m the one who casually tries to help other first years find their classes, getting them even more lost than they already are. “Oh that room, it’s probably here,” I say with a smile, slowly realizing that it is actually probably not. Most likely, you’ve spotted me walking in and out the Health Science Library like a lost little lamb and frantically trying to access the Internet on one of the computers (why is the Internet button named “Health Sciences Library?”). It’s not like I’m proud of my shortcomings as a newly knighted freshman, it’s just easier for me to digest this whole new experience if I recollect all of the things that I’ve done wrong thus far.

Exhibit A 

While scouring Limeridge (For

all you kids new to Hamilton, it’s the main mall. Unfortunately, it’s not the Eaton Centre. Fortunately, it’s not East Gate) I began to collect some pieces for school. “I’m going to dress up every day,” I said. “My hair is going to be straightened every day.”

Now, as I begin to contemplate the actual reality of my closet and grasp the real demands of university, I’m shaking my head. All I want to do is sit in yoga pants, gorge on some Union Market bagels in elastic waistband sweats, and bury myself under a spaghetti sauce stained sweater. The very thought of jackets (shivers), jeans (holding back vomit right now), and shoes (wait, what do you mean flip flops aren’t shoes?) is making me violently ill.

Exhibit B

Socializing has never been my strong point. I once said a joke to an unsuspecting stranger that went along the lines of, “Oh em gee, I have so much homework. I’m going to cry tears – tears of blood.” The poor girl took a step back. Then another. Then turned as politely as she could. Cleary she (bless her) didn’t think my (obvious?) joke was funny and felt that her young life was in danger in my presence. I hope she’s recovered from the experience. I know I haven’t. During this past week, every time I have made a questionable joke, I thought back to that moment. Luckily, none have been as disastrous as my previous example, but I have thrown out a few tankers. Now, this would be okay if I had been in the company of long time friends who’d give a few pity laughs or say, “Oh, that’s so you! You’re so wild.” However, that didn’t happen in front of my new colleagues. They still think I’m wild, though. I consider that a start.

Exhibit C

This what I’m most guilty of doing. Maybe it’s the lifetime of media consumption and Dawson’s Creek conditioning. Perhaps, my imagination is wired to be completely ridiculous, and disbar the truth about life as a university student. The thing is, I came into this whole situation with a plethora of grand expectations and a bucket load of romanticized notions. University is a lot different than high school, and in some ways, it seems to be worlds away from the one portrayed on television. Once I entered my first lecture in Chester New Hall, I didn’t have an epiphany and discover that I’m meant to be a doctor/dancer/disc jockey.  As I casually ate lunch, a handsome, slightly older British guy didn’t ask me out on a romantic date. I haven’t even joined a nu-wave Indie rock band yet. Even though it’s literally been a week, it’s safe to say that these expectations are probably never going to come into fruition.

It’s okay, though. University, as I’ve learned, isn’t about the obvious happening. It’s not about travelling concrete, rigid paths and arriving to the predicted destination. It’s about discovery. It’s about mistakes. It’s the time in your life – and remember it is your life – when it’s okay to not have any expectation and just go with the sweat filled, anxiety ridden wind.

Although, I’m only a first year and have got a ton of first years lost already, so maybe my advice shouldn’t be heeded. Maybe.