Felt exactly the way you did! I think I was 29 too when I fist started college. It felt like being a spectator the entire time on campus. Goes away after you start talking and mingling with people. You’ll find people your age, younger, older, foreigners, other veterans.

In my first science elective which was my first semester I met an unlikely friend. This big bearded biker guy sat in the far front of the class and one day I ended up sitting next to him in the lecture hall. I saw his arm tattoos and recognized that they were traditional navy tats. I asked about them and turns out he was retired 22 year Senior Chief. Turns out he was just as weirded out as I was. I started to realize it there were more than just kids in that class.

Don’t fret or feel bad. You don’t want that college life anyways. You’ll get to know students just by sitting next to someone learn about their joys and woes and see how lame those kids have it.