>started college at 18 >dropped out at 19 due to bad grades

Dont overthink it you are there to learn and to improve yourself as a person. The fact that you are doing that on your own is in itself a noble act.

get over it

i'm turning 29 and i'm on good terms with mostly everyone in my college classes

I am 18 and guy in my English class is 25. Most mature person out there. We never discussed anything about his age and he doesn't feel self-conscious as well.

It is OK.

>>17959606
Some years ago I was 30, pushing 31, and started a two year course in a class of 19 and 20 year olds. The youngest was 17, and in other classes there were 14, 13 and 12 year olds. I felt strange, old and stupid, everyday, for two years straight. But I had to take that course, because my useless college degree and my depression-fueled long term unemployment made finding a job nigh impossible.

So I did.
So you will. You are having a tougher time accepting it yourself than your classmates. I don't want to negate the importance it has to you; I'm just reminding you that in a few years it won't matter.

Be more open, accept oprtunities.

Hey listen. So a big chunk of the population goes to school right out of high school. Some people don't. You're just one of the people who didn't. Unless your reason for not going to school until now is "jail for rape, murder, and cannibalism" no one cares. There are tons of normal, fine reasons why you'd wait before going to college.
I think one of the important things here is that people are inviting you to hang out and do stuff. That means they want to hang out with you, most likely because they think you are cool and fine.
"Hey anon, how old are you"
"25"
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I went to school before but it didn't work out. I worked for a couple years and now I'm back."
"Oh, cool"

No one cares. No one thinks you're weird. You're cool and fine.

(and 19 isn't _that_ much younger anyway)