I did mention other characters in the RP if you read everything. The characters who had the spotlight were the players who were here. So you can be one of them, or a student who was late to the call. (Or on time to his standards) Also fill in your age please. remember that age is experience so the older you are you may just know more about the world and what has actually been happening. You could have actually heard about the tests that have been going on every century here at the Academy. Your character would have a fine understanding about his magic assuming his sire was still alive. 

If alone things may have gone differently. It would have been easier to live for a few centuries with the protection of your characters Sire. Of course if my character was that sire it would have been different because of what had happened to him. The younger the character the more they can learn. The older they are they have probably already fully grasped onto one element. Like I said if he was alone then he may have a different understanding of his magic.