<p>no! in different countries you either start school at 7 or 5 sometimes even 4, so when you come to the US your either a year earlier or two years older. Its not the parents fault, its just how some countries work. Whats wrong with that?</p>
<p>You need to know WHY they're there, and why they are so much older than you. If they have some reason why they're behind in grades, then college admissions will see that and take it into account.</p>
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You need to know WHY they're there, and why they are so much older than you
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<p>I'm sure, once again, that their transcript will reflect how they did in H.S. and really nothing else matters. If they started school at 7, it's not anyone's business, nor should it affect their college admissions. If they indeed spent 4 years in HS and did well academically, and were involved in other activities, then I hope they do as well in the admissions process as anyone else with a similar record.</p>
<p>the truth is, these people are your peers. in 5 or 10 years, 2 years age difference will be nothing... eventually 5 or 10 years age difference will be nothing. you will be going to school with freshmen of varying ages. The majority will probably be 17-18, but there are plenty of 16 y/o freshmen, and there are even more 19+ y/o freshmen who either started school late to begin with, or took a gap year (or more). EVERYONE has his own "special circumstances" (real or invented) and whether these 19 y/o juniors were held back in elementary school, started late because their parents didn't think they were ready to start school, came from other states or countries with different cutoffs... it doesn't matter. Do the best YOU can and stop worrying so much about other people.</p>
<p>^^ Not true, I think colleges will treat those who are 'too old' for high school will be treated like those who are 'too young to be entering to be entering college. It IS an established truth that those who are graduating early face a tougher time getting into college. It follows that those who are older than most, will face a similar challenge.</p>
<p>no -- entering college a little older than the norm is not a disadvantage at all. The reasons that colleges take a second look at younger than average students is maturity issues and whether their youth will interfere with the ability to participate fully in the college experience. Not the case with the older student.</p>
<p>Okay - fair enough.</p>
<p>I turned 17 in late November senior year. I started school a year early because my parents determined that I was ready (I'd learned to read at two and a half), and I'm glad they made that decision; I'd probably be more mature if I were to graduate at 19 or 20, but I'd also be bored to tears.</p>
<p>I'm a 17 year old senior and definitely in the top ten people of my class (really small school). All the kids who are ranked higher than me are at least 19 years old all the way to almost 21! This has given most of them an advantage as they are just plain more mature than most of my classmates and seem very smart in comparison to the rest of us. </p>
<p>Seoul358-Don't worry about your competition just work as hard as you can, that is all that truly matters. Colleges can figure out that those kids have had more time to do amazinf things, truly colleges are not stupid! Even though the top nine in my class are older than me I have been accepted to better colleges than them because of my ECs SATs and the fact that I thrive off the competition that these kids deal out. Just take care of yourself and you will go to an amazing college, trust me!</p>
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^^ Not true, I think colleges will treat those who are 'too old' for high school will be treated like those who are 'too young to be entering to be entering college. It IS an established truth that those who are graduating early face a tougher time getting into college. It follows that those who are older than most, will face a similar challenge.
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<p>...i'm graduating early. got into my #1 school, too... with a giant scholarship. and my brother is a 21-year-old freshman... he got into every schools he applied to last year.</p>
<p>I have one friend who moved to America from Taiwan and was forced to repeat her sophomore year. I don't know exactly why; I suspect that it's because the curriculum in her high school was different than the curriculum at mine, or else because someone thought she needed extra time to acclimate. She's a sophomore in college now and will be turning 21 this summer. Just giving an example of how someone can be older than the norm in a grade without someone deciding to deliberately hold them back to give them an advantage.</p>
<p>Seriously, to the OP, I agree with the people who said to just concentrate on doing well yourself, which in the long run can give you an advantage over other people regardless of how old the other people are.</p>
<p>I have a friend who was accepted to an elite boarding school after his sophomore year of high school with a full sports scholarship, provided that he repeat his sophomore year so he could play for their team for 3 full years. he accepted and is very happy. there's another example.</p>
<p>i'm a junior and i just turned 16 a few weeks ago. lol, i don't think age matters too much</p>
<p>I'm 16, look like I'm 12, yet get better grades than the 18 year olds in my Calculus class!</p>
<p>I'm a sixteen-year-old senior. Beat that (;</p>
<p>the downside, however, is not being able to drink until I've been out of college for a few months</p>