<p>My D1 was 16 and turned 17 in Sept freshman year. The only issue we had was a requirement to participate in an on campus “experiment” as part of her psychology class and a parents signature was required if you were under 17. No one knew how young she was (she didn’t advertise)</p>
<p>I started college when I had just turned 16. I held my kid(s) back. Academics were not a problem. At that time the legal age kinda sorta didn’t matter. But socially, especially with dating, it wasn’t great. In the end it was ok, but I was too busy running as fast as I could (figuratively speaking) to enjoy college.</p>
<p>This is just my take and every kid is different.</p>
<p>I was 17 when I started college too. For me, the age was a non issue. What was a huge adjustment for me was coming out of a small, private school with 114 graduating seniors and going to a large state school. Back then, my parents left everything to me -They didn’t even come to the orientation. (Wonderful parents, just not experiened with the college process.) I was somewhat overwhelmed to say the least. </p>
<p>I think it’s a very good idea to visit as many Us of interest as you are able. It was interesting to me how my kids reacted to the various tours. It helped for my h and I to go on the tours with them to be able to discuss the pros & cons. When my daughter toured her eventual college, she immediately commented “I LOVE THIS SCHOOL”. It gave us a certain peace of mind to know how excited she was to go there.</p>
<p>My S was 17 when he started at McGill in Canada. There were no practical issues with his age. However, we had to sign something that made the registrar - yes, the actual registrar - - his legal guardian until he turned 18 a couple of months later. Kind of weird to us but never really had to use it.</p>
<p>No big deal- son was still 16 at large, liberal flagship until his fall birthday when he turned 17 his freshman year. With the 21 legal drinking age that wasn’t an issue for being part of the social scene. His honors Physics class had 2 HS students - including a 14 year old girl, so much for being youngest… No one cared. School dealt with him, not us. Your D will be 18 before trying to rent an apartment- fortunately we said no for his sophomore year and I later found out no landlord would have rented to him regardless of our cosigning et al. </p>
<p>Son did all of his applications without our help- no parental input/signatures. Do not let her age determine where she applies.</p>
<p>Being 17 as a freshman is not an issue, as noted above. The thing my d hated was still being 20 as a senior! Most of her friends could drink legally well before she could. (Didn’t necessarily stop her, but it was annoying to her.)</p>
<p>Starting at 17 was not that much different than starting at 18 for me. A surprise considering how immature and rebellious I was in high school. However, once I started college, everything proceeded smoothly. </p>
<p>Then again, I knew a few college classmates who started at far younger ages…including one who GRADUATED with honors at 17. Wasn’t a big deal…even with weed being widely smoked by many students.</p>
<p>Chedva: That was what my S hated about senior year too. He couldn’t go to bars and casinos when his friends could. He was usually the designated driver when they went out to restaurants or parties. OTOH, starting college at 17 was not a big deal.</p>
<p>As everyone else has said…it only becomes a factor for certain legal and financial forms. Things like filling out the housing forms—had to get my parents to fax in a parental permission form, and depending on the local bank, they might require a parent to also sign on a checking account or whatnot. It’s not a big deal.</p>