<p>Hi, I just realized this today. I am 19 at the moment - I finished highschool when I was 18 (the normal age for that here in Romania) and I took a gap year afterwards, in order to apply to college. I just realized that many future class-mates of mine are going to be 17 or even 16. I never cared that much for the age difference, but it got me worried now, because I don't want to feel estranged - if anyone else has gone through this, I would be grateful for some advice!</p>
<p>There shouldn't be that much of a gap. Most freshmen will be 18 or 19. (My son turns 19 in September and will be a freshman.). Some will be 17, and there may be a few 16, but those will be rare. Also there will be plenty of upperclassmen who will be your age or older, as well as perhaps some older adults coming back after several years away.</p>
<p>You should find a good mix of ages and experiences, so I'm sure there will be people you can feel comfortable around.</p>
<p>19 is very normal. If you were 20 that would be a bit more of a gap. Also it depends on your b-day. But hey 19's cool. You can get into the bars at my college at 19 so it's not necessarily a bad thing.</p>
<p>Actually, most of your classmates will be eighteen. If they are coming from my school district, they WILL be eighteen. There are some school districts in the US where there will be kids entering college who will not be turning 18 until during the first semester of freshman year. So, conceivably, some US students will still be 17 upon entering college but almost 18. That about covers 99% of the kids you will be in class with....again either 18 already or almost 18. There will be some even 19 who also took a gap year, or repeated a year in school, or started school (kindergarten) a little late (common for boys where we live). Hardly any students will still be sixteen when entering college in the US. I know this sounds contradictory coming from ME, but my own kid WILL still be 16 when she starts college this fall. However, she is clearly not the norm (though it is not unheard of either....mini's D started at sixteen for example as well). My daughter is able to enter at sixteen due to two things.....one is she entered kindergarten early where we live (thus she should chronologically be in tenth grade here as that is her age). THEN she ALSO is graduating high school a year early (in three years instead of four) so while she is a junior, she is graduating with the senior class. She will enter college at 16 1/2, about five weeks shy of turning 17. But that is the exception rather than the rule. </p>
<p>Rest assured the majority of your classmates will be 18. I do not think you will feel estranged being just one year older. The main difference will be that you have a year under your belt of being out of school and perhaps independent (though I am unclear as to how you spent your GAP year). </p>
<p>Best to you at Amherst!
Susan</p>
<p>PS, my college freshman daughter lives next to a girl who is also from Romania.</p>
<p>What school are you going to? Many schools have significant numbers of "bent arrows"...kids who did something else for a year before heading to college. I suspect you'll find dozens of interesting people like you!</p>
<p>WHile other countries have longer traditions of students taking gap years, US is slower to recognize that a year gaining perspective and maturity can help to get more out of higher education.
Some schools including Harvard, encourage students to take a gap year.
My daughter took a gap year ( and another after junior year) and while it does make her a little older than most of the students, it is more of an advantage than not.</p>
<p>Thank you, everyone, about your opinion. I am going to be 20 when I go to college, actually (my birthday is July 14th - vive la France!). Also, I am going to Amherst in the fall.</p>
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While other countries have longer traditions of students taking gap years, US is slower to recognize that a year gaining perspective and maturity can help to get more out of higher education.
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<p>Well, I should say that Romania is even slower, much slower about recognizing the merits of the gap year - I haven't met another fellow "gapper" in Romania, actually.</p>
<p>My S will turn 20 a few months after he starts college in 2006 due to an extra year of high school due to starting a new school as a junior. There are plenty of kids his age or almost his age- no problem.</p>
<p>From my experience, only very few college freshman are under 18. You won't be too out of place, as others have pointed out. Many others are also 19.<br>
I knew someone who'd gone to high school in Germany and started college in the U.S. at the age of 20. But then she really breezed through, graduating summa cum laude, and going on to grad school immediately afterwards. She got her Ph.D. at age 28, which isn't bad at all.</p>
<p>Thank you all, parents - my fears are assuaged!</p>
<p>bogororo -</p>
<p>What did you do during your gap year? Work? Travel? Just interested.</p>
<p>I've been to Romania many times, on caving expeditions with the Emil Racovita Speleological Institute (Bucaresti and Cluj). Romania's quite a spectacular country when you get up into the mountains or down into the caves. It has some of the most spectacular caves in the world and over 11,000 caves catalogued. Let me know if you've visited any of them. My friends from the Institute discovered Movile Cave (near the Black Sea) and that quickly became one of the most famous discoveries of the Nineties because it has been sealed off from the rest of the environment for millions of years and lots of new species were discovered there. A research lab was built near the cave in Mangalia, right on the shore, and NASA biologists have also been there. We spent most of our time in the mountains: Mehedinti, the Retazat, Bihor,... I see you live in Ploiesti, which is not too far from the Fagaras Mountains. We've hiked there and spent the night in the chalet at Bilea Lac (pardon the English spelling on all this, but I don't know how to get the Romanian alphabet on here).</p>
<p>Anyway, back to your question: You'll have no problem at all.</p>
<p>---Bob
By the way, if you can get Caves Beyond Time, by Cristian Lascu about Romanian caves, I wrote the foreword to that book.</p>
<p>Bogororo, my son is starting this fall and just turned 19. He did a 13th year. Many of his classmates are 19 or close to it and going on to school in Germany, England, or the States. You're fine!</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I am so happy to meet someone who has been to Romania. My brother is a mountain rescuer (Salvamont) and he knows all the areas you told me about. I think he also knows Cristian Lascu - small world, huh? About Movile, whoa, it is awesome, from what I have heard - our friends from the local speology club have been there, from what I know, but I did not get a chance to experience it. I have also been to Cluj and Cheile Turzii two weeks ago, and I can certainly see why tourists are attracted there. About Fagaras, I've never been there, but I plan on going this summer - I've been to Bucegi, Piatra Mare (near Brasov), Parang and Ciucas (there my brother's climbing club has a chalet to which you are welcome if you happen to be in Romania). The chalet at Bilea Lac is where my brother has winter schools for Salvamont.
By the way, where do you live in Germany? I've been to Hamburg, Stuttgart, Berlin and Dresden.</p>
<p>During my gap year I did a little bit of everything - I traveled all over Europe last summer&autumn, buried myself into SAT books and college paperwork for winter, worked at the debate club in the meantime, got a job with a television in january, quit the job in april (on good terms with everyone though - it was just too much work in a field which did not interest me more than for a temporary job). Right now, I travel through Romania every time I get the occasion and practice my foreign languages - I'll be doing a course with Goetheinstitut in June. On top of that, I'll be working on a project called "Internship in Romania" for Romanian international students.</p>
<p>Well, Bogororo, I have to say your command of English is very good. Are you a native Romanian? How many languages do you speak?</p>
<p>Yes, I'm a native Romanian - but I don't think of English as a foreign language anymore - I think in English at least half of the time, though I don't force myself to do it.
Well, about languages, depends how you define speaking. I am only fluent in Romanian and English, but I can also have a decent conversation in German or Italian and am at beginner level with Arabic and Turkish.</p>
<p>In some states, September 1 is the cutoff date to enter school, so you may have plenty of people at your school who are 19 before too long...</p>
<p>I'd have just turned 20 when I enter college, 18 now and taking a gap year before flying off to the states.</p>
<p>hi bogoro!
i'm a senior in a high school from RO
I'm 19 and so are all my 22 collegues (out of 25)
I think you should have known, that before 1989 in Romania, children went to school at age of 7
so +12 (grades) -they are 19 years old now
i really don't think that 18 is a common age of graduating from hs
i'll go in us this fall, and i don't think age is a problem</p>