I have just graduated high school and will start college this fall. Since I am only 15 yrs old, I will be staying with my parents at home until I am old enough to stay on campus or possibly transfer to a different college. I was just wondering what challenges I may face, and if anyone in a similar situation could provide some insight for me. Thanks!
As long as your parents set up everything for you, such as access to the health care center on campus (if required), your bank accounts, etc. most of your issues will be social and not legal. Some students will be 5 or 6 years older than you and may not feel comfortable studying with you alone, and of course you won’t be able to go to bars with a group if that’s where they choose to study. You have to explain any restrictions you have such as getting to the school on weekends or staying later than you’d feel comfortable doing if you take public transportation home. Speak up for yourself and you don’t have to give a lot of explanation, just “that doesn’t work for me.”
In the town I first went to college in (and went to high school too) there was a curfew for teens under 18. It was rarely enforced but one time a guy from my dorm was complaining that he was detained by police and because he didn’t have an ID, and everyone from his dorm was out on a Friday night. He had to wait until he could reach someone to bring him an ID (looong before the days of cell phones). We all thought it was quite funny, but he didn’t.
I expect the most difficult thing will be finding social connections. In general this is harder for commuters since they are not on campus as much and it is likely to be exacerbated by 1) the age gap (which includes differences in interests due to age) and 2) the fact that you will likely need to rely on parents for transportation to and from college.
Not exactly the same but my D19 did full-time on-campus dual enrollment at 15. She found that people still wanted to study with her and hang out with her in the cafeteria and library, so she didn’t have any issues there. She wasn’t trying to hang out with people outside of school because she had too many time commitments anyway, but I imagine that could’ve veered into awkward territory. Since you’re staying at home, I’m guessing you can keep up with the same friends you’ve always had? That’s what my D did.
Yes, I will still be around my old friends. Although I’m fifteen I can easily pass as even a 17 year old. Should I tell people my age as soon as I meet them? And should my professors know or is that just unnecessary?
Why are you starting college at age 15?
When I graduated high school my parents thought the best decision would be to let me continue my education without having a year or more long break.
But why did you graduate at 15 instead of continuing to take HS courses and graduating at 17 or 18?
It was the best option for me
It’s a good idea to tell other students. You don’t want someone to assume you’re 18+ and asks you on a date, only to find out you’re 15. That’s not a good situation for anyone.
Imo, having your parents arrange everything for you IS one of the big problems, when everyone around you is moving forward into a new phase. And passing for 17 isn’t much, when you’re 15 and fellow students are 18-19. There’s a saying among some GC about how much kids grow, from junior spring to September, then Sept to December. And there you are, as old as a typical rising sophomore.
You haven’t answered the question why you’re done so early or why it’s “the best option” for you. It most often is no advantage.
Were you home schooled or just pressed to finish hs requirements? How much pressure have your parents put on you? What college? Are your parents going to drive you to school every day?
Lots of kids take a productive gap year, even an impressive program, to catch up on the maturtity. It’s not just looking older.
I’m not a fan of accelerating kids that many grade levels, but that’s besides the point now. Being under 18 will extremely limit what could be done during a gap year. College is the best option for the OP now.
I think it will also make a difference if you are going to a traditional college with mostly 18-22 year olds or to a community college or city university which can be quite large with an age range for undergrads and grade, with thousands of students, etc. We have a campus in our city that has 3 separate schools -2 universities and a community college - and there are more than 30k students there. There are also a lot of high school students taking DE classes so the OP wouldn’t be the only 15 year old on campus. I know a lot of hs kids who took classes there, took the light rail to the campus and back, and were fairly independent. Their time on campus was limited to a few hours per day, and they weren’t looking for activities on campus or really for a lot of friends or a social life since they still had that at home or at their schools.
If you are at a traditional campus local school and you are one of the only ones commuting, then I think will have more of a social problem.
In terms of dual enrollment my oldest did two years of all de classes on a college campus. For the most part, it was never brought up by professors or students. She had no trouble being part of study groups, group chats etc. While it is fine to mention your age in class if it comes up don’t mention it on a regular basis because that may be annoying. Look into commuter programs since that varies from school to school.
One issue that is possible is not being able to join some clubs/activities that require parent/guardian signatures such as a night out at a trampoline park or have a minimum age requirement. For instance my daughter could not participate in some books for prisoners program because of her age.
Allow yourself to be who you are, and allow that to evolve naturally. Trying to ‘pass’ as older is a particularly bad idea.
Depending on your career goals, think about how you will build in the internships / work experience elements of college that may be tricky for you until you are at least 16, and in many cases 18. Depending on when your birthday falls you could be a senior before you are eligible for many of them- but your peers will be doing them from first year / summer after first year on. Your home university will likely work with you, but it does limit your options.
Best of luck…I would have suggested you do a study abroad program as a gap year or something.