<p>DS will be graduating high school at just above 15. He wants to do engineering ( Mech / Material science) . I am a little concerned how he will fit in with kids much older than him. He is 5'8", quiet, but gets along well with people and is mature enough. But still... Academically he has done very well and is interested in tier I and II engineering colleges. Are there any colleges that I should particularly look at or avoid.? Is there anyone on this forum with young kids in college? Any advice will be appreciated. </p>
<p>Sorry, I can only apply stuff from my own experiences lol. I go to NYU-Poly in Brooklyn Heights, and there’s a 14-year-old freshman here. I think he fits in okay actually. and Poly students are pretty outgoing/friendly. so maybe that’s an option. Tier I or II? Maybe a state school that’s highly ranked? :s</p>
<p>I’m guessing a small engineering school with less social stuff like Rice or Cooper Union or Olin or Rose Hulman or Colorado School of Mines or New Mexico Tech or Missouri S&T. You might try checking this out on websites for the gifted like geniusdenied.com</p>
<p>I would definitely second the suggestion for a smaller school. The larger state schools are going to be a lot more rambunctious and harder to get by as a younger student if I had to bet.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your responses. He is not very clear as to what type of engineering he wants to do ( He likes physics a lot and wants to build things ( Product design, maybe??). I do not have an engineering background. However, based on what I have read, Mech Eng offers a broad based engineering education and I have encouraged him to consider this stream. I am assuming that colleges would offer an opportunity to check out couple of engineering streams in freshman year before he declares his major. Is that the way it works? A college with a strong math / science focus and an emphasis on teaching would be a good fit for him. Because of his age, I am keen on schools where the party scene is relatively less. I have also been advised to consider CMU.</p>
<p>Different schools do it different ways. I know at UIUC it was a bit weird in that they wanted you to pick a major before you even got to campus, but it was fairly easy to change within the department once you actually got to school. He is in luck that the first 3 to 4 semesters of engineering are just about identical no matter which type you go into so switching majors doesn’t hurt until later down the road.</p>
<p>How about the residential honors program at USC? I’m not familiar with the details, but my D was invited to apply to the program where students skip their senior yr. of high school. This program would place him with students closer to his age.</p>
<p>I would not recommend Purdue for a shy 15 year old if he’s looking for a social life. If he is OK with going to class, studying, and playing video games it would be OK.</p>
<p>NYU Poly is not a bad idea, I know who you’re talking about static75. Cooper, and Olin, if he has the stats - HMC also comes to mind. </p>
<p>What are his SAT scores? How prepared is he? And why is he graduating so early? Many on cc have had the option of skipping/graduating early. I think the general trend is that these are not the most successful students, b.c. there is more to being college than academics. Your son {undoubtedly} will be exposed to drugs, alcohol, sex, and general college life. Sure, it happens in high school, but increases tenfold in a university setting. I would NOT recommend a state school.</p>
<p>On the other side of things, if he’s old/mature enough to graduate high school, let him do it himself. I was working 2 jobs and supporting a family at 15. He may be much more capable than what you may perceive.</p>
<p>yes, actually, what are his scores/grades/extracurrics like? some schools may not accept him just because they, understandably, feel he would be unprepared for college life and sending him in prematurely would be badbadbad.</p>
<p>I think you’ll have to do a very thorough investigation of colleges to make sure every aspect is 15-year-old-friendly. I can’t single-handedly speak on behalf of the 14-year-old here, but all seems to be going well. He’s clearly not a dormer though, partly I think because you have to be 17+ to dorm here on campus lol. So check the rules too! Maybe he won’t be allowed to do certain things at certain schools because of his age which may highly interfere with the full “college experience.”</p>
<p>Nope, static, you’re not! Laying in Othmer, doing one of those ridiculous EG lab reports, and procrastinating on CC.</p>
<p>The more successful students are those that take more time to polish their skills {and ergo become really attractive to top tier universities} and do something besides school, if they do opt to leave early.</p>
<p>I would definitely recommend Olin. Roland is a sophomore now and doing extremely well, and there are other students on the young side. The student body is very accepting and friendly, and if your son likes to “build” things, there is no better place!
Furthermore, for a student on the young side, the application process at Olin (being surrounded by your possible future peers at Candidate’s Weekend) will let him know whether he “fits”, and more importantly, assure his parents that he will be fine!</p>
I can’t single-handedly speak on behalf of the 14-year-old here, but all seems to be going well. He’s clearly not a dormer though, partly I think because you have to be 17+ to dorm here on campus lol. So check the rules too! Maybe he won’t be allowed to do certain things at certain schools because of his age which may highly interfere with the full “college experience.”</p>