I have just graduated high school at the age of 15, have been accepted into a public university near my home. I will be starting college this coming semester. Since I am only 15, I will be staying with my parents until I am of an appropriate age to stay on campus. I was wondering if people in similar situations could share their experiences and provide me with some insight on what I should expect going into college at this age. Thanks!
On the UC-Berkeley site, there is a parent @ElenaParent whose kid entered UC-Berkeley last year at age 15. I haven’t seen her on much lately, but if she sees this she’ll certain be able to provide you some info. In his situation though, he went across the country to attend i.e. live in a dorm, etc.
Thank you, @ProfessorPlum168 for referring to me. Yes, my son entered UC Berkeley when he was 15, last year. We live in Virginia. We brought him to the airport with his two (big) bags, and kissed him goodbye. He flew to Oakland airport, got an Uber, got to UC Berkeley’s campus and moved into his dorm, all by himself. We do not see anything inappropriate in living on campus at age 15, neither did UC Berkeley.
As far as going to college at this age - it is very dependent on the kid. If you are ready academically, and know what it means to work hard - you have nothing to worry about. If I were your parent, I’d be concerned that you will NOT live on campus, because going to college, in many aspects, IS living on campus. This is how you get friends, this is how you experience the whole thing, this is how you have opportunity to help others academically. (It is assumed if you graduated HS at 15, you are “smarter” than others and will be able to help many kids academically. But for that, you should be present on campus. But this is just my opinion.)
To expand little bit more on my answer: my son wasn’t telling anyone that he is 15, unless asked directly (but no one really cared). He behaved like a normal kid, and looked within parameters of a normal college student by height and “shaving status.” Yes, he also gained the status of Senior after his first semester, while still being 15, but again, he wasn’t talking about it with anyone. He went to the library to study, DIDN’T drink (like many college students do), DIDN’T do drugs, DID skip some nights and didn’t sleep (which is normal for a teenager), had some fun and missed a few lectures. Still he was able to field questions from the kids in his Freshman dorm regarding Chemistry (he is Mathematician) and other subjects, and apparently had fun with it. This year, he is 16, and he will be living in the same Freshman Dorm, despite being a Senior. I am assuming he again will try flying “under the radar” and pretend to be like everyone else, and will not tell anyone his age, or the fact that he is a Senior, unless directly asked. I am assuming that I’ll still have to call him every day in the morning because the hardest part for him in this whole darn thing is to wake up in the morning and not miss a lecture.