Having taken 4th and 5th grade in one year and being born really late in the year, I am now almost two years (sometimes two and a half) younger than my classmates. I am still managing a 4.0 and a 98 percentile on the PSAT. Will colleges take this into consideration during the admission process? I’m not really expecting any extra consideration right now.
Thanks.
<p>I doubt it... I can only imagine them giving "extra consideration" for really big things, like poverty or disability.</p>
<p>if anything, it may work against you if they have concerns about whether a 16 year old has the maturity to deal with college life.</p>
<p>i doubt it will work against you, as you are taking an advanced curriculum at a younger age. but i doubt you will be considered much differently than other "older" applicants.</p>
<p>I agree that it can work against you. The great news is you can take a gap year, do something to really strengthen your application and then be a better age to start college. Those I know who went too young didn't have normal social lives. One year is OK, but 2 would worry me.</p>
<p>doesn't matter</p>
<p>doesn't work for or against you. you already showed your maturity by hanging in.</p>
<p>yeah i dont think it will make a difference...
but at least you're in a great position to take a gap year</p>
<p>thanks everyone!</p>
<p>I echo zagat. </p>
<p>Who in the world let you get so far ahead? I'd bet $100 you do not live in an upper-scale community, because in them the trend is just the opposite. Its called "academic redshirting" and you can look it up on google; parents in the affluent areas want every advantage for their kids and one thing they do is try to hold them back a year so that they're the older kids in the class. </p>
<p>As for personal anecdotes, here's one; I know a woman who started college when she was 16 and did fine academically. But in her 40's she still regrets starting college so young. While smart, she was nowhere near as socially sophisticated as her fellow students. 16-year-old kids in HS are often just starting dating, gaining increased independence, and all that. While your peers in college did that 2 years ago, you'll be going thru it for the first time. </p>
<p>See if you can spend an extra year in HS now, and if not I'd strongly urge taking a gap year.</p>
<p>it won't be a factor.</p>
<p>Actually, mikemac, you just lost $100 because I live in the second most affluent community in the united states and no, it won't be my first time going thru it because my social life is just as lively if not more than others in my grade.</p>
<p>I do agree with mikemac that affluent parents, based on research, are much more likely to hold their keds back a year. Especially boys, none of whom go to school until 6 in my community. Studies shiow this is advantageous.</p>
<p>48302, college is a whole different world. You'll never even be able to consume a drink in during your undergrad years if you go at 16! It is dubious you will get included in all parts of college life. I also really think you would be happier taking a gap year. </p>
<p>There was another thread on this subject earlier in the year. You may want to search for it.</p>
<p>You may want to check out Simon's Rock College of Bard:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.simons-rock.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.simons-rock.edu/</a></p>
<p>It is a really excellent LAC specifically for "younger scholars". It perfectly addresses the social questions raised here while offering excellent academics. While some of the students stay for a BA, two thirds of them transfer after two years (with an AA degree) and complete their undergraduate programs at some of the most notable universities in the country, including Stanford, Yale, Brown, Swarthmore, Cornell, and University of Chicago.</p>
<p>lol zagat...what you mean is that he will "never even be able to consume a drink LEGALLY" during his undergrad years </p>
<p>hehehe</p>
<p>I have a friend who applied to college at 14, and her age only worked against her in the admissions process. By all objective standards, she was an excellent candidate: valedictorian with a 4.0, SAT in the mid-1400's, and a gifted writer. She was rejected nearly everywhere she applied because the colleges just didn't want to take responsibility for a younger student. In the fall, at 15, she'll be attending a small women's college that doesn't even have her major.</p>
<p>To the OP--are you a junior? I second the suggestion to take a gap year because in my opinion, the disadvantages of applying at a young age outweigh the advantages by far.</p>
<p>Lol thoughtprocess. However, on college tours, I've seen how strict dorms,fraternities and sororities are about keeping out kids under 21 for many events. They get kicked off campus if they don't police. So different from when I was in college and it was all wink wink.</p>
<p>lol thoughtprocess...
yes i am a junior, i think i'll try applying and if i get rejected (which i won't...i hope) i'll take a gap year and then apply again...thanks guys and girls</p>
<p>For one thing I'm quite certain the only way it will affect your admission is if you actually speak about it in your essays. As for its effects, I highly doubt that it would discourage the admissions officers from admitting you on grounds of lesser maturity. </p>
<p>I'm an entering Cal freshman at 16 and NOBODY knows I'm this young unless I tell them, and even when I do they often do not believe me. Age really doesn't if you're smart and academically successful where both of which already require maturity in the first place.</p>
<p>I never talked about being young in my essays and I think they never even considered it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I highly doubt that it would discourage the admissions officers from admitting you on grounds of lesser maturity.
[/quote]
In my friend's case the issue was liability; her maturity was never questioned.</p>
<p>I second mrlemongo's post. My D graduated this year and is 16. She never makes a big deal out of it, she certainly doesn't look or act younger than her classmates. Most people have no idea she is younger. She's going to a top LAC in the fall.</p>