Leaving Cert and College at 17... too young?

Sarah93

17 is not too to go to college. I am 18 ( I didn't turn 18 until the VERY end of April this year, just before the exams!) now and going into my second year. Yes, many people are 18/19 when they go but I personally felt I was ready. Concerning nights out etc. I wouldn't worry at all, I just borrowed one off my sister or my friend whenever I needed it (as long as they have the same hair/skin colour as you it'll be fine) and there will be people on every course that prefer to not go out drinking. Seeing as you will be 18 in December, you'll still have the second semester to go out with course-mates etc. easily. Frankly, it makes no difference if your 17, 18, 19 or even 30+ going into college as long as you enjoy yourself and feel that you are ready.:)

kahf1_01

I'm 17, I will be 18 the day I start college. I really think I'm way to young for college, I've been advised for doing a PLC, anyone any advice.

Exothermic

kahf1_01 wrote: »

I'm 17, I will be 18 the day I start college. I really think I'm way to young for college, I've been advised for doing a PLC, anyone any advice.

What?!? That's ridiculous :P 18 is the ideal age to start college. It's your choice really, if you're just taking a year out to become more mature I'd recommend a full time job instead. It would make more sense.
The decision is yours. Why exactly do you think you're too young?

RHunce

I'm 18 now and will be 19 starting University.

Most people in my class are the same. Personally I think that's a good age to start as you have done the six years of school, gotten all it has to offer you and then it's time to move on.

randylonghorn

Platinum2010 wrote: »

That's Bull if you ask me ! No college authority is stupid enough to take on a guy who's barely just began puberty

It has happened in America.

It's NOT a good idea in my personal opinion, no matter how much of a wunderkind the individual is.

Kids should be allowed to be kids, and teenagers should be allowed to be teenagers, and they should be allowed to go to college at roughly the same age as their peers and have a bit of fun (as well as doing the work! :P)

And all this is taking us a fair bit away from the question the OP posed ...

Oenone

GSI wrote: »

Yeah well I'm 14 just finished the LC. My brother Is 12 and has just got a comfirmed offer from Cambridge in the post.

It's true Don't wallow in the steam of your own vitriol, it's unattractive and boring.
But he's in the American system, so perhaps it is different.

kahf1_01

I didn't TY, while nearly everyone in college has. anyone know the benefit of doing PLC

Exothermic

kahf1_01 wrote: »

I didn't TY, while nearly everyone in college has. anyone know the benefit of doing PLC

That's not true. Many, many people going into college haven't done TY. I go to quite a big school, there's about 180 people in my year, just about half of them didn't do TY. A year of TY when you're 16 years old doesn't prepare you for college. Some people I know who did TY are rather immature and it's actually some of the younger people who are the most independent.
You're your own person. Do whichever you feel is right but in my opinion, most people adjust very quickly within the first couple weeks of college.

coffee_cake

randylonghorn wrote: »

It has happened in America.

It's NOT a good idea in my personal opinion, no matter how much of a wunderkind the individual is.

Kids should be allowed to be kids, and teenagers should be allowed to be teenagers, and they should be allowed to go to college at roughly the same age as their peers and have a bit of fun (as well as doing the work! :P)

And all this is taking us a fair bit away from the question the OP posed ...

The problem, randy, is that some kids are genuinely miserable if they're not intellectually stimulated. Everyone talks about the social side of things, and it's quite important, but so is the academic side.
And if they're a kid who can go to uni at a young age, I am making a guess that it's fairly likely they would be miserable being kept back.

kahf1_01

Exothermic wrote: »

That's not true. Many, many people going into college haven't done TY. I go to quite a big school, there's about 180 people in my year, just about half of them didn't do TY. A year of TY when you're 16 years old doesn't prepare you for college. Some people I know who did TY are rather immature and it's actually some of the younger people who are the most independent.
You're your own person. Do whichever you feel is right but in my opinion, most people adjust very quickly within the first couple weeks of college.

Thanks for the advice. I'll ponder over it during summer, hopefully I will change my mind. A bit of travel and work should be the right tonic.

triseke

Being young in college is not the end of the world. People will become friends with you for your personality, not your age.

Frankly, I was shocked when i found out one of my friends is going to be 19 this year. Im 24 and always assumed she was the same age as me!

College is awesome guys. Join clubs and societies, and try not to worry about not being able to go out. That is never as a big an issue as it seems!

randylonghorn

bluewolf wrote: »

The problem, randy, is that some kids are genuinely miserable if they're not intellectually stimulated. Everyone talks about the social side of things, and it's quite important, but so is the academic side.
And if they're a kid who can go to uni at a young age, I am making a guess that it's fairly likely they would be miserable being kept back.

Oh, I agree entirely re: the need for intellectual stimulus, bluey, I'd just advocate for better ways of providing that stimulus than dumping them in with 17/18 year old undergraduates at 13/14. It's not even about the social side, except as part of a wider process, it's about giving them a chance to mature emotionally and personally at a normal rate, given that advanced intellectual development doesn't always go hand in hand with advanced personal and inter-personal development.

I've met one or two of these wonderkinds (as adults) in my time, and I wouldn't have given them high marks for their social skills (admittedly, one or two is not a valid statistical sample! )

coffee_cake

randylonghorn wrote: »

Oh, I agree entirely re: the need for intellectual stimulus, bluey, I'd just advocate for better ways of providing that stimulus than dumping them in with 17/18 year old undergraduates at 13/14. It's not even about the social side, except as part of a wider process, it's about giving them a chance to mature emotionally and personally at a normal rate, given that advanced intellectual development doesn't always go hand in hand with advanced personal and inter-personal development.

I've met one or two of these wonderkinds (as adults) in my time, and I wouldn't have given them high marks for their social skills (admittedly, one or two is not a valid statistical sample! )

I hope I don't come across as unsociable, randy!! :pac:

randylonghorn

No, not especially!

Why, what age did you go to Uni at? 0_o


(So glad now that I put in that last line disclaimer!! :P)

Tiresias

I had just turned 17 when I went into college. People don't check your age when they are deciding whether to hang out with you or not, but looking back, I think I'd have been better working for a year or something before going in to college as I made some silly subject choices in first year. Can't change things now though!

On choosing a course, do whatever you really like, not what you think you should do, and certainly what you think will get you in to a lucrative job in the future -- there are enough unhappy people in the world and you don't know what things will be like in 3 or 4 years anyway.

MadLad1993

Hi there,

Im going to be siting my leaving cert too this year, but for the second time.

I sat my first leaving cert having only justed turned 17. I wasn't sure about what I wanted but my grades had always been good considering my lack of commitment. I sat 7 honors subjects for the leaving cert (only person in my school to do so) and came out wiht a good leaving cert.

i went to college studying a physics and maths course and pretty soon relaise I had absolutely no interest what so ever in it. The course didnt motivate me in the slighest. I chose the course because I was told they were "crying out for people witht that qualifaction".

i also found it very overwhelming going into college at 17 and being 17 for all of first year. I relished the freedom but was not inclined to study or even attend lectures from time to time. But I was too in love with the fact that I was in college to say anythiing.

Recently I had a talk wiht my parents and we decided that the best thing for me to do is to go back and repeat my leaving and aim for what I really want.

I also skipped 4th year but now feel that I missed out on a great chance at maturing and finding out what I'd be interested in. Unfortunately this was an expensive mistake and the money I have been saving for a car wil go towards repeating first year.

It all depends on your maturity level and what you really want.

i rushed in to things and ended up making a mistake.

Howeveer if you want to go into college and you think you can manage the freedom maturely do so by all means.

P.S. socialisng wiht classs mates and making friends is made extremely difficult by being 17 but again if you think you can handle it, go ahead.

EuropeanSon

I was 17 for the first half of first year in TCD last year. It doesn't really make a difference, you can borrow IDs, and nobody cares what age you are. Also, there are loads of others in the same boat. It's not a rare occurrence.

grizzly700

I'll be 16 sitting my leaving cert ? Just turning 17 during exams.