Degree at 16

[3StepsForward]

Does anyone have experience of their DC starting a degree course at 16.

If so, what were the things you wished you considered before they did? Any tips or advice? Do you feel they missed out on peer interactions? Did the university put anything specific in place.

DC would live at home rather than in halls/student accommodation. They won't have A levels, but will have some qualifications in the subject that are at a higher level and are likely to be ahead of a lot of the other students in certain areas.

Degree subject is one that needs a very particular skill set rather than needing a more rounded maturity level (if that makes sense). University are happy that they can access the course - and keen to have them (already doing things with the department).

We are looking at alternative options that would keep them with peer cohort, but it will mean repeating work they were already doing at a high level at 13/14 and is likely to be a problem for any sixth form unless they can differentiate massively and basically provide a bespoke course.

DC is also ND and has very firm ideas on what they do, are extremely persistent and stubborn and so studying something else from 16-18 is not going to fly. They are not overly interested in the social side of university life (but that could change 😱)

Just trying to spot all potential pitfalls in advance.

I totally see what you are saying - and it's one of the main things going round in my mind. It sounds like your DD definitely picked the right route for her and has benefited from staying in cohort (which I would say is generally the better option where you can keep them happy and stretched via other means),

It's weighing up what they say they want (with limited life experience and not realising how much that might change in 1, 2, 3 years as they mature) and what is actually sensible.

This might be sensible - it might well not be. Hence very interested in the range of experiences people have had who have done this, or chosen not to.

Hopefully we'll have a range of options on the table and can find the right one.

@puncheur agreed, highly unlikely 13 year olds will be studying those humanities subjects anyway but you can't say never. As I said earlier, I was in an A level class with a 10/11 year old child genius who was otherwise in a year with 14/15 year olds. He graduated and was ready to go to university at 14 or so. He was academically excellent across the board and so realistically could have applied for a range of subjects, including humanities, although he was particularly genius at maths.

According to @piisnot3 's statistics there are 6000 students who are under 18 at British universities. Most of them will be 17, so I guess that might qualify as being "plenty" as you say? But it's still a small number in the grand scheme of things. In my day it was probably more, possibly a lot more. Like your friend I had no problem being served at the bar. But that was then when there was little to no safeguarding. I agree that 17 year olds shouldn't be put barred on age grounds from doing most if not all subjects, but I do think it' something that has to be considered. We grow a lot during the teen years, an awful lot between 16-19. I can understand why some courses don't think 16 year olds are mature enough, even if they take 17 year olds.

Personally I would have done better going a year later. But I didn't find the age gap much of an issue if at all, I found it much more of an issue at school tbh.

My DS's secondary school (London) suggested that DS skip a year and be put into the year above due to general academic ability. But DS wanted to stay with their age group, so the school found other ways to challenge them. I'm glad that DS didn't want to and it didn't come to having to get them to seriously consider, as I think that year doesn't make a difference in the long run but does make a difference during the teen years.

That is all very different from the @3StepsForward 's situation though. In her shoes, where her DC will be living at home and is very experienced and skilled in her subject, I would go ahead. If it doesn't work out for whatever reason, her DC can always pull out and defer for a year or two.

Oh and sorry @puncheur I missed your point earlier about how Oxford should be able to take on @piisnot3 's YP if Imperial can. It's not good that Oxford didn't answer the FOI request. But maybe a legitimate concern - and I'm guessing - was that piisnot3's DC would be living at Oxford uni but at home if attending Imperial or King's.

Oxford is a tricky one I think to know whether it's just because of age, as there are lots of parents on this board who are indiginant/surprised/sad that their DC didn't get in with higher grades than someone who did.

Ironically, it's an instance where an actual age-blind admission policy would be helpful. Because then you could know for definite that age wasn't the reason for the rejection.

@WriterOfWrongs that stat of 5000 is from UCAS so ignores all the students who don’t apply through UCAS which will include many Scottish students and most overseas students. Scotland historically has many U18 freshers due to how the school system works.

@puncheur I know Scotland historically has many U18 freshers due to the system, I was seeing them as a slightly different category tbh because they were the 'right' age for the level achieved. I thought the stats pii gave included overseas students though and that they too have to include through UCAS for undergraduate stage.

Scottish students do have to apply through UCAS, so unless it explicitly says they aren't counted, then I would assume they are.
I think they're regarded as having a slight advantage in clearing as they get their results a week (?) early so in theory can have already phoned up places they're interested in.

I've tried to see (quickly) if I can find a proportion of number of 17yos/18+yos for Scotland and can't find anything definite.
There's around 20-25k students as far as I can tell go each year. Number of those who are 17yo I can't find anything on first glance through, one suggestion is 50% but I think that's a personal guess and far too high, more reputable sources say "many students choose...". So I think we can suspect that a good number of the 5k are Scottish students.

I don't know whether foreign students have to use UCAS too, but I suspect they do. It's convenient for the unis too!

@3StepsForward I mentioned my husband's cousin who went to university at 16. He was just as bright but stayed with his age group all the way through and excelled and is now a neurologist who taught for years at one of the best medical schools in the nation as a professor He is extremely successful but doesn't have the anxiety and indecision that has plagued his cousin as an adult.
It's often better to be outstanding in your cohort than pushed up to the level where you are the same as everyone academically, but don't have the emotional maturity and life experience.
There isn't a rush, in our current world why push teens into adult roles even earlier?

@puncheur @MargaretThursday

This is what piisnot3 wrote about the statistics of around 6000 under 18s (note 6000, not 5000):

UCAS puts the numbers of under 18's entering UK unis at around 6000 per year. These stats exclude about half of Scottish students who don't apply through UCAS, so are an underestimate. Nearly 90% of them are overseas students. I think this explains the "invisibility" of this group - they're seen primarily as overseas students, not "young" students. The fact that 90% of them are overseas says a lot about the rigidity of the UK school system.

I interpret "nearly 90% of them are overseas" to mean that nearly 90% of the 6000 aren't from the UK, including Scotland.

The statement also is clear that the figure doesn't include nearly 50% of Scottish students as they don't apply through UCAS. Not applying through UCAS is strange IMO as my understanding, like MargaretThursday was they had to apply through UCAS. However I'm happy to be corrected on that as I don't know much about the Scottish system.

I don't know where these statistics are from, and I've looked for and couldn't find similar ones.

Also I wonder if "entering Uni" includes all those courses that have an extra year for students who need to get their English up to scratch and/or bump up their academics.

I sounds like it's something that would your DC and they have somewhere safe to live with you as support

If it wasn't music then I'd say it's too young and wait till the usual age

That would suit your DC

My DC was 17 for their first term at university and tutors who would be working with them 1:1 had to be DBS checked as they were still a child. Obviously this is an issue for the institution not your DS.

This is the issue I was going it mention.

I work at a uni, and U18S are flagged to academic staff because they aren't routinely DBS checked and so the instruction is not to be on their own with the student. Makes personal tuition difficult, not impossible (it is recommend that it is done in a communal area, like the cafe space).

Worth knowing.

I'd suggest they start the course part time if possible so they have time to decompress out side of classes lectures.

If you have not seen it I suggest watching, "young Sheldon", it starts with Sheldon starting high school at 9 and going to uni at 13.

I know that sounds really flippant but it covers some things you might not think of eg he has a dorm room to rest in the day, and suddenly has lots of friends wanting to borrow his room to study.

The fact that they are all couples who want to borrow the room goes completely over his head.

@WriterOfWrongs a lot of overseas students don’t apply though UCAS, they use Common App instead. Many universities also allow direct applications.

@puncheur OK! The statistic didn’t state that was the case. But only 23 or so UK unis accept common app, most of the RG don’t. So I can’t imagine it’d be a very large number of under-18s, certainly not another 6000, maybe 2000 although that might be generous.

How do Scottish applicants apply to university in the UK if not through UCAS?

I think if DC was going to be 13 it would be a whole different thing, but at 16 they're post-puberty - old enough legally to go to war, marry, have sex etc 😱rather than being a child. People wanting to borrow rooms to "study" would absolutely not go over their head now let alone then!

Given DC's current schedule, this would be a lot more downtime for them as they're currently having to do school plus all the extracurricular and they'd be able to ditch all the school stuff and turn the extracurricular into the day job.

But I will definitely be asking questions about what options are available if it becomes too hard or they're just too immature in practice - can they defer for a year and come back later for example.

Having read the Guildhall U-18 rules and regs, I did think "poor tutors" - but it is their problem to solve. It does make me feel that the hassle for them means they're not going to firm up the offer unless they feel that it's genuinely worth their while and it's the right move.

They may well decide actually this isn't in anyone's best interests so we need other options on the table too for those years.

I'm looking into everything PPs have been suggesting.

I imagine that with music, it’s possible that some of the tutors may be DBS checked anyway because they might private tutor or work with youth groups? More than for ither subjects anyway.

Afaik they are all DBS checked - a lot teach outside. Certainly there's been no issues DC doing work with them over the last year. I have just had to fill in a lot of permission slips.

Scottish students usually apply to universities through UCAS. I've never heard of any who didn't. 2 of my 3 DC started university at 17, although one had their 18th birthday a week later.

Thank you. That is what I assumed and which from googling was backed up by UCAS and the Scottish government web pages. But as both @piisnot3 and @puncheur stated that many Scottish uni applicants don't apply through UCAS, I assumed they knew something I didn't.

Mind you, puncheur also said that "most" overseas students don't apply through UCAS and that is also bollocks.