How to mention age and gap year in a college application?
I graduated high school in 2023 at the age 16. Because I graduated so young, I'm applying to college fall 2023 and taking a gap year during the 23-24 school year. During my gap year, I'm going to be an exchange student for 10 months.
How should I discuss this in my common app? Should I write about taking a gap year in the additional info section? Should I mention graduating at 16 in the additional info section too, or would that hurt my application?
Thanks!
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2 answers
Congratulations on graduating so soon! It can be perplexing to apply to colleges for the 2023-2024 academic year. According to my understanding, you are applying in the Fall of 2024. In that case, you can begin your applications and, as you mentioned, include the fact that you graduated early. If anything, graduating that early is impressive, so it won't harm your chances. I, too, am relatively new to this, so I hope this is helpful!
Firstly, congrats on graduating so early! I suggest you don't apply to any colleges for 2023-2024, as it can be confusing. From what I understand, you're applying during Fall 2024. If that's the case, you can begin applications then, and like you mentioned, add that you graduated early. If anything, it's impressive to graduate that early, so it definitely won't hurt your chances. I'm relatively new to this, too, so I hope this helps! Good luck!
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