Uni at 16
Hey everyone!
I am currently in my 5th year of high school (in Scotland) and I'm hoping to get the Highers required to study Physiotherapy (I'm on track at the moment). My question is, since I would be eligible to start uni next September, is 16 too young? I'm debating staying on for 6th year but I'm pretty keen to just get out of school.
Thanks!
I am currently in my 5th year of high school (in Scotland) and I'm hoping to get the Highers required to study Physiotherapy (I'm on track at the moment). My question is, since I would be eligible to start uni next September, is 16 too young? I'm debating staying on for 6th year but I'm pretty keen to just get out of school.
Thanks!
Original post by catmc16
Hey everyone!
I am currently in my 5th year of high school (in Scotland) and I'm hoping to get the Highers required to study Physiotherapy (I'm on track at the moment). My question is, since I would be eligible to start uni next September, is 16 too young? I'm debating staying on for 6th year but I'm pretty keen to just get out of school.
Thanks!
I am currently in my 5th year of high school (in Scotland) and I'm hoping to get the Highers required to study Physiotherapy (I'm on track at the moment). My question is, since I would be eligible to start uni next September, is 16 too young? I'm debating staying on for 6th year but I'm pretty keen to just get out of school.
Thanks!
The big question is would uni's legally take you on when you're still 16? You'd be underage and legally still a child for a good two years during uni, which is an adult environment. You wouldn't be able to take part in a lot of events due to being underage as well, so it'll be harder to bond with people.
I'd stay at school until you're 18 so you can take full advantage of your uni experience
Original post by super_kawaii
The big question is would uni's legally take you on when you're still 16? You'd be underage and legally still a child for a good two years during uni, which is an adult environment. You wouldn't be able to take part in a lot of events due to being underage as well, so it'll be harder to bond with people.
I'd stay at school until you're 18 so you can take full advantage of your uni experience
I'd stay at school until you're 18 so you can take full advantage of your uni experience
In Scotland, it's fine to go at 16 but not many people do it - I'm young for my year. Even if I stayed right till the end of school, I would only be 17 anyway.
Original post by catmc16
In Scotland, it's fine to go at 16 but not many people do it - I'm young for my year. Even if I stayed right till the end of school, I would only be 17 anyway.
If you decide to move to England it could be a problem due to entering legal contracts for your course and accommodation, which you technically can't enter if you're under 18. There may also be some legal technicalities about being in a medical related course and being under 18-as a child for two years of your degree you may not be able to take part in essential placements or practical exercises, due to legislature surrounding such degrees.
Wherever you go, Scotland or elsewhere in the UK (you're lucky and get no fees anywhere in the UK), I'd still wait until you're 18, so as to make the most of your time.
Original post by super_kawaii
If you decide to move to England it could be a problem due to entering legal contracts for your course and accommodation, which you technically can't enter if you're under 18. There may also be some legal technicalities about being in a medical related course and being under 18-as a child for two years of your degree you may not be able to take part in essential placements or practical exercises, due to legislature surrounding such degrees.
Wherever you go, Scotland or elsewhere in the UK (you're lucky and get no fees anywhere in the UK), I'd still wait until you're 18, so as to make the most of your time.
Wherever you go, Scotland or elsewhere in the UK (you're lucky and get no fees anywhere in the UK), I'd still wait until you're 18, so as to make the most of your time.
Not really, 16 year olds have gone to uni in the UK before it's not THAT uncommon.
We had a 16 year old girl from India on our course.
Original post by BabyLadDarren
Not really, 16 year olds have gone to uni in the UK before it's not THAT uncommon.
We had a 16 year old girl from India on our course.
We had a 16 year old girl from India on our course.
I still wouldn't recommend it as OP'll be excluded from a lot of social events due to being underage. Same if they were starting at 17.
Plus no one's mature enough at that age to live by themselves. I started uni at 18 and I was so immature then looking back. None of us would've hacked it at 16, let alone 17
Original post by super_kawaii
I still wouldn't recommend it as OP'll be excluded from a lot of social events due to being underage. Same if they were starting at 17.
Plus no one's mature enough at that age to live by themselves. I started uni at 18 and I was so immature then looking back. None of us would've hacked it at 16, let alone 17
Plus no one's mature enough at that age to live by themselves. I started uni at 18 and I was so immature then looking back. None of us would've hacked it at 16, let alone 17
So you're suggesting I take a gap year?
*
Are you sure? Being under 18 doesn't bar you from entering into particular agreements as far as I'm aware, it just means you may need a guarantor in some cases.*
Anyway, OP do what feels right to you. You need to be aware that the first year is the year to go crazy and party etc., so you might risk being on the fringes of that if you can't get in to clubs or easily buy drinks. There's no rush, so take a gap year if you're in doubt. People seldom regret doing so.
Original post by super_kawaii
If you decide to move to England it could be a problem due to entering legal contracts for your course and accommodation, which you technically can't enter if you're under 18. There may also be some legal technicalities about being in a medical related course and being under 18-as a child for two years of your degree you may not be able to take part in essential placements or practical exercises, due to legislature surrounding such degrees.
Wherever you go, Scotland or elsewhere in the UK (you're lucky and get no fees anywhere in the UK), I'd still wait until you're 18, so as to make the most of your time.
Wherever you go, Scotland or elsewhere in the UK (you're lucky and get no fees anywhere in the UK), I'd still wait until you're 18, so as to make the most of your time.
Are you sure? Being under 18 doesn't bar you from entering into particular agreements as far as I'm aware, it just means you may need a guarantor in some cases.*
Anyway, OP do what feels right to you. You need to be aware that the first year is the year to go crazy and party etc., so you might risk being on the fringes of that if you can't get in to clubs or easily buy drinks. There's no rush, so take a gap year if you're in doubt. People seldom regret doing so.
Original post by catmc16
So you're suggesting I take a gap year?
I would suggest waiting a year to go to uni, whether staying in school an extra year or taking a gap year to work.
Original post by TurboCretin
*
Are you sure? Being under 18 doesn't bar you from entering into particular agreements as far as I'm aware, it just means you may need a guarantor in some cases.*
Anyway, OP do what feels right to you. You need to be aware that the first year is the year to go crazy and party etc., so you might risk being on the fringes of that if you can't get in to clubs or easily buy drinks. There's no rush, so take a gap year if you're in doubt. People seldom regret doing so.
Are you sure? Being under 18 doesn't bar you from entering into particular agreements as far as I'm aware, it just means you may need a guarantor in some cases.*
Anyway, OP do what feels right to you. You need to be aware that the first year is the year to go crazy and party etc., so you might risk being on the fringes of that if you can't get in to clubs or easily buy drinks. There's no rush, so take a gap year if you're in doubt. People seldom regret doing so.
You need a guarantor for every financial agreement, regardless of your age. I've always required a guarantor for my accommodation and I've been a legal adult the entire 4 years. A guarantor is someone who will pay for you if you do not have the means to yourself.
In England, under 18s cannot hold contracts in their own name. The contract therefore will have to be someone over the age of 18, usually a parent in the case of uni. A separate guarantor, who is not the parents or family member, will be required to be the guarantor for the parents.
Original post by super_kawaii
I still wouldn't recommend it as OP'll be excluded from a lot of social events due to being underage. Same if they were starting at 17.
Plus no one's mature enough at that age to live by themselves. I started uni at 18 and I was so immature then looking back. None of us would've hacked it at 16, let alone 17
Plus no one's mature enough at that age to live by themselves. I started uni at 18 and I was so immature then looking back. None of us would've hacked it at 16, let alone 17
While I agree on the social thing to an extent.
I disagree on the immaturity part, I was really no different at 17 than 18. It's also a lot more different in Scotland where 17 is the normal age to go uni.
Personally I'd take a gap year and go uni at 17 if I was OP but that's for no other reason than wanting to relax for a year while you're ahead of everyone else.
If you're absolutely certain of the course you want to do and know it will get you where you want to be faster, then by all means go - but be aware that you will encounter certain difficulties purely as a result of being under 18.
If you are thinking of going to Uni just because you've had enough of school then I wouldn't recommend it, Uni is not THAT different from school IMHO, you would be better going straight to work or taking a gap year and travelling, think about what you really want to do with your life and then revisit the Uni idea when you're older
It all depends on you as an individual
If you are thinking of going to Uni just because you've had enough of school then I wouldn't recommend it, Uni is not THAT different from school IMHO, you would be better going straight to work or taking a gap year and travelling, think about what you really want to do with your life and then revisit the Uni idea when you're older
It all depends on you as an individual
Original post by super_kawaii
You need a guarantor for every financial agreement, regardless of your age. I've always required a guarantor for my accommodation and I've been a legal adult the entire 4 years. A guarantor is someone who will pay for you if you do not have the means to yourself.
In England, under 18s cannot hold contracts in their own name. The contract therefore will have to be someone over the age of 18, usually a parent in the case of uni. A separate guarantor, who is not the parents or family member, will be required to be the guarantor for the parents.
In England, under 18s cannot hold contracts in their own name. The contract therefore will have to be someone over the age of 18, usually a parent in the case of uni. A separate guarantor, who is not the parents or family member, will be required to be the guarantor for the parents.
Are you saying nobody under 18 can buy anything in their own right? Under 18s hold contracts in their own name all the time.
It's different to say that the obligations of a contracting party under 18 cannot be enforced personally against that person - the law closely protects minors entering into contracts and quite a lot of contracts will be voidable by and/or unenforceable against the minor. That's what the guarantor is for in those cases.
Your own requirement for a guarantor under your tenancy agreements is not directly relevant to the above point as it is not due to a limitation on the legal enforceability of the contract against you. It is instead a restriction imposed as a commercial decision by your landlord because enforcement against a person with no job and no assets is pointless in practice.
Original post by TurboCretin
*
Are you saying nobody under 18 can buy anything in their own right? Under 18s hold contracts in their own name all the time.
It's different to say that the obligations of a contracting party under 18 cannot be enforced personally against that person - the law closely protects minors entering into contracts and quite a lot of contracts will be voidable by and/or unenforceable against the minor. That's what the guarantor is for in those cases.
Your own requirement for a guarantor under your tenancy agreements is not directly relevant to the above point as it is not due to a limitation on the legal enforceability of the contract against you. It is instead a restriction imposed as a commercial decision by your landlord because enforcement against a person with no job and no assets is pointless in practice.
Are you saying nobody under 18 can buy anything in their own right? Under 18s hold contracts in their own name all the time.
It's different to say that the obligations of a contracting party under 18 cannot be enforced personally against that person - the law closely protects minors entering into contracts and quite a lot of contracts will be voidable by and/or unenforceable against the minor. That's what the guarantor is for in those cases.
Your own requirement for a guarantor under your tenancy agreements is not directly relevant to the above point as it is not due to a limitation on the legal enforceability of the contract against you. It is instead a restriction imposed as a commercial decision by your landlord because enforcement against a person with no job and no assets is pointless in practice.
When I was under 18 and I tried to get a contract I wasn't allowed as I was a legal minor. When you're 18 though, you can have contracts in your own name
The guarantor was relevant as the previous poster got confused between the person who a contract is in the name of and a guarantor.
Original post by catmc16
Hey everyone!
I am currently in my 5th year of high school (in Scotland) and I'm hoping to get the Highers required to study Physiotherapy (I'm on track at the moment). My question is, since I would be eligible to start uni next September, is 16 too young? I'm debating staying on for 6th year but I'm pretty keen to just get out of school.
Thanks!
I am currently in my 5th year of high school (in Scotland) and I'm hoping to get the Highers required to study Physiotherapy (I'm on track at the moment). My question is, since I would be eligible to start uni next September, is 16 too young? I'm debating staying on for 6th year but I'm pretty keen to just get out of school.
Thanks!
Academically you may feel ready by then, but it is also a measure of your maturity regarding whether uni is right for you so soon.
My opinion would be to stay in school for a sixth year. 4 Years ago I was in the same position as you and wanted to leave school after s5 to study law. However my careers councillor advised against it and it was the best thing to happen.
I ended up loving S6 and after another year in school, I finally felt ready to go to uni at the same time as all of my friends.
I did have 1 friend who left after s5 to study at Glasgow Cali and she had a really difficult time adjusting for the first term. Everyone is different and you might cope fantastically but she certainly felt too young and couldn't participate in a lot of the freshers events that her new friends were able to.
Hope this helps !
The benefit of going to uni at such a young age is negligible, compared with the immense compromises that would be involved.
Even just asking the question shows that you lack the maturity to anticipate this for yourself.
Don't go early.
Even just asking the question shows that you lack the maturity to anticipate this for yourself.
Don't go early.
Original post by super_kawaii
When I was under 18 and I tried to get a contract I wasn't allowed as I was a legal minor. When you're 18 though, you can have contracts in your own name
The guarantor was relevant as the previous poster got confused between the person who a contract is in the name of and a guarantor.
The guarantor was relevant as the previous poster got confused between the person who a contract is in the name of and a guarantor.
I'm labouring the point now, but I am simply saying that the notion that 'under-18s cannot enter into contracts' is not strictly true.
When you say 'try to get a contract' it sounds like you are talking about a phone contract, which is a very specific type of contract. There is a difference between a company not being able to contract with you (for whatever reason) and them not being able to enter into it with you specifically due to lack of legal capacity on your part. There are a number of elements involved in phone contracts which, for policy reasons apart from anything else, mean under-18s are not able to get them in their own right. Once of these is that phone contracts are credit agreements and under 18s cannot be personally held to these. Another is that phone companies run credit checks on their customers and under-18s have no credit history (because they have no opportunity to generate it). The fact that you were told you couldn't have a phone contract because you're a legal minor therefore tells you nothing about whether legal minors are able to enter into contracts generally.*
You don't seem to have understood my point about the guarantor, which is that there's a difference between requiring a guarantor for legal reasons and requiring a guarantor simply because the other party to the contract wants you to have one.*
OP, sixth year is absolute gr8 banter. Stay on, you'll love it.
Basically get to piss around and have more freedom because you're the top of the food chain at school. It's also a really great year to bond with your classmates as the year sizes tend to have depleted by that point.
But, if you really do want to go to uni after fifth year, do it - it's your own life.
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Basically get to piss around and have more freedom because you're the top of the food chain at school. It's also a really great year to bond with your classmates as the year sizes tend to have depleted by that point.
But, if you really do want to go to uni after fifth year, do it - it's your own life.
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Original post by catmc16
Hey everyone!
I am currently in my 5th year of high school (in Scotland) and I'm hoping to get the Highers required to study Physiotherapy (I'm on track at the moment). My question is, since I would be eligible to start uni next September, is 16 too young? I'm debating staying on for 6th year but I'm pretty keen to just get out of school.
Thanks!
I am currently in my 5th year of high school (in Scotland) and I'm hoping to get the Highers required to study Physiotherapy (I'm on track at the moment). My question is, since I would be eligible to start uni next September, is 16 too young? I'm debating staying on for 6th year but I'm pretty keen to just get out of school.
Thanks!
Hey, I'm in 6th year right now and I honestly recommend that you just stay on. Sure I can't wait to got to uni but sixth year gives you far more help to get there. For example you get a lot of UCAS help, I noticed in fifth year they never even spoke to us about whether or not we wanted to apply that year they just expected us to stay for sixth year if we wanted to go to uni.
Though my open day today made me really excited for uni and I can't wait for next year, I plan on going to Stirling. Really, it is your choice but I recommend you stay on.
Original post by TurboCretin
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so take a gap year if you're in doubt. People seldom regret doing so.
so take a gap year if you're in doubt. People seldom regret doing so.
Yeah do some volunteering abroad or look into medi gap if your doing medicine
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