Connecticut College Denies Dorm Residency to 12-Year-Old Student
Although most children his age are entering the seventh grade this fall, 12-year-old Colin Carlson is getting ready to start his sophomore year of college — a feat that didn’t come easily for the gifted student who found that when it comes to whiz kids, some colleges are leery of opening both their doors and their dorms.
Colin, who already graduated from Stanford University Online High School, was set to attend Connecticut College where he planned to double major in eco-biology and environmental studies, but ultimately decided on another school after Connecticut College officials declined to give him dorm affiliation (“College Wary of 12-Year-Old Whiz Kid,” ABC News, Aug. 6, 2008).
“The deans at the school told me in a phone conversation that they were concerned about the adult activities that took place in the dorms,” says Jessica Carlson, Colin’s mother. She says she would never have permitted her son to live in a dormitory and had already found an apartment near campus for her and Colin to live in, but without the dorm experience “Colin would have been completely left out of the [campus] community.”
Colin’s Case an Example of Age Discrimination in Academia
Connecticut College declined to confirm that the 12-year-old had been admitted to the school, but Armando Bengochea, dean of the college community, says the school had concerns about someone so young being allowed into the dorms.
“As a matter of policy, Connecticut College does not condone the presence of 12-year-old children in residence halls after hours,” he says. “Residence halls are considered to be adult residences, and all programming and supervision of students is predicated on an assumption that students can be treated as adults.”
Nancy Green, the executive director for the National Association for Gifted Children, says the college’s concerns are understandable, but gifted students like Colin shouldn’t have their academic opportunities limited solely because of their age.
“There is a lot of resistance against gifted children. It’s not like a star athlete, who immediately, upon showing they’re great at something, they get a special team and a great choice,” she says. “Universities do slam the door [on gifted kids] and say it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Our country is set up on age-based earning, so age becomes a huge issue.”
Colin says he’s putting the experience behind him, and will instead begin his studies at the University of Connecticut as a sophomore honors student.