Victoria Campbell had dreamed of coming to U. California-Berkeley since she took a summer class on campus two years ago. Like many other students, she said she liked the atmosphere of the university and the rigorous curriculum.
But unlike other students, Campbell will take her place among UC Berkeley’s freshman class this fall at the age of 14.
After she completed homeschooling with her parents in 2008, Campbell attended a community college before coming to UC Berkeley for the 2009 summer session. She then continued her education at the University of Connecticut for a year before entering UC Berkeley again this fall.
Campbell said she will major in integrative biology, with plans to become a missionary doctor in the future.
Dale Campbell, Victoria Campbell’s father, said that she wanted to apply to the campus after quickly completing courses at the high school level.
“Victoria started learning calculus at age 10, and by age 11, she had completed all the courses required to graduate from high school,” he said.
Between commuting to school, finding her way around campus and juggling a busy schedule, Victoria Campbell said she is adapting quickly to the college lifestyle, although the experience is markedly different from homeschooling.
The area’s food offerings, her daily school work and the lively campus atmosphere have already helped her acclimate to the new environment, she said.
“Before, classes used to just be me and my brother,” she said. “(In college,) I expected a large workload, which I got. But I also expected small classes. Going to a chemistry class with 600 other people was scary.”
She added that interaction with different professors and with other students has been a new and exciting experience.
“No one really knows my age, so I can just start talking to the person next to me,” she said.
Dale Campbell said he worries that his daughter may get “lost in the shuffle,” but that he values this opportunity for her to branch out.
“Berkeley is a large school, and she’s taking classes where there are lots of people in the lectures,” Dale said. “(We hope) she establishes a relationship with her instructors and classmates.”
According to Walter Robinson, the campus’s director of undergraduate admissions, age has never been considered as a factor in admissions, and students of all ages are admitted each year.
“Every year we have students in their teens … We’ve had students as old as 75,” Robinson said. “There’s no age discrimination. Every year we look at the age range between the oldest and youngest student, and it always hovers between 14 and 70.”
He added that many young students live off campus and commute to classes every day.
“Whether it’s taking BART or having their mom pick them up and drop them off, it takes a coordinated family effort to deal with these kind of issues,” Robinson said.
Victoria Campbell, who commutes from Orinda, said she may move closer to campus during her last year but will continue to commute for the time being.
Though she said she is somewhat worried about commuting affecting her college experience, her biggest concern is the same as many other freshmen – navigating the campus grounds.
“I’ve gotten lost a lot of times already,” she said.