She probably skipped a grade. I was 17 when I started college and this wasn't unusual; I wasn't even nearly the youngest person in my class. I doubt that age

She probably skipped a grade. I was 17 when I started college and this wasn't unusual; I wasn't even nearly the youngest person in my class. I doubt that age is that big a factor. I don't think a gap of two years makes it any harder to find people with the same interests; if that was true, freshman and seniors could never be friends. Throughout my past ~5 years I've been friends with people 5 or more years younger and older than me; I never noticed any sort of dramatic issue.