If you were born in September, you may have a bit of an advantage over the rest of us — and no, it's not just because you're likely a Virgo (a.k.a. the same sign as Beyoncé).
As Good Housekeeping points out, most primary school cutoff dates make it so that if a child was born in September, it's likely that they will be the oldest in their class. And according to a recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, that can definitely be a good thing.
The study found that starting school at a later age can actually contribute to a child's success — and if a child was born in September, they may naturally have an advantage in that sense.
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Researchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research studied education department data from Florida, finding that beginning school a little later in life could have a positive effect on a child's cognitive development, and may even increase the chances they'll go on to college as well as reduce the likelihood of incarceration. The researchers found, they wrote, "a positive relationship between school starting age and children's cognitive development from age 6 to 15."
That may sound like a whole lot to glean from a birthday, but it doesn't necessarily mean that a child is guaranteed success just because they were born in September. More likely, it just means that being born and starting school later could have a positive impact on their preparedness for their academic experience.
So while you maybe wouldn't plan your child's birth around the month that's most likely to give them a leg-up in terms of academics, it's interesting to note that starting school at a later age may not be a bad thing at all.