At least in my case, the time to mature was necessary. While I could have passed most of my college classes as a freshman in high school (at least the ones I took freshman year in college, unsure that I could have passed the higher maths I took with just an understanding of basic algebra/geometry), there were a lot of social lessons that I desperately needed. I can think of specific experiences throughout my high school that taught me how to (not) interact in various situations.