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12-year-olds attend university in Canada, US
If you're not already feeling old, this may provide a little nudge -- a 12-year-old Indonesian boy will start university classes in Canada Thursday with peers almost twice his age, and apparently he's not alone.
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The boy genius reportedly applied after fast-tracking through school in his home country, learning English by watching movies.
He is also among a growing number of smart youngsters eager to begin higher education.
South of the border, Cornell University in New York welcomed 12-year-old freshman Jeremy Shuler this week.
And a cursory look at enrollment statistics over the past century shows the bar falling lower and lower.
American Michael Kearney, born in 1984, remains the youngest ever to have graduated with a college degree at age eight. He went on to teach college while still a teenager.
Waterloo admissions staff told Canadian media that age did not factor into their decision to admit
“He had phenomenal grades,” Andre Jardin, associate registrar of admissions, told broadcaster CTV. “He’s fully prepared academically. What we have to address is the fact that he is a 12-year-old boy.”
He said he would like to apply what he learns in the field of renewable energy.
While in Canada, he will live with his father in an apartment near campus, and says he is looking forward to learning how to ice skate.
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