15 year old becomes youngest Cambridge undergraduate since 1773

[Osem]

A 15-year-old mathematics prodigy is set to become the youngest undergraduate at the University of Cambridge for more than two centuries.

Arran Fernandez, who was home-educated in Surrey, will start studying at the university next month.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11174934

Let's hope this talented young lad's had chance to be a child in between all that hard work.

Let us hope he is allowed to be a teenager in between.. Tantrums and all.

[nffc]

Bright lad, definitely; but he's going to miss out on a LOT of university life because he isn't 18, regardless of what he said, if he's only just 15, he's going to be quite upset by the time it's sunk in that he can't have fun with his friends. It isn't just about the work, even at top universities.

That said, he's home schooled and always has been - without wishing to generalise, how much chance has he had to mix with other kids (even if he's not the type to have thousands of friends, and I wasn't really - though I did have plenty of good friends - he still needs to grow up with kids his age), and what are his social skills like? Maybe he might not miss out. But I still don't see why he can't wait until 18, then again, he won't be winning Cambridge places at 14 and having his face in the media will he? Interesting this happens the same summer that other boy beat his "record" for youngest A* at GCSE Maths...

Contrast it with this 15 year old who already has a Maths Degree.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/11062961.

A far different approach to hot housing genius.

[nffc]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

Contrast it with this 15 year old who already has a Maths Degree.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/11062961.

A far different approach to hot housing genius.

Now he did come across as a perfectly well-rounded, probably socially able child, but then, he went to his normal school as well as studying for his degree at the same time. There is no doubt both kids are extremely intelligent, and I've only seen Arran in newspaper articles and stuff so you can't comment on how he interacts, but as he has not had the same social interaction, you would presumably think he may not - which is always going to be needed in real life, though I suspect the kid will be heading for a professorship or something and not a job in the real world. The other difference, of course, is that Arran is studying full time, but that kid did it part time, tbh I subscribe to the view that you have to treat kids who are way above average academically as normally as possible (but cater for their intelligence by ensuring they're stretched suitably so they don't get bored). I was one - but I did my GCSEs in year 11, at 16 1/2, A-levels 2 years later and went to uni when I was almost 19. Academically I could probably have done them all a few years earlier but what would be the point? You miss out on a lot of the fun of being a student if you go there before you're 18 - admittedly if I'd skipped a year that would only have been the first couple of months but it's in the first few weeks of term that you mainly get your friends. Sadly, I think he's just going to be in it for the degree. I feel this misses the point.