9-year-old boy, set to be world’s youngest graduate, drops out of university over date row
The 9-year-old boy, who was a student at the University of Eindhoven, made global headlines last month as he looked set to complete his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering before the end of 2019
9-YO, set to be world's youngest graduate, quits university | Photo Credit: Instagram
Key Highlights
- The university issued a statement saying the original graduation plan did not look achievable but he would still graduate by mid-2020
- Simons' father said the university initially had no problems with Simons' graduation date. But they started reacting when plans were made to move the boy to another college for further education
Child prodigy Laurent Simons, who was on track to become the world's youngest graduate, has dropped out of his university after a dispute over his graduation date.
The 9-year-old boy, who was a student at the University of Eindhoven, made global headlines last month as he looked set to complete his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering before the end of 2019. But the dreams of the prodigy and his parents came crashing down when the university said Simons needed to write many exams before his birthday on December 26.
After a dispute between the parents and the university management, Simons decided to drop out and described the institution as 'liars' and 'pathetic'. Later on an Instagram post, Simons accused the university of changing his graduation date after he had protested about an oral exam.
The university issued a statement saying the original graduation plan did not look achievable but he would still graduate by mid-2020. "Laurent is an exceptionally gifted boy, who is going through his studies at an unprecedented pace. There is a phenomenally quick scheme in which he would end his education mid-2020," said the university.
But Laurent's father, Alexander Simons, found the explanation incoherent.
"Until last week everything was fine, and now suddenly they see a delay of six months. It's very peculiar that this all comes right at the time when we were finalising our plans for Laurent's Ph.D. at a different university," said the father.
The father said the university initially had no problems with Simons' graduation date. But they started reacting when plans were made to move the boy to another college for further education.
Although a little crestfallen, Simons is still focussed on researching artificial organs in the future. His dream is to develop an artificial body in his own laboratory.