11-year-old ‘prodigy’ Laurent obtains bachelor’s degree within a year
The 11-year-old Flemish-Dutch genius Laurent Simons obtained his bachelor’s degree in Physics at the University of Antwerp summa cum laude, with an average of about 9. Although the study normally takes three years, Simons completed it in one year.
The Belgian-Dutch Simons obtained his gymnasium diploma in one and a half years at the Sint-Jozef Humaniora in Bruges when he was 8 years old. He has also participated in several projects. Now that he has obtained his bachelor’s degree, he wants to continue with the master’s degree in Physics at the Flemish university. “I’ve already completed a few courses,” says Laurent, who has an IQ of 145.
The gifted Laurent has a clear vision of his goal. “In the end, I want to be able to replace as many parts of the body as possible with counterfeit organs.” He does not know how long it will take him to complete his master’s. “But I don’t do it for that, I do it to achieve my goal,” says the ultra-smart guy.
His tenth birthday
Simons also made the news two years ago because of a conflict with the Eindhoven University of Technology. Here Simons completed his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. He was about to graduate but stopped immediately after a disagreement about the study pace.
The university found the boy’s timetable unrealistic. His parents wanted the boy to complete his bachelor’s degree before his tenth birthday. The Eindhoven University of Technology did not agree to this because they did not consider it feasible due to the number of exams that Laurent still had to pass.
The educational institution proposed a study plan that would allow the 9-year-old to complete his studies in mid-2020, but the parents pulled the boy out of college.
If Laurent had managed to get his bachelor’s degree before he was ten, he would have been the youngest ever. Previously it seemed that Laurent would opt for a top university in America or Israel, but in the end, the choice was made for a university closer to home.
