To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Boy On Track To Get Engineering Degree From University At The Age Of 9

Boy On Track To Get Engineering Degree From University At The Age Of 9

After completing high school in just 18 months, Laurent Simons is about to finish his first degree in just nine months.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

There's no denying that going through school is a tough slog.

After spending six years in primary school, learning the basics of the world around us, we move onto high school to gain more knowledge.

Some of us then embark on tertiary education, which can take up to six years to finish. By then we're in our mid-20s and learning how to be an adult.

Well, one boy from Amsterdam is about to do all that before he even reaches double digits.

PA

Laurent Simons completed high school in just 18 months by the time he was eight, and now he's about to finish his degree in electrical engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology.

Sjoerd Hulshof, education director of the TUE bachelor's degree, told CNN: "Special students that have good reasons for doing so can arrange an adjusted schedule. In much the same way we help students who participate in top sport."

"Laurent is the fastest student we have ever had here. Not only is he hyper intelligent but also a very sympathetic boy."

What's even more baffling is the boy has nearly completed his degree after just nine months of study.

PA

According to the Daily Mail, the nine-year-old's current tutor at TUE, Professor Peter Baltus, reckons the boy is at least three times smarter than the next most intelligent student he's met during his career.

Not only does he have an IQ of 145 but he also has a photographic memory.

Laurent wants to change the world of cardiac surgery because both his grandparents are currently dealing with heart issues. The nine-year-old is keen on maths and science but is just like every other kid and enjoys Fortnite and Netflix.

The big question is where Laurent will go next as he is keen to embark on a PhD program in electrical engineering while also studying for a medicine degree.

Getting through a Bachelor of Arts is tough enough for some people but this kid is hoping to have three serious education certificates before he can drive.

While he would like to go to California for his next educational journey, his dad wants him to go to Oxford in the UK.

PA

Switzerland-based professor John Wilkes, who taught Laurent when he was six, recommends the boy should go with his father's suggestion.

"I really would recommend Oxford for him," the professor said.

"He would develop somewhere the environment is about learning rather than being taught. For someone like Laurent that is ideal."

Laurent is due to graduate from TUE next month, which would make him the world's youngest university graduate.

He'll knock off Michael Kearney, who graduated from the University of Alabama at the age of ten, off the top spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Interesting, Community