Christian Gahr is a 16 year old college student.
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Instead, she'll get the opportunity to watch him graduate in Lane Stadium. Despite the long distance from home and his relatively young age, Gahr decided to attend Tech.
Gahr is part of a very small percentage of students who have enrolled in the university at such a young age. A large portion of the student body graduates senior year with a traditional diploma, Johnson said.
“We have some home school students that didn’t officially graduate from a public institution but met all the core requirements to be given a diploma,” Johnson said.
However, it is not a requirement for students to have a diploma when applying to the university unless they intend on playing a sport for the school.
Virginia Tech offers an early admission application for high school juniors who wish to be considered for early enrollment. They must fulfill the same requirements as high school seniors in addition to having three different documents by the high school principal, parents, and the student.
While applying early may appeal to some, it does not mean it is the best option.
“It’s not advantageous. I think it’s a maturity level there. I mean there are some 16-year-olds that are probably more mature than others and some are more mature than the 17 and 18-year-olds, but it really depends on the individual,” Johnson said.
Despite the age of the student, the admission process considers whether the student can succeed in the rigorous coursework based on their high school profiles.
“We’re not admitting students that we don’t think from the front end could be academically successful here,” Johnson said.
Gahr’s ambition and academic success reflected in his course load through his four to five AP classes as well as his involvement in the high school marching band and San Bernardino County Honor Band.
It has also spilled over to his professional career. His sophomore year of high school he interned with California Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter.
His experience in both arenas has made his time in college no different than the typical incoming freshman.
“I wanted to get out of high school. I felt like I was just there and nothing was happening,” Gahr said, “I was going to apply here anyways, I might have ended up here anyways.”
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A version of this article appeared in the Sep 18 issue of the Collegiate Times.
Leave a comment 23 Comments Write a letter to the editor
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Great to have a Whiz kid at Tech. Wonder why (but glad he did) pick Tech as he grew up in CA.
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What is his major?
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I give him an A+ just for leaving California.
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The article says Biology
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Biology. It's literally the fourth sentence.
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Smart move! Recruit top talent a year before MIT, Harvard, and Stanford can get them. Someone at the top is thinking.
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Dude, Welcome! ("Dude" is a word which conveys endearment and respect among the natives of the Republic of California. I learned that last week in Sociology - or maybe I just sleeping during class and dreamed it. I can't remember.)
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This kid is involved in politics and music along with biology, so he is not a nerd in the classic sense - a la Big Bang Theory. I think 'top talent' describes him better than 'whiz kid' and I suspect we will be seeing his picture on the cover of FORBES and NEWSWEEK in about ten years.
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This makes me feel very good about my decision to attend Tech. Welcome to Virginia Christian
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This makes me feel very good about my decision to attend Tech. Welcome to Virginia Christian.
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Why is it all the good men are either married or gay... or statutorily under age?
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so which looks better on a resume?
1. attending Virginia Tech as a 16 year old
2. attending princeton when you are 19 years old
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About 4,000,000 students started university this year. About 2,000 started at Princeton this year. Let's estimate 4 students started university at 16 this year in the US.
A Princeton freshman is 1 in 2,000. A 16 year old freshman is 1 in a million. If I were an employer, I would hire that one in a million student.
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I heard that Dos Equis is considering him for their new spokes person. Welcome to Tech, Christian
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I know this guy! cool kid!
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