Genius Breaks Records by Earning University of Chicago Medical Degree at 21, Started Reading at 2

Genius Breaks Records by Earning University of Chicago Medical Degree at 21, Started Reading at 2

Genius Sho Yano can now add a remarkable feat claim to his long list of academic accomplishments.

At 21, he is the youngest student to earn a medical degree from the University of Chicago, based on the Chicago Tribune report.

This latest achievement comes as no surprise to those familiar with his story.  Yano began reading at age 2, writing by 3 and composing music by his fifth birthday. He entered Loyola University in Chicago at age 9 and graduated summa cum laude only after three years.

At age 12, he joined the University of Chicago's prestigious Pritzker School of Medicine, where students earn both a Ph.D. and a medical degree, according to the Tribune.

"I came to college to study, not to hang out or date," he said in 2000 when he entered Loyola, WLS-TV in Chicago reported.  Yano revealed that he did face some discrimination for being a very young university student.

"I ran into things like people shouting 'go back to elementary school' on campus," Yano told WLS-TV.   The Tribune story also pointed out that several medical schools did not accept him because of maturity questions. On campus, he was also a target of bullying, the Tribune reported, with some schoolmates questioning whether his mother was pushing him into college too early.

"I never understood that," Yano said.  "Why would being allowed to challenge yourself be considered more damaging than being totally bored?"

The newspaper called Pritzker's decision to admit Yano a wise move, also revealing that they hope his successful graduation quiets those who question or discriminate him.

He has also inspired his sister, who at 15, is studying violin performance at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the newspaper reported.

Sho Yano's next challenge is an upcoming residency in pediatric neurology, which is expected to take five years, but with Sho Yano, you never know. He could finish sooner than expected.

Posted by James Fried on Tuesday June 05 2012, 4:37 AM EST. Ref: Yahoo. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0