12-Year-Old Youngest Student of Calif. College

D A V I S, Calif., Sept. 29. -- Nicole Tan wants to cure cancer, find a vaccine for AIDS and treat sick children in Vietnam.

It might soundimpossible to squeeze all that into one lifetime, but Tan has moretime than the average college student.

The 12-year-old started her first day at a four-year collegeThursday with 14 units of physiology, chemistry and Chinese.

The biology major from Byron, Calif., is the youngest full-timestudent to ever enroll at the University of California, Davis.

It runs in the family: Before Nicole, her only sibling, Andrew,was the youngest student at the college. Now 14, he is a senior.

Nicole said she can’t imagine what it would be like to be in aregular classroom with other 12-year-olds.

“Home schooling was a big advantage because you can go at yourown pace,” she said.

Tan’s legs aren’t long enough to touch the floor when she sitsback in her chair. Dressed in a small UC Davis shirt featuring asurfing Snoopy, the shy preteen doesn’t look intimidating, but shewill likely throw off a few test curves.

Getting Ahead

Tan passed the state high school proficiency exam three yearsago and has since taken enough courses at a Pittsburg, Calif.,community college to make her a junior in college.

Accelerated home schooling allowed her to skip some dreadedteenage experiences: junior high and the SAT college entranceexams.

She declined to provide any information about her parents, whodeclined to be interviewed. The family has moved into an on-campusapartment.

“I play with other children my age,” Tan said. “I don’t studya fixed amount. Sometimes I study all day and sometimes not atall.”

University administrators admit they had some concerns aboutenrolling a 12-year-old, but say Andrew Tan’s success at theuniversity convinced them.

“We love to have young scholars here,” said admissionsdirector Gary Tudor. “We are paying high attention to herwell-being. But she has earned the right to be here and we arepleased to give her the opportunity of some accelerated learning.”