12 Year-Old Enters Medical School

[FeeFee]

Youngest student ever at University of Chicago professional school

CHICAGO, Aug. 24 — Sho Yano’s mother hands him his lunch for school in a brown paper bag — a turkey sandwich and cookies included. “You don’t need any bones today? No bones?” Kyung Yano asks her quiet, spectacle-wearing 12-year-old, who shakes his head “no” as they head out their apartment door. She wants to make sure he isn’t supposed to take his samples of spinal bones and a human skull to class, where he’s learning about human anatomy.
IT’S THE kind of morning many young students and their parents experience — except for one thing. Sho isn’t in junior high. He’s a first-year medical school student at the University of Chicago, where he’s the youngest ever to attend one of the university’s professional schools. If he weren’t also getting his Ph.D. along with his medical degree — thus, pushing his age at graduation to 19 or 20 — he’d also be on course to become the youngest person to graduate from any medical school. According to Guinness World Records, a 17-year-old graduated from medical school in New York in 1995. But Sho is utterly uninterested in setting records. He also shuns the labels often used to describe him — “prodigy” and “little genius” among them. Yes, he has an IQ over 200. And yes, he graduated in three years from Chicago’s Loyola University, summa cum laude. But for him, going to school is about learning as much as he can. “And there’s a lot of stuff to know,” he says, as he thumbs through one of his extra-thick medical books. While many kids his age have been spending their summers at camp or the beach, Sho has been dissecting a human cadaver and learning the intricacies of the 12 cranial nerves. And so far, having scored A’s on his first few quizzes, he’s handling the course work better than some who are a decade or more older than him. ‘INITIAL SHYNESS’ Some of his classmates were wary at first. That included Luka Pocivavsek, a 22-year-old medical student who shared a room with his young classmate at a retreat for new students in the M.D./Ph.D. program. At first, he thought Sho — who often pauses to ponder questions before answering and chooses his words carefully — was very quiet. He wondered how such a young student could handle the emotional and social rigors of being a doctor. But Sho quickly won him over. “He has surpassed my expectations in every imaginable way,” Pocivavsek says. “His initial shyness has given way to a very sociable guy. And his understanding of complex social and political issues is very keen and observant.” In some ways, Sho is still a typical 12-year old. He has a pet rabbit and sometimes squabbles with his little sister, Sayuri. And while he’s not a fan of Harry Potter, he adores books by best-selling children’s author Brian Jacques. At school, he’s more of the little brother figure. His classmates tease him, for instance, about finding a girlfriend. But they also go out of their way to include him, often socializing in their homes instead of bars — or choosing movies to watch that are rated no higher than PG.
The medical school also has adjusted Sho’s schedule a bit, delaying his clinical work with patients for his last two years in the program. Still, pathology professor Tony Montag says he sometimes forgets that Sho is younger than his classmates. “Of course, to me, they’re all kids. So he doesn’t seem particularly different than any of the students,” says Montag, who teaches Sho and other first-year students about microscopic tissues in their histology class. GIFT APPARENT EARLY ON Born in Portland, Ore., Sho spent most of his early years in California, where his father, Katsura, now runs the American subsidiary of a Japanese shipping company. Sho lives in the university’s family housing with his mother, who originally came to this country from Korea to study art history, and 7-year-old Sayuri, a talented student in her own right who wants to be a cardiologist.
A few months back, he turned down a request from talk show host Oprah Winfrey. He told his mom he wants he do something “bigger” before being on TV — like becoming a researcher and professor. From early on, his mom says it was apparent that Sho was gifted. His mother recalls trying to master a waltz by Chopin on the piano while 3-year-old Sho played with toy trains below her. Frustrated, she went to the kitchen to take a break — and a few moments later, hurried back in amazement as she heard Sho playing the piece. By age 4, he was composing. And by age 7, he was doing high school work — taught by his parents because they couldn’t find a school that could accommodate him. By age 8, he scored a 1,500 out of 1,600 possible points on the SAT and started college at age 9. The response from the public — and some of his undergraduate classmates — has not always been positive. Recently, Sho did an Internet search of his name and was surprised to find many people commenting about his life in blogs (or Web logs). “One person said, ’Look at this miserable child with a pushy mother,”’ Sho says. “Another said, ’Look at this miracle of God with his supportive parents.”’ Sho smiles at the notion that his parents have pushed him. “Sometimes, I kind of pull them along,” he says. His mom Kyung says it’s difficult to explain what having a child like Sho has been like. But she and her husband were always clear: “He will decide his own life, what he wants to do,” she says. They let him choose the University of Chicago even though it meant Sho’s father would have to live apart from them because of his job. His mom also lets him decide which media interviews he accepts. A few months back, he turned down a request from talk show host Oprah Winfrey. He told his mom he wants he do something “bigger” before being on TV — like becoming a researcher and professor. In the end, he says he chose medicine because he wants to help people. “I wish I could find a big step,” he says, his eyes widening slightly, “like a treatment for cancer.”
A few months back, he turned down a request from talk show host Oprah Winfrey. He told his mom he wants he do something “bigger” before being on TV — like becoming a researcher and professor. From early on, his mom says it was apparent that Sho was gifted. His mother recalls trying to master a waltz by Chopin on the piano while 3-year-old Sho played with toy trains below her. Frustrated, she went to the kitchen to take a break — and a few moments later, hurried back in amazement as she heard Sho playing the piece. By age 4, he was composing. And by age 7, he was doing high school work — taught by his parents because they couldn’t find a school that could accommodate him. By age 8, he scored a 1,500 out of 1,600 possible points on the SAT and started college at age 9. The response from the public — and some of his undergraduate classmates — has not always been positive. Recently, Sho did an Internet search of his name and was surprised to find many people commenting about his life in blogs (or Web logs). “One person said, ’Look at this miserable child with a pushy mother,”’ Sho says. “Another said, ’Look at this miracle of God with his supportive parents.”’ Sho smiles at the notion that his parents have pushed him. “Sometimes, I kind of pull them along,” he says. His mom Kyung says it’s difficult to explain what having a child like Sho has been like. But she and her husband were always clear: “He will decide his own life, what he wants to do,” she says. They let him choose the University of Chicago even though it meant Sho’s father would have to live apart from them because of his job. His mom also lets him decide which media interviews he accepts. A few months back, he turned down a request from talk show host Oprah Winfrey. He told his mom he wants he do something “bigger” before being on TV — like becoming a researcher and professor. In the end, he says he chose medicine because he wants to help people. “I wish I could find a big step,” he says, his eyes widening slightly, “like a treatment for cancer.”

[PiEp299]

damn overachievers

[CrimsonTide4]

Kudos to Sho and his parents!! God Bless him and his endeavors.

[AOII_LB93]

Ok, so it's cool that this kid is a super genius, but what about the social ramifications for him? I wonder if he ever just sits down and wants to play instead of reading med school books. One of my HS friends and I were the two youngest people in our graduating class, people gave us crap all the time for being so much younger, and we were only younger by 1.5/2 years respectively.

I don't know, I mean it's cool, but I feel bad for him at the same time.

[ZTAngel]

I couldn't imagine having a 12-year-old in my class who is way more advanced than me.

At the same time, I feel bad for the kid. He'll never have a childhood where he can just be a kid. But, I guess this is what he wants.

[Kevlar281]

[mu_agd]

Originally posted by Kevlar281

that's exactly what i was thinking of when i read this! and he seemed to have an ok social life!

[smiley21]

that makes me think of the 10 year old that went to high school here. i think he graduated at 12 and then went on to college. he was on 'oprah' a while ago. and i felt so stupid listening to him talk. he was so eloquent.

[Munchkin03]

I hope things will continue to go well for him at Chicago. I also hope that he enjoys being a CHILD--which is what he is, lest others forget.

I can't imagine what he's going through, even though I feel like I stick out for being the youngest person in my grad department, it can't be anything like it is for him!

[CrimsonTide4]

If I were his classmate, I would request him to be my STUDY BUDDY!!! Why ya playing!?!?!?!?

It looks like his med school classmates are a good cohort for him -- making accomodations to include him.

As a former teacher, students like Sho would be BORED in regular classes.

[AOII_LB93]

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4
If I were his classmate, I would request him to be my STUDY BUDDY!!! Why ya playing!?!?!?!?

It looks like his med school classmates are a good cohort for him -- making accomodations to include him.

As a former teacher, students like Sho would be BORED in regular classes.

I see where you are coming from as a former teacher as I am currently a teacher. I wasn't talking about the academic aspect, by all means kid, read up a storm, learn astrophysics, whatever! I was just talking of the social aspect of things. Aside from the classes, how much does a 12 year old have in common with a 22 year old other than the 2 in the ones column of age? While I don't agree with stifling a child academically in any way, I do think it's important for kids to do kid stuff.

Realistically, will this kid grow up to be well adjusted? Who knows? Hopefully so, but I don't think he would have done all of this on his own without a parent who pushed him to do it.

And his sister saying she wants to be a cardiologist? How many 7 year olds do you know that say, "Hey mommy! I want to be a cardiologist when I grow up." Not saying it's not possible, it just seems like the kids are getting "fed" by their parents.

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally posted by AOII_LB93
I see where you are coming from as a former teacher as I am currently a teacher. I wasn't talking about the academic aspect, by all means kid, read up a storm, learn astrophysics, whatever! I was just talking of the social aspect of things. Aside from the classes, how much does a 12 year old have in common with a 22 year old other than the 2 in the ones column of age? While I don't agree with stifling a child academically in any way, I do think it's important for kids to do kid stuff.

Realistically, will this kid grow up to be well adjusted? Who knows? Hopefully so, but I don't think he would have done all of this on his own without a parent who pushed him to do it.

And his sister saying she wants to be a cardiologist? How many 7 year olds do you know that say, "Hey mommy! I want to be a cardiologist when I grow up." Not saying it's not possible, it just seems like the kids are getting "fed" by their parents.

I am sure their parents encouraged them to set high goals. It sounds like he had as normal a childhood as one can have for a young genius. But can you imagine him in school knowing MORE than his teachers and being teased by his classmates and his teachers running out of things to teach him. It sounds like he would have it rough where ever he was, be it his AGE peers or his MENTAL ABILITY peers. From what I read about his mother, sounds like he has a home life that centers him.

[Rudey]

That's my school. If I see that little prick, I'm gonna pound him and send him home crying.

-Rudey
--Cocky little prick.

[starang21]

Originally posted by Rudey
That's my school. If I see that little prick, I'm gonna pound him and send him home crying.

-Rudey
--Cocky little prick.

don't get mad because he's smarter than you.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by starang21
don't get mad because he's smarter than you.

Damn you are so retarded.

-Rudey