India’s youngest PhD student

By Kate Hassett

India’s youngest PhD student
This child prodigy is India's youngest phD student at just 15 years of age.

Sushma Verma from Lucknow, India, has just become the youngest person in India, to be accepted into a PhD program.

At 7 years old, when most of us were entering the first year of our primary school, Verma was graduating from high school. When we were looking to high school at age 13, Verma was completing her Master’s Degree in Microbiology at Lucknow University.

Now, at the tender age of 15, Verma has just been accepted into the PhD program at Babasaheb Bhimrao Amdebkar University – making her the youngest to do so in her country.

Apparently this prodigious talent runs in the family. In 2007, Verma’s older brother, Shailendra, became the youngest computer science graduate in India at the age of 14.

Earlier this week, Verma sat her University Research Entrance Test and scored 7th overall to achieve what others would see to be impossible.

Verma’s path to success hasn’t always been easy. Her age has caused huge issues when it comes to being accepted into higher level learning.

“My young age has been a major constraint in pursuing higher education,” Verma said in an interview with The Times of India. “Getting permission to attend high school and seeking a seat for the medicals posed big problems.”

“A person should always be judged by his or her talent and potential, not by age,” she continued. “I desperately wanted to become a doctor but now I have to wait till I turn 17 — it’s a huge disappointment for me.”

While her age may hold her back from completing her goals as soon as she would like, it will not hinder her ability to meet them in any way. Verma is yet to decide on a speciality but is turning her sights (for now) to pursuing a PhD in agricultural microbiology.

 

 

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