A 13-year-old teenager in California has received admission notices from over a hundred universities, including prestigious institutions like the University of California. He may potentially set a new world record as the youngest record holder for receiving the most university admissions.
According to a report by KTVU TV station on May 5th, the Vietnamese-American teenager named Sunny Nguyen resides in San Jose, California. He is the eldest of five children in his family.
During a recent interview with the television station, Sunny Nguyen mentioned that his parents asked him if he wanted to go to college, and he agreed, leading to the amazing turn of events.
Sunny’s father, Tommy Nguyen, shared with the TV station that Sunny has always been extraordinary. He has a strong passion for mathematics, constantly engaging with mathematical concepts wherever he goes. He can see mathematics in everything around him.
Sunny has also had a long-standing interest in technology, creating websites at home, learning about software engineering and artificial intelligence. He even has his own YouTube channel with nearly 60,000 subscribers.
Tommy Nguyen expressed his belief that his son is capable of achieving anything he sets his mind to. When he felt that public schools and home education could no longer meet Sunny’s needs, he began applying to universities on his son’s behalf.
Tommy said, “What has amazed us is the overwhelming enthusiasm shown by various universities towards him. Letters regarding admissions, acceptances, and scholarships kept arriving at our home.”
He mentioned that Sunny had applied to over a hundred universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, and was offered a total of over $3 million in scholarships from these institutions, with some schools offering scholarships exceeding $100,000.
Sunny stated that regardless of which university he ultimately chooses to attend, he plans to major in computer science with the goal of making a positive impact on the world.
Cases like this, where individuals receive admissions from hundreds of universities, have occurred before in the United States.
According to a report by The Guardian, high school student Dennis Barnes from Louisiana received admissions from approximately 190 universities in 2023, with nearly 150 offering him scholarships totaling over $10 million USD. He was on track to break the world record for the cumulative scholarship amount received.
He later announced during a press conference that he chose to attend Cornell University, one of the Ivy League schools, among his options.