Girl Skips 12 Years of School, Earns 2 Oxford Degrees
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LONDON — A 14-year-old girl who never attended primary or secondary school will be awarded two degrees with top honors by Oxford University next week, the university said today.
Ruth Lawrence completed a mathematics degree last summer after two years’ study. She then went on to earn a degree in physics because she had a “free” 12 months, even though each course normally lasts three years.
“I think it was due to the fact that she’s always studied at home,” her father, a computer consultant, told United Press International. “We started formally teaching her at about 4, starting with reading. Then at 5 we introduced her to mathematics.”
Ruth plans to return to St. Hugh’s College at Oxford in October to study for a doctorate in theoretical physics.
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