Malcolm Jefferson looks like your typical high school student, but there's something extraordinary about this sophomore at Hillhouse High School in New Haven.
The 15-year-old will be attending college next fall.
“I think I saw enough of high school, I guess, I don't know. I liked it, it was fun for a while, but I want to see if I can do this new challenge,”Jefferson said.
He applied to Bard College at Simon's Rock, a college in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, that is designed to give tenth and eleventh graders an early start to their college education.
After two years, Malcolm will be eligible for an associate’s degree. After four years, he could earn his bachelor’s degree, all without ever graduating from high school.
“I think I'm going to try to major in pre-med,” he said.
Biology might be his dual major. It will be a tough curriculum, but one that Malcolm's father said his son can handle.
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“He's very focused, very myopic about his studies. He recognizes what we have to taught him all along, that education is the passport to the future, and it's the way to a better life,” Michael Jefferson said.
Even though Malcolm is excited about the challenges ahead, there are some things he will miss at Hillhouse High School.
“I liked my teachers. They were all trying to drive and push me forward, and I appreciate that, and the students, I made some good friends here,” Jefferson said.
But that won't stop Malcolm from getting an early start on pursuing his college dreams.
“I think I'm ready for the next challenge,” he said.
