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Long Island whiz kid with Einstein-level IQ overcomes cancer to get into NYU grad school at age 13
NY Post ^ | 9/18/26 | Natalie O'Neill

Posted on 09/18/2026 5:24:57 PM PDT by Libloather

He’s the Doogie Howser of the dorms!

A 13-year-old Long Island whiz kid with an Einstein-level IQ has been accepted to NYU’s master program — after overcoming cancer and Tourette’s syndrome, according to school officials and his mom.

Pint-sized prodigy Joe Petraro-Hyppolite plans to study sports medicine at the university next fall and will likely be the school’s youngest grad student ever, according to reports.

“My IQ is 168,” Joe Petraro-Hyppolite, of East Rockaway, told CBS. “Whenever I tell people, it’s like, ‘Oh, Young Sheldon, Doogie Howser.’”

By comparison, Albert Einstein’s IQ is believed to have been around 160, which is generally considered “genius level.”

Petraro-Hyppolite scored a near-perfect 1590 on the SAT at age 10 and graduated high school the next year.

He is expected to complete his undergrad degree at Louisiana State University in May, despite being nearly a decade younger than some of his peers.

“They shot like a double glance, like, ‘Wait, what?'” he said of the reaction he sometimes gets in class.

The boy genius said he’s nervous but thrilled about hitting the books in the Big Apple.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Education; Local News; Science
KEYWORDS: cancer; einstein; nyu; school
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Could be faking it. This kid needs a good trade school instead.
1 posted on 09/18/2026 5:24:57 PM PDT by Libloather
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To: Libloather

What a’ ya thinkin’? Cosmetology?


2 posted on 09/18/2026 5:28:30 PM PDT by stevio (Fight until you die!)
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To: Libloather

What a’ ya thinkin’? Cosmetology?


3 posted on 09/18/2026 5:28:36 PM PDT by stevio (Fight until you die!)
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To: stevio

Those guys should go into medicine or move to Silicon Valley.


4 posted on 09/18/2026 5:31:11 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: Libloather

Not that smart, he’s going to NYU...


5 posted on 09/18/2026 5:34:16 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Libloather

“study sports medicine”

Ergo, he’s no genius. What a waste.


6 posted on 09/18/2026 5:40:27 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: Libloather

I wish the kid well.


7 posted on 09/18/2026 5:47:56 PM PDT by House Atreides (I’m now ULTRA-MAGA-PRO-MAX)
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To: Libloather

“It’s not like a was shot out of the womb, knowing all there is to know!”

When I was 13, still living at home, there is no way I would have made a remark like that publicly, but then each family has it’s own sense of what is normal and appropriate language for communicating. His Tourettes will add to the difficulty of trying to fit in with peers. All in all, I get the impression that this kid has a sense of humor, so, he’ll do just fine.


8 posted on 09/18/2026 5:54:39 PM PDT by lee martell
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To: Libloather
Plumbing is a good line of work.

At least the kid doesn't look like Stephen Hawking.

9 posted on 09/18/2026 6:18:24 PM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie ( O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is gracious, and his mercy endures forever. — Psalm 106)
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To: lee martell

He is no Baleen Dupree


10 posted on 09/18/2026 6:33:24 PM PDT by al baby (Sarcasm )
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To: Secret Agent Man
Not that smart, he’s going to NYU...

Bingo. Beat me to it.

If he was really smart, he wouldn't be going to NYU. That sounds like the best of the nearby universities that his parents were willing to let him go to.

11 posted on 09/18/2026 6:51:08 PM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

Maybe he just wants to be a doctor. 😐


12 posted on 09/18/2026 7:48:35 PM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: Secret Agent Man

With an IQ like that, Harvard or Yale would be better choices. Clearly, he’s a NationalMerit Scholar. Universities generally get in touch to see whether he’d like to come to their school.

If he’s really that smart, one would think they’d be calling his parents. Or perhaps they’d wait until his second year to see whether he’s really qualified.

In anty event, cute little boy seems destined to have a good education and a wonderful life.


13 posted on 09/18/2026 8:14:45 PM PDT by Veto! ((Whatever it is, I'm against it.})
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To: Libloather

The myth of Albert Einstein continues. His secretary Helen did his work when Albert was a young man. Albert married his cousin, was not monogamous, and harassed students at Princeton. John Barrow was a genius in physics.
The kid in New York will find like company at UC Berkeley and Cal Tech. I encourage him to pray and allow the Lord to use his amazing talents.


14 posted on 09/18/2026 11:28:20 PM PDT by Falconspeed ("Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others." Robert Louis Stevenson.)
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To: Libloather

Good for you kid! Nice to see a feel good story here for a change.


15 posted on 09/19/2026 12:41:34 AM PDT by know.your.why
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To: Veto!

If he was smart he wouldn’t go to incredibly expensive, highly overrated, very liberal schools.

Maybe its more his parents calling the shots. Don’t know.


16 posted on 09/19/2026 1:48:40 AM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Libloather

With a mind like his he could make hobbies out of the occupations he chooses. Why waste it all in one place when you’ve got your whole life ahead of you?


17 posted on 09/19/2026 3:25:46 AM PDT by equaviator (Nobody's perfect. That's why they put pencils on erasers!)
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