Dear March Boedihardjo, Congratulations on completing your bachelor's and master's degree this month from Baptist University at the age of 13. You are now officially Hong Kong's youngest graduate. As someone who has also skipped several grades and graduated from university and graduate school early, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you what lies ahead. Here's what you should expect as you head off to further studies in the United States.
From now on, and probably for the rest of your life, your age will be the most talked-about thing about you. When people talk about you, they won't say: 'Do you know March?' They will say: 'Do you know March the kid who entered university at nine years old?' Perhaps this is something you have already experienced. But it's about to get worse. In Hong Kong, educational achievements at a young age are, for the most part, admired and held in great esteem. Here, if you tell someone that you went to college at the age of nine, they'll think you're brilliant; in the US, they'll think you're freaky.
Your age will define who you are, whether you like it or not. For example, it has been years since I've skipped grades and entered university early. I'd like to think that I've accomplished things since graduating. But do you know the one thing people are most interested in hearing about when they meet me? What I did in college when I was 13. I've come to realise that nothing I do will change that. And while the attention is fun and novel at first, after a few years, you will hope and pray that everyone will just forget about your age. And here's how you do it - lie.
When I was in graduate school, I longed to fit in with the rest of my classmates who were five to 10 years older than me. So I lied about my age. The problem was, at Harvard Law School, most class events took place in bars. I was not able to enter those bars since I was only 17. You will not be able to either since you are only 13. Here are some great excuses for not going to bars: I'm claustrophobic, I don't like liquids of any kind, I have a severe peanut allergy and most bars serve peanuts, and I'm poor.
There are times, though, when you cannot lie about your age. For example, when your classmates decide to google you. Or when you want to date someone. I remember once meeting a cute guy. He asked me how old I was. I replied, with a little too much enthusiasm: 'I'm almost 19!' I'll never forget his response. He said: 'Anyone who still uses the word 'almost' when describing how old they are is too young for me to date.' Moments like this made me realise the extent to which one small decision on education can fundamentally and forever change other important aspects of one's life - romantic, social and professional.
This is not to say that it's all bad. Your age will give you opportunities others only dream about. Doors may open for you simply because people are curious about you. They may have all sorts of ridiculous assumptions about you, but at least it's an opened door. Your life may never be normal but that doesn't mean it can't be grand. Good luck.