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Teen Graduates H.S., College In Same Week

Gassman Started Taking College Credits In 5th Grade

POSTED: 4:32 pm EDT May 8, 2008
UPDATED: 5:27 pm EDT May 8, 2008

An Iowa teen is graduating from college just one week after graduating from high school, Des Moines station KCCI reported.

Mattias Gassman, 18, will graduate summa cum laude with two bachelors degrees from Iowa State University on Saturday. He majored in biophysics, German and classical studies.

He graduated from high school on May 3.

"This is a child who was born at 29 weeks. We weren't sure until he was 2 or 3 that his development would be normal," said Brigitte Gassman, Mattias' mom.

Gassman started taking college courses when he was in fifth grade and enrolled full-time at age 14. ISU officials said he completed more than 232.5 credits, which is twice the number needed to graduate.

Gassman's parents home-schooled him and by age 11 he scored high enough on the SAT to enroll in Latin 101 at ISU. School officials said he earned an "A" in the course.

"He was very self-directed. He might spend several weeks studying geography, then a period of time immersed in another subject," said Brigitte. "We only made him do math and piano for the discipline of doing something regularly."

By 14, Gassman had won the Iowa Geographic Bee and made it to the fifth round of the National Spelling Bee.

Gassman's father, Philip, is an ISU assistant scientist and will earn his Ph.D. degree on May 9 in environmental science.

Gassman plans to continue his studies at the University of Minnesota. He said he'll study Hebrew and possibly the history and theology of church fathers.


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