NEW YORK (WCBS) -- The typical age a person in the U.S. starts a master’s program is 33, but one Long Island teenager is about to shatter that timeline. He’ll be less than half the age of his classmates when he starts at New York University next fall. At 13 years old, Joe Petraro-Hyppolite spends his days off helping others. For example, on Wednesday, he was at a Five Towns nursing home making sure residents got home safely. For most teenagers, volunteering is a great résumé booster, but Petraro-Hyppolite doesn’t really need another one. He has already attended Louisiana State University, and there’s a reason why. “My IQ is 168,” Petraro-Hyppolite said. “So you’re considered a genius,” CBS News New York’s John Dias said. “I am not biased, but, yeah, if you say so,” Petraro-Hyppolite replied. “Whenever I tell people, it’s like, ‘Oh, Young Sheldon, Doogie Howser.’” The numbers are hard to believe. He got a 1590 on the SAT at just 10 years old and a high school diploma at age 11. And now, Petraro-Hyppolite is working toward his undergraduate degree, surrounded by students much older than him. “They shot like a double glance, like, ‘Wait, what?’” he said of the reaction he often gets. And just when you think he can’t get much further ahead, he is about to take another giant leap. At 13 years old, he has been accepted into an NYU master’s program. “My master’s is going to be sports management but other than [that] it’s also kinesiology and biology,” Petraro-Hyppolite said. As for possibly being nervous about what’s ahead of him, he said, “Yeah, I mean, who wouldn’t be? But then again, I am also excited, because new doors are opening.” Anne Petraro-Hyppolite, his mother, said the achievement is especially meaningful because her son was once placed in special education classes after being diagnosed with Tourette syndrome “It’s just surreal. When he graduated high school so young, it was surreal, but this is ... everything he does is surreal,” she said. “He just loves to learn. He is like a sponge.” Joe Petraro-Hyppolite wants people to know that being gifted doesn’t mean everything comes easy. “It’s not like I was shot out the womb knowing everything I know. I have to learn it once or twice. Then I’ll know,” he said. Joe Petraro-Hyppolite still has to finish his undergraduate degree, which he plans to do in May of next year. He said he eventually wants to go into paleontology. He will likely be graduating with his master’s around the same time he can legally drive a car. By John Dias, WCBS
