Overview
- Lina Heider, 12, has begun studying economics at the University of Bonn and says she prefers the more complex, self-directed coursework to school.
- She earned the Abitur at 11 after only six years of schooling, reportedly making her Germany’s youngest Abitur graduate.
- Her acceleration included leaps from first to fifth grade, then to eighth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth.
- She had already taken university courses through a special program for gifted students and is described as highly gifted with a very high IQ.
- She reports feeling at ease among older students, aims to complete a bachelor’s degree, may spend time abroad afterward, and is exploring interests in biology, German studies, and politics.