Bruin Tea: Who is the oldest and the youngest student at UCLA?
By Sameera Pant
Feb. 26, 2019 11:17 p.m.
Quarter system got you down? Have you fallen and can’t get up? Bruin Tea is a series investigating student questions and petty concerns about UCLA.
Question: Who is the oldest and the youngest student at UCLA?
Michelle Chiang, a third-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student, is the youngest student at UCLA.
Chiang turned 17 on Sunday.
Chiang was home-schooled until the age of 14, when she started college through California State University, Los Angeles’ Early Entrance Program, an accelerated education program that allows students aged 11 to 16 to start college early.
“I started kind of in the middle range of 14,” Chiang said. “I just transferred to UCLA this year, actually.”
Chiang said socializing with older students has helped her acclimate to a college environment. She added that most of her classmates can’t tell that she is younger than them.
“Only the friends I talk to on a daily basis actually know because eventually they find out (my age),” Chiang said. “I don’t think it’s been a problem because usually when people find out (my age) the first thing I ask is ‘Oh, could you tell?’ and they usually say no.”
Chiang said she plans to pursue a career in dentistry.
“Starting early gives me an advantage, so I won’t be in school until my thirties. … I’m really grateful for that opportunity,” Chiang said.
The oldest student on campus declined to comment and did not want to share their information with the Daily Bruin.
TL;DR: The youngest student on campus is 17 and a third-year MCDB student.
