Meet Joe Petraro-Hyppolite, 13-year-old Long Island genius with ‘Einstein-level’ IQ set to begin NYU master’s programme after overcoming leukemia and Tourette syndrome

At just 13, Joe Petraro-Hyppolite is preparing to take a giant academic leap that most people make decades later. The Long Island teenager, who says he has an IQ of 168, has been accepted into a master’s programme at New York University and is set to begin next fall. His reported IQ is higher than the often-cited estimate of around 160 for Albert Einstein, although Einstein never had a documented IQ test.Petraro-Hyppolite is expected to be less than half the age of the average US student beginning a master’s programme. He is currently completing his undergraduate degree at Louisiana State University and plans to graduate in May next year.‘My IQ is 168’Petraro-Hyppolite told CBS News New York that his IQ is 168. When the reporter described him as a genius, the teenager responded with a touch of humour.“I am not biased, but, yeah, if you say so,” he said.He joked that people often compare him with fictional child geniuses such as Sheldon Cooper and Doogie Howser.His academic record helps explain why he has attracted so much attention. Petraro-Hyppolite scored 1590 on the SAT at just 10 years old and graduated from high school at 11. He is now studying alongside students considerably older than him at LSU.“They shot like a double glance, like, ‘Wait, what?’” he said of the reaction he sometimes gets from classmates.From cancer and Tourette’s to NYUPetraro-Hyppolite’s academic journey has also come alongside significant personal challenges. He was diagnosed with leukemia in September 2021 and has also dealt with Tourette syndrome, which, according to reports, previously resulted in him being placed in special education classes.His mother, Anne Petraro-Hyppolite, said his achievements remain surreal.“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.”‘New doors are opening’Despite his extraordinary academic progress, Petraro-Hyppolite admits that starting a master’s programme at 13 comes with some nerves.“Yeah, I mean, who wouldn’t be?” he said. “But then again, I am also excited, because new doors are opening.”His master’s studies will focus on sports management, with interests in kinesiology and biology. The outlet reported that he could potentially become NYU’s youngest graduate student, although the university is verifying that distinction.‘It’s not like I was shot out the womb’Petraro-Hyppolite also wants people to understand that being gifted does not mean everything comes effortlessly.“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.Outside the classroom, the teenager also spends time helping others. He recently volunteered at a Five Towns nursing home, helping residents get home safely.A future in paleontologyWhile his immediate plans involve completing his undergraduate degree and then beginning his master’s at NYU, Petraro-Hyppolite already has an idea of where he wants his education to eventually take him.He has said he wants to pursue paleontology.If he stays on his current academic path, he could complete his master’s degree at around the same time many teenagers are becoming legally old enough to drive.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.