U-Va.'s One-Year Wonder?

What bumper sticker does this kid's parents put on their SUV?

U-Va.'s One-Year Wonder

Teen Graduates Early, With a Double Major
By Susan KinzieWashington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 20, 2006; Page A01

And you thought your kid was smart.

David Banh, an 18-year-old from Annandale, just graduated from the University of Virginia in one year. With a double major.

David Banh of Annandale took more than 60 credits at U-Va. within a year.

His college education, almost entirely covered by a patchwork of scholarships, cost him about $200. And he sold back textbooks for more than that. Now he's starting graduate study at U-Va. with a research grant.

So at this point, he's technically running a profit.

He's upending two trends: Most students take longer to graduate than you might think -- about two-thirds of freshmen at four-year colleges in Virginia manage to finish within six years. And tuition gets more expensive every year.

Now that is an accomplishment, but there remains one question, just how much did he miss out on by finishing his degrees in one year? Yes, surely he missed out on the partying, but that hardly seems important, what I'm really talking about are the electives and experiences that makes a well-rounded student, well, well-rounded.

Are Mr. Bahn's degrees helping become well-rounded or is he so pigeon-holed that he will have no hope of ever leaving academia?