Dubai girl, 12, makes the cut for Ivy League scholarships in US
Lara Devi scores 1400 in SAT, a test usually taken by 18-year-olds bound for university
A12-year-old girl from Dubai cracked the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), thus qualifying her to join a Ivy League university in the US.
Lara Devi scored 1400 out of a possible 1600. Scoring anywhere between 1200 and 1600 on the SAT is considered a good score for earning meritbased scholarships. The higher the score, the more scholarship offers you can potentially win.
SAT is usually administered to university-bound 18-year-olds, who are tested on their reading, writing and math skills.
Devi, who took the SAT in December, is happy about her achievement. Her performance in the verbal and quantitative sections levelled with the 98th percentile of advanced Grade 8 performance.
Special permission
Though still under age, Johns Hopkins University invited Lara Devi to take the SAT, and was granted special permission by the US College Board.
Given her SAT score, Lara Devi is effectively ready to join a US university. She previously gained entry into Study of Exceptional Talent (SET) pool, a designation awarded to exceptionally-gifted children at the Johns Hopkins’ Centre for Talented Youth (CTY). Students who achieve the SET designation get access to online and oncampus courses, as well as support services.
Her parents, however, aren’t ready yet to send her to university. “We would like her to finish her schooling,” her father Rajiv Saigal told Gulf News.
Lara Devi, whose favourite subjects are Maths and Computer
Science, said it took her a month to prepare for the SAT exams. “I did several past examination papers,” she said. “I love taking examinations.”
Her mother Dr Rachna said Lara Devi self-learnt for the SAT exams. At age 10, Lara Devi took her GCSE in Mathematics and received an A*. She also took GCSE in Statistics and Computer Science, receiving an A and A* grade, respectively.
These tests are taken by children aged 16 or older.
In 2014, at the age of four, Lara Devi was awarded membership of MENSA, the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world founded in 1946.
A year later, KHDA recognised her academic excellence and Lara Devi gained a year.
Lara Devi also enjoys sailing, horse riding, public speaking, and roller skating.
In 2014, at the age of four, Lara Devi was awarded membership of Mensa, the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world founded in 1946.