<p>If you take 5.12 in the spring, you’ll hear the Woodward story - he’s still regarded as being the best synthesis chemist that has ever lived (read about how he synthesized Vitamin B12). In terms of MIT though, the story as far as I remember was that he entered MIT as a freshman, and then requested to work in a lab. Back then, UROPs didn’t exist, and only grad students could work in the labs. After a lot of persistent nagging, however, a lab finally gave in and let him work in the lab on a probationary status. Woodward proved his worth, however, by completing several difficult, grad-level organic syntheses that he learned on his own in high school. The PI became very impressed by him, and allowed him to work in the lab whenever he wanted. However, he became so engrossed in his research that he started neglecting his normal classes, and actually failed out of MIT during his first year. He petitioned to return however, and compensated for his year by taking on an insane amount of classes (12 or 15) during his first semester back, and compensated for all of the classes that he failed during his freshman year in one term. In fact, he compensated so well that he received his BS in two semesters (aside: they must not have as many GIR requirements back then as we do now =p), and then obtained a doctorate in the following year.</p>
<p>…if that’s not smart, I don’t know what is.</p>