When Neelendu Dey '00 arrived at Harvard this September, he thought his age would be his ultimate social downfall.

Dey, who skipped 2nd and 7th grades and graduated from high school two years early, didn't tell anyone his age, and nobody would have guessed anyway. Sporting a thick black goatee, Dey doesn't look like he's 16.

But after finally telling people his age, Dey says it wasn't the social hindrance he thought it would be.

"Maybe the second week here I was at a party where the people knew I was 16," Dey says. "They were all talking about it with me. It helped me to meet people at the party."

As Dey leans back in his chair in his Thayer 503 room, he says he doesn't treat his early arrival as anything special.

"Being younger than everybody has been true for me since I was 10 or 11 years old," he says. "It's something that makes me unique, but I don't really make a big deal out of it."

Jyotsna Dey, Neel's mother, says she is glad her son decided to spend his time pursuing a good education.

"The priority in our life is education," she says. "He can do the traveling and take time off after his education... . Because of my background, I feel this way."

She says she is confident Neel can handle college life.

"He faced the same situation in high school where he was two years younger than all his friends," she says.

Not all first-years who are 16 say the adjustment is easy. But for the most part, they say their age does not make a difference in their Harvard experience.

And several 19 and 20-year-old seniors who are graduating this year say their age never really affected their education.

Social Adjustments

Michael L. Develin '00 tells a different story, though, when he relates his experiences as a 16-year-old first-year.

"Academically, it's easy. Socially, I'm still getting adjusted," he says.