Youngest Purdue Engineering graduate – at 16
Christopher Paul “Chris” McNett stands out as a unique graduate of Purdue’s College of Engineering. First, he enrolled when he was 13, having earned a perfect SAT score and bypassed Purdue’s first-year chemistry requirement at 12. McNett completed his bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering in only three years (receiving it in 2003 at 16) – attaining a remarkable 3.97 GPA and becoming the youngest graduate in the history of Purdue Engineering. Each summer during his undergraduate years, McNett interned at Microsoft, where he focused on writing security code and developing software for Windows XP. He also earned a patent for layering sound-absorption panels while studying at Purdue. After graduating, McNett began his professional career as an engineer at Palm, where he specialized in system software and development tools for smartphones. He later earned a master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University, followed by a law degree from Harvard University. Currently, McNett is a principal and intellectual property lawyer at McKool Smith in Washington, D.C.