January 2, 1935

On January 2, 1935, Isaac Asimov turned 15. By this time, he was 5 feet 9 inches tall, and he would grow no taller. At age 15 he was skinny, weighing no more than 125 pounds.

It was at age 15 that he started to shave, twice a week at first, and was in "the full flower" of his acne (which he would continue to have until his early 20s).

At this point, he still worked full time in his parent's candy store when not in school, and so all his thoughts were of graduating high school, not of girls.

He was going to graduate high school 3 years early, and was already wondering which college he should enter. It had to be a college in New York City, for he would have to continue to work at the candy store.

He thought of City College, which was tuition -free, and anyone living in the city could enter it if his grades were good enough.

Although he appliwed to City College and was accepted, he was not happy about it. Most of the student body was Jewish. So was aAsimov, although non-practicing, and he knew that medical schools hardly ever accepted a graduate of City College...and he wanted to go to medical school. ("At least, my father was intent on my behalf.")

The most prestigious college in New York City was Columbia College, and gradusates of Columbia College usually had no problem getting into medical school.

Although Asimov didn't expect to ever have the tuition money to be able to afford Columbia, he applied nevertheless. Good grades were not enough however, he'd also have to go to an interview in order to be accepted.

TO BE CONTINUED




Bibliography
In Memory Tey Green, The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1920-1954. Avon, 1979

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