On Dec. 16, 2025, just before winter break was about to begin, Tony Lu got an update to his early action admission status.

He had been accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Class of 2030.

As a junior in high school.

Out of 11,883 applicants, Lu had made it into the small group of 655 students admitted in the early action round, with around a 5.5 percent acceptance rate.

Being admitted into one of the most prestigious universities in the world is already rare, but doing so a year early as a junior is an extraordinary feat and a first for a St. Mark’s student.

If you had asked Lu in August what his plans for college were, applying to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) wouldn’t have even come to mind. Now, Lu considers countless options for the years ahead.

When Lu stepped onto the St. Mark’s campus in 2019 for his first day of school, he was a fifth grader new to both the school and the country. His yearslong journey that culminated in him being admitted to MIT as a junior has been one of talent, hard work and a lot of math. One of the teachers who saw this journey firsthand and even helped Lu in the process was Thomas B. Walker III ’73 Mathematics Department Chair Shane May.

“Teaching honors (math) courses, I get hundreds of guys that are incredibly gifted and talented,” May said. “But Tony, he’s a one of a kind, a really special talent.”

In his third year on the job, May helped place Lu, only in seventh grade at the time, on an accelerated track to advance through the math curriculum faster.

“The stuff he was doing was just clearly well beyond his years as a seventh grader, so I remember that moment after we got him on a path to fast-forward through some classes,” May said.

Four years later, in the fall of 2025, May was writing Lu a recommendation letter to get him into MIT a year early as a junior. As his teacher in the ninth grade for AP Calculus BC and having previously written letters for Lu for competitive summer programs, May was well-equipped to handle the task.

“I just tried to share in my letters that yes, he’s a great student (and) a great person,” May said. “But 90 percent of the people that apply at MIT are probably great students and great people (too), but he’s really special in other ways.”

Though Lu had only come up with the idea to apply to MIT as a junior this fall, the groundwork for this decision had been set through his various mathematical accomplishments and other meaningful interactions that would eventually influence him into making the decision.

In fact, more than 12 months before being admitted in mid December, Lu had already visited the campus. With a curiosity and passion for STEM subjects, Lu joined top math enthusiasts and science whizzes across the country in the MIT PRIMES program — a program that May had written Lu a recommendation letter for.

“I went to that program as a sophomore,” Lu said. “And there’s a very strong precedent for students at that program to apply early (to MIT), and there’s a lot of support from mentors and other members of that community.”

The renowned program was not his only motivator, however. By joining another community and culture of academically driven students at a different math camp, Lu felt challenged and uncomfortable. That was where the idea first popped up in his mind.

“It was a camp I went to for several years, so I knew people well, and I think they really got that idea in my head,” Lu said. “If you feel like you’re mentally, academically and emotionally prepared, it’s actually a great experience for some people.”

While applying as a junior is rare, it doesn’t have any negative implications for an application in senior year. With that in mind, Lu thought he might as well apply and see what happened. And throughout that process, Lu was supported not only by mentors and current MIT students but also by his parents.

“They weren’t really pushing me around, really wanting me to do it, but it was more like, ‘This is a thing out there,’” Lu said. “I think they were along the process to be as supportive as they can possibly be.”

However, Lu wasn’t always fixated on MIT, as he had considered many possible options for his future. But he did appreciate many things about the university and factors such as MIT’s beautiful environment next to the Charles River and the culture at MIT.

“I’ve never really been super decided on MIT,” Lu said. “It wasn’t that it was the one place I want to go. But I think it’s a place that fits me just as well as it could possibly fit me. And in terms of the (St. Mark’s alumni) from high school (now attending MIT), these are people I’d love to hang out with.”

As a prestigious university, MIT offered many possibilities that drew Lu in, especially when it came to science and mathematics, Tony’s specialty.

“Their openness to research and openness to offering everyone the opportunity to do basically anything instead of being more hierarchical is something that I think I really would strive in,” Lu said.

Lu didn’t apply as a junior to just “streamline” the college process or relieve stress senior year. Ever since joining the school in fifth grade, Lu has been chasing a challenge. For him, MIT is just the next step.

“This is the place that really inspires me to believe – makes me want to become better and pushes me and makes me uncomfortable,” Lu said. “And that’s always where I try to go.”

Lu also pointed to former students who now attend MIT, like valedictorian Surya Dinesh ‘25, among others, who helped him decide to apply to MIT. The opportunity to spend more time with the upperclassmen who inspired him when he was younger by attending a year early was especially enticing.

“They’ve been really the core of why I want to do this,” Lu said. “It’s like, ‘I want to hang out with you guys.’”

Lu ties classmates in his class to core memories and connections during his experience in high school. He thanks his “irreplaceable friends” for everything from self-realization to learning how to study. But a new chapter of his life is fast approaching, with different people and experiences.

“I’ve sort of internally and personally moved on to this next step of ‘How am I going to play the bigger role? How am I going to focus on impact?’” Lu said. “Those things that are characteristic of college will then take center stage. Those people will be so important for me in that process.”

The decision to possibly leave the school early isn’t easy, however. Lu takes a deep interest in high school hobbies such as Quiz Bowl. Or in his brainchild, the Chamber Music Club that he started in his freshman year. Overall, Lu hopes to leave a lasting impact on the activities he was part of.

Lu may stay for his senior year, studying physics and chemistry. He may leave to join MIT’s Class of 2030. Regardless, he’s ready for the next couple of years ahead.

“I’m very willing to just kind of throw the dice, like ‘This is the unknown, and we’re going to figure it out when we get there’” Lu said. “And I think that kind of philosophy is something people have abandoned for a long time.”