<p>Another option would be for him to apply normally, accept at the college of his choice, then defer for a year to live with the cool uncle and have his school waiting for him.</p>
<p>I was 16 when I graduated HS (skipped 11th grade), but with a summer birthday so I was 17 when I began college. Not only did I never regret early college, it’s been the topic of many a lively dinner conversation for the past 30 years…</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, JPL in Pasadena has a summer internship that takes hs students. You might want to check and see if they would be willing to take a student research intern during a gap year. They do some pretty amazing stuff at JPL (space research, landing vehicles) and a future theoretical physicist would probably be very stimulated there.</p>