He was such a gifted student that he completed the third and fourth grades in one year and the eighth grade in six months. In his last year of school he became interested in chemistry.

His interest in chemistry led him to attend Harvard College. He began this study at the age of 18 (one year after graduating from the Ethical Culture School) because he suffered from colitis while on a family vacation in Europe. While in Europe, Robert's activities included mineral prospecting in Jachymov, Czech Republic, where the continent's largest uranium mine was located.

Oppenheimer recuperated in New Mexico, where he fell in love with horseback riding and the southwestern United States.