Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/679878
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 15 MAY 2016 16 CONTEMPORARY folk wisdom would have it that, if you want to be an academic star, you're going to have to sacrifice at least one so- cial skill or glamorous attribute to the gods. Apparently, scoring high grades is only allowed if you're crap at sports, clueless at fashion and way behind the curve on pop cul- ture matters. Well, get ready to jettison that belief as a misconception. After taking the time to speak to a clutch of fresh Straight 'A' students, we found them to be both an eclectic and eminently lovable bunch. For 18-year-olds Sarah Suleiman, James Scicluna, Elaine Camill- eri and 24-year-old Gabriel Ellul, being over-achievers was both a dream, and to a certain extent, a requirement to enter the prestig- ious medicine course ultimately to become doctors. "The University course has strict entry requirements, and given that I've wanted to become a doctor for as long as I can remember, work- ing hard to get those marks was an almost natural path," Scicluna said. Suleiman admits to a sense of un- certainty haunting her Sixth Form experience, but adds that achiev- ing the grades had ultimately con- vinced her that the science field was the right path to take. "For the two years of Sixth Form I was very uncertain about what I wanted to do after my 'A' Levels and I considered options very dif- ferent to medicine, but now I'm very happy with my choice," she says, adding that she always enjoys challenging herself as much as pos- sible. Although she did her best to set herself up with the best possible options and give herself the pick of the crop in terms of what courses to follow, Suleiman added that she had tried to involve herself in as many extracurricular activi- ties as possible in her first year at Sixth Form – such as taking part in the Junior Achievement Young Enterprise programme as well as the Malta Student Science Forum (MSSF) with James Scicluna as her partner, which scored them a re- search trip to the Swiss Alps. She adds that the early hobby of dancing remains a priority for her, and she attends at least three les- sons a week to this day. "It's challenging to strike a bal- ance, but it's definitely not impos- sible," she said. Scicluna, who had exactly the same subjects as Suleiman, said that social gatherings were a very necessary part of his routine at Sixth Form, both as stress relief, and as a way to discuss some of the topics being studied. Camilleri shares Scicluna's opin- ion, and she explains that long hours of study, although necessary in her case, would not have been enough unless she was truly inter- ested in what she was learning. "Time management was always one of my strong suits, and thanks to that skill I managed to participate in a number of activities includ- ing St Aloysius soirée and a part time job," she said. "I also know my limits, however, and I have had to refuse certain social occasions due to my studies, particularly closer to exam periods," she adds. Scicluna also said that his Sixth Form years also saw him develop another hobby: photography. "I was the appointed 'Sixth Form photographer' so I was involved in most St Aloysius activities, from the soirée, to the SACfest, year- books and sporting events," he said, adding that photography and crea- tivity have always been major stress relievers for him, and that he had also continued to practise freelance photography throughout the two years. Scicluna adds that although achieving those grades had been something of a dream come true, in the long term he felt like it hadn't News Insufferable overachievers? Not quite Far from being shambling nerds with zero charisma, MARTINA BORG finds a recent crop of Maltese Straight 'A' students to be as affable as you may expect from their less academically ambitious counterparts From left: Anna Calleja (A Level: English, History; Int. Level: Biology, Philosophy, Theatre and Performance, Systems of Knowledge), Elaine Camilleri (A Level: Biology, Chemistry; Int. Level: English, Philosophy, Physics, Systems of Knowledge), Rachael Darmanin (now assistant visting lecturer in Engineering at the University of Malta); Sarah Suleiman (A Level: Biology, Chemistry; Int. Level: English, Philosophy, Physics, System of Knowledge), James Scicluna (A Level: Biology, Chemistry; Int. Level: English, Philosophy, Physics, Systems of Knowledge) and Gabriel Ellul – who became a doctor after completing his A Levels