Giorgos Leventidis: The student accepted to the University of Bath two years before finishing school

If helium chose to, 16-year-old pupil Giorgos Leventidis could already beryllium studying astatine 1 of the UK’s apical universities – the University of Bath – 2 years earlier finishing precocious school, arsenic helium received an unconditional connection aft going done a demanding three-year introspection process.

“I’m preparing,” “I’m studying,” “I’m trying” – these are the verbs Giorgos uses astir often successful speech with protothema.gr. He’s an exceptional student. Currently successful his 2nd twelvemonth of precocious schoolhouse astatine Zanneio Model High School of Piraeus, helium antecedently attended the 7th Junior High School of Nikaia.

“What led maine present was curiosity. I wanted to survey mathematics from a precise young property – since I was 11. At home, we person a immense room filled with books connected mathematics and physics. My begetter is simply a prof of mathematics astatine a large assemblage – EKPA (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens). I conjecture that’s wherever I caught the ‘bug’ for math,” helium says. “By the property of 13, I was unofficially taking university-level exams astatine EKPA – and I was passing them, adjacent without attending the lectures, simply due to the fact that I already knew overmuch of the material.”

The Journey to the University of Bath

Giorgos’s dependable world advancement prompted his parents to commencement researching universities aboriginal on.
“For the past 3 years, I had to survey each time for the exams. I was solving problems for 2 to 3 hours daily, portion besides keeping up with schoolwork,” helium explains. “To use to a UK university, you indispensable instrumentality a full of 18 exams, each with 10–20 university-level problems to beryllium solved successful 90 minutes. Luckily, I already knew a batch of the material, truthful I didn’t consciousness excessively pressured. The syllabus was enormous. In total, I wrote implicit 1,000 tests during my preparation.”

He adds that letters of proposal from 3 teachers played a cardinal relation successful his application.
“At school, determination were issues with absences, since the exams were held lone connected weekdays. But thankfully, with the enactment of the school’s staff, we managed to enactment astir it.”

The three-year rhythm of 18 exams is simply a request for each applicants to UK universities. Normally, students instrumentality these aft finishing precocious school. As his father, Giannis Leventidis, Professor successful the Department of Economics astatine EKPA, explains:
“In England, students decorativeness precocious school, past spell to assemblage and absorption exclusively connected these exams for 2 years. Giorgos, connected the different hand, took them astatine a precise young age, portion inactive attending regular schoolhouse and studying each the modular subjects – history, modern Greek, everything. And he’s doing precise good successful those too, adjacent though Zanneio is afloat of top-performing students.”

Applications to British universities are submitted via the UCAS level – with a bounds of 5 choices. The last determination depends connected which assemblage offers the champion terms.
“I wasn’t accepted astatine immoderate universities owed to my age. But I did person an unconditional connection from the University of Bath, to survey Mathematics and Physics.”

Yes, but…

The acceptance missive from Bath arrived connected September 4, portion classes were scheduled to commencement connected the 25th. This meant the household had astir 2 weeks to unafraid a assistance covering astir €50,000 successful tuition and surviving expenses – thing they couldn’t negociate successful specified a abbreviated time.

“Even though I was fixed this large opportunity, it’s not that elemental to commencement studying determination – the magnitude is overwhelming,” Giorgos notes. “We had to postpone it until we fig things out. If I tin unafraid a scholarship, I’ll beryllium capable to go. Still, my archetypal prime would beryllium to survey astatine a apical Greek assemblage – similar the School of Applied Mathematics and Physical Sciences (SEMFE) astatine NTUA, oregon astatine EKPA, if the Ministry of Education were to judge the results from the exams I already passed for Bath.”

“Having received this planetary designation from a apical UK university, wherefore shouldn’t I beryllium capable to survey successful my ain country?” helium asks. “Many students are accepted into apical overseas universities with the exams I took.”
“We’ve already sent a missive to the Minister of Education, Ms. Zaharaki, hoping for a solution – and I’m assured she’ll respond,” adds his father.

Though students who excel successful mathematics Olympiads often unafraid nonstop admittance to Greek universities, Giorgos explains wherefore helium didn’t travel that path:
“I didn’t instrumentality portion successful mathematics competitions oregon Olympiads due to the fact that I focused wholly connected the UK assemblage exams. There simply wasn’t capable clip to hole for those excessively – they’re precise time-consuming, connected apical of each my schoolhouse obligations.” Going to the UK besides comes with large beingness changes: “I’d request a guardian there. My ma works, and I person a younger brother…”

Balancing School Life

Does a pupil who’s good beyond the schoolhouse program and already speechmaking assemblage textbooks get bored successful class? “Yes, I get bored,” Giorgos admits. “I either work my ain books – precocious mathematics – oregon I wage a spot of attraction to cognize what homework is assigned, conscionable to enactment a bit.” And however bash the teachers react? “They admit me, particularly those successful the sciences – particularly aft what happened with Bath. That’s precise important. Sometimes successful class, I adhd comments oregon we speech during breaks. I’m besides portion of the Math Club, wherever we’re moving connected a radical project.”

Do his classmates ever inquire for help? “Generally, no. Only immoderate adjacent friends occasionally inquire maine to cheque their work.”

Life Beyond Academics

Although mathematics is his passion, Giorgos besides tries to support a well-rounded life:
“I bid successful kickboxing 3 times a week, we spell karting, bowling, play football. I emotion playing excavation and array tennis.”
And friends? “I person 2 oregon 3 adjacent friends I spot deeply,” helium says.

Plans for the Future

How does 16-year-old Giorgos Leventidis envision his future?
“I program to implicit a PhD successful mathematical physics, focusing connected cutting-edge topics similar plasma behaviour modeling successful atomic reactors oregon quantum computing. After that, I’d similar to articulation a prestigious probe radical oregon planetary institute similar CERN. If I negociate to basal out, I’d emotion to go a prof with my ain probe team.”

His relation models? “Many mathematicians… Georg Cantor, Albert Einstein, John Venn, Élie Cartan…” helium lists.