Waterberg Academy student Lucy Calcott has been selected by Yale University to join its student body for a four year undergraduate course. Yale, a top Ivy League college, is one of the most prestigious, and selective, universities in the world. Out of the tens of thousands of high flying students who apply to Yale from the USA, and across the globe, less than 1 in 15 are successful. Until three years ago no student from Limpopo had ever been accepted to attend any US Ivy league university. Lucy Calcott is now the second student in just three years to be accepted into Yale from The Waterberg Academy. This almost certainly means that over the last three years Waterberg Academy’s acceptance rate into Yale (9%) is the highest of any school, not only in South Africa, but in the world at large.
When asked to what she attributed her success, Lucy replied, “Hard work, of course, but also the incredible personalised attention the teachers of Waterberg Academy give to every student. No student in Waterberg Academy is just a name. Every single learner is known and cared for passionately and individually by the staff. The small class sizes mean that the dedicated teachers can provide this level of support for every student in their classes – and they do.”
In 2018, Lucy obtained distinctions in all seven IEB matric subjects she studied, with an average mark of 94%. She came in the top 5% in RSA in 6 subjects and in the top 1% in RSA in 5 subjects and was thus recognised by the IEB with their Outstanding Achievement Award.
Lucy is at present attending a Discipleship Training School with Youth with a Mission in London, UK, before travelling to the USA. Lucy hopes to major in Educational Psychology, but also looks forward to sampling the diverse menu of course modules that Yale offers.
